How to mount a heatsink?

[fataIerror]

Hello, this is to help settle an argument.

My little bro has a friend that built his computer that scrapped the bottom of the heatsink with a piece of metal when he mounted it. I told him the surface should not be scratched at all.

Now this friend of his had his own business for a few years (according to my brother, I don't know him) and my brother claims that he knows everything about computers.

Who is correct?

 

[sierra]

When you scrape the metal like that... it doesnt affect it what so ever...
Actually I have found that it helps it out. Drops the temparture about 10 degree's with my oem heatsync & a 1.2 ghz athlon.

So the answer is no, it doesn't affect it.
Just a matter of how you want to do it.

 

[bobby29322]

Scrape's aren't going to affect it, sierra is right, it just conducts heat better actually.

Your little bro prevailed.

His friend still doesn't know everything, unless he is god (aka = me) 🙂

Have a good one.

 

[fataIerror]

Hmmmmm, I've always heard different because it's easier to break the core.

 

[sierra]

When you scrape it, you get a clean surface.
Its not recommended, unless you know how to do it, and use specific types of metal.
Its not easy.

 

[Electric Amish]

Depends on if it's scratched deeply or what.

A deep scratch on the base of a heatsink isn't good.

amish

 

[DoubleN]

By scratching do you mean like deep grooves b/c that is bad, but if you mean ensuring that the area is level and cleaning up the bottom and buffing it then that would be good as it allows for better contact between the cpu core and the bottom of the heatsink.

 

[whitelight]

well, for better conductivity, ppl sand down the bottom of their heatsinks to get a more level surface. but if the scatch is like a groove, then that's a different story.

 

[fataIerror]

It's a groove. It's not even.