Installed xp-90

[Mr Smiley]

Well this was my first time installing a heatsink but I will say that things went swingly. I put a small amount of artic silver 5 in the middle of my processor and then stuck the heatsink on. But, after powering up I discover that I am getting almost the exact same tempatures as my stock cooler which are idle around 38C and under load 45-48C. I know arctic silver must first burn in or whatever but I was expecting a more drastic temperature change. Im wondering if I didn't put enough arctic silver on. If I take the processor off, can I just add more arctic silver or do I have to clean everything again (comp has been on for less than an hour and a half)? Any suggestions?
Processor- P4 3.2 Northwood (socket 478)
Fan- Zalman adjustable case fan (with the resistor off and pointing down so air is blowing into the heatsink).

Edit: Im also gonna add that my goal in purchasing some new hardware for my comp was to reduce the noise which was driving me crazy. Im going to put the resistor on the fan so the cpu will be running hotter. Thats mostly why I am concerned with my temps.

 

[elpres05]

A 10 degree rise over idle is normal but you should definitely get a better result than Intel stock cooler.

Your AS application was not proper. I bet it didn't spread all over the shim. Unlike silicon which is less dense, a simple hand-to-sink pressure won't work well. Take off the heat sink just in case and see how the condition, use a thick card or something to spread AS evenly thoughout.

Tip: Once CPU is covered with a thin and even layer of AS, put the sink on and twist it a few times wiht slight pressure, this way, you'll get a perfect contact.

 

[AzNPinkTuv]

as5 is only a better conductor then air.. nothing else so more = worse


the Dot method is enough and its easy to get airbubles by spreading it if your unsteady...

also, let the AS5 cure for about 200 hours..

finally, remount the hsf if you need to... look for a thin but even layer and good contact.. me and my 2cp

 

[Mr Smiley]

I followed both of your advice. I have a very thin layer spread out across the processor. The heatsink seems to be exactly over the processor. This gave me like a 2C drop in temp which is pretty good. I connected the resistor and the temps are now 38C and I played cs for a few minutes and the temps spiked up to 49C (using speedfan to log the temps). The temps are alright considering I can't hear the fan spinning anymore.
Also, I bought a nv silencer 5 Rev2 from SVC.com. When I got it, it shipped with no thermal paste. The spot where the paste should go is completely empty. Could I just use arctic silver 5 do cover the spots or should I call up svc and have them send me some paste? I havent opened the container so I don't think it should be a problem.
Thanks

 

[zagood]

Those CPU temps are just about right, maybe a few degrees on the warm side. The Prescott is even hotter. Don't compare your temps to people with AMD rigs, those generally run cooler.

You may want to check your case airflow, if your case doesn't have a good air exchange it won't matter what cooler you put on there.

FYI that isn't the quitest fan in the world at 12v, sorry. I used to have one and was amazed at the sound difference when I replaced it. The inline resistor will make it very quiet but your temps will be much higher. If you're using speedfan, let that control your fan speed, you'll get the best of both worlds.

As far as the Silencer, once you open the box you should see everything that you need included. If not, then contact SVC. Since you're new to this, I wouldn't use AS5 when applying the Silencer. It's just the slightest bit conductive, and if you miss or are sloppy with it, it could be, well, an expensive experience.

-z

 

[alilxmas]

Really, I used AS5 and I got good results, I installed it a little different way thou, I removed all the stuff there with 80% alchol. cleaned with a lint free rag, after that I grabbed a small plastic bag put some AS5 on the heatsink, rubbed it in really good circles ccw/cw after that I wiped it all off lightly (I mean did wipe it but not like trying to clean a burnt frying pan). Did the same thing to the CPU (careful not to get it anywhere but on the cpu. Then grabbed a small bb sized drop smoothed it around on the cpu only with another bag on my finger. Grabbed a old credit card, made a nice thin layer, slapped them together and I ended up with very good temps.

My cpu is the P4 3.20 EE Northwood/ CPU, and under load it is normally about 28 idle, or browsing the web, (like now), and under load I havent seen it hit about 40 ever. 39 yes but not 40. I have played Oblivion and also fear for hours on end and when I alt+tab to desktop it stays in that temp range. I think I might have hit 43 once, when playing Morrowind and ripping a video in the background.

 

[aboothman]

you dont need a thin layer over the entire CPU. If anything that is going to insulate the CPU and raise temps.

The actual CPU core is quite a bit smaller than the heat shield covering it...this is why you only need a small dot.

As has been said already, less IS better.

 

[firewolfsm]

That's wrong, the IHS takes the heat from the "center" cpu and spreads it over a larger distance. You want to cool the entire IHS (unless you remove it). If every guide online says you should make a thin layer over the entire IHS you shouldn't think you know enough to argue with it.

 

[dawza]

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
That's wrong, the IHS takes the heat from the "center" cpu and spreads it over a larger distance. You want to cool the entire IHS (unless you remove it). If every guide online says you should make a thin layer over the entire IHS you shouldn't think you know enough to argue with it.

According to Arctic Silver, when applying TIM to an IHS, one should put a small dot in the middle and allow the weight of the heatsink to spread the TIM. From the pictures on their website, the TIM does not cover the entire IHS corner-to-corner, but rather encompasses a circular area somewhat larger than the size of the actual CPU core.

Quoted from their instructions:

Since the vast majority of the heat from the core travels directly through the heat spreader, it is more important to have a good interface directly above the actual CPU core than it is to have the heat spreader covered with compound from corner to corner

Link

They don't specify whether results will be better with their suggested method versus complete coverage, but I imagine that being the manufacturers, they have reason to make this recommendation. I would be interested to know if there is any data from well-controlled experiments to determine if one is superior to the other.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Seeing as how I believe AS5 is over rated anyways....

I will say you should follow the manufactuer`s directions!!

The dot method works bestest!!

 

[Mr Smiley]

Well just to follow you guys up: I poped the heatsink back off, cleaned both the cpu and heatsink then stuck it back on using the dot method. I turned on the computer and I was getting the same temps again! I reopened the case and realized that I had put the fan on backwards. Once I flipped it around, my temps went down to 34C! I played cs for a good 4 hours last night and the temps never went above 50C so Im pleased. I live in Georga and its starting to get hotter ever day so my ambient temps haven't been that great lately.
I haven't put the nv silencer on yet because Im waiting for svc to email me back about the paste. So once I get that installed and fix my wiring a little, I should be fine.
zagood I agree that the zalman fan isn't that great. I switched it for an antec tricool 92mm fan I had sitting around. Im getting the same temps as the zalman plus it doesn't make the annoying whining sound the zalman did.

 

[RallyMaster]

NV Silencer 5 Rev 2 does not include the MX-1 paste the Rev 3 has. You will need to apply a bit of AS5 to video card chip and then throw the NV5 on there.

 

[Mr Smiley]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
NV Silencer 5 Rev 2 does not include the MX-1 paste the Rev 3 has. You will need to apply a bit of AS5 to video card chip and then throw the NV5 on there.

Is this for every Nv Silencer 5 rev.2 or just the ones from svc? These pictures have them included:
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/pics/nv5r2_07h.jpg
http://www.rsssim.com/images/Big/110010-037_800x640.jpg
https://www.ssl-id.de/compito.de/shop/images/big/ac017.jpg