Installing cpu+heatsink

[littletemple]

This is my first time installing a cpu and heatsink...its a socket A amd XP
Im mostly worried about installing the heat sink. I know a guy that some how crushed the
core because he installed it wrong. Any help or suggestions?

Thanks

 

[Mem]

The AMD cpu/heatsink guide here will help you.

 

[Bagheera]

1) Place your CPU on something non-static and carefully apply the thermal paste (if your heatsinks comes with a thermal pad though, you don't need to do this. Thermal paste is better than thermal pad though)

2) Pull the small lever on the Socket A socket up. Plug your CPU into the socket, and then lock the CPu by pressing down the lever.

3) Place the heatsink on top of your CPU. You should place one side down first, clip one side of it in, and then sit the heatsink on top of the CPu, and then use a screw driver to secure the other side of the heatsink clip (view that installation guide for details)

 

[littletemple]

Thanks for the advice. Should I use the thermal compound thats on the cpu already or use
artic silver or something. Any pointers on using the screwdriver to install the clip. I'm kinda
nervous about doing that. Also, should I use a shim?

Thanks

 

[Yossarian]

Get it running "as received" before you start scraping off thermal compound and adding your own. Don't worry about the shim for now either.

Try clipping the HS on by hand first. Some clips require a lot of force to snap down over the plastic tab though, so that's where the tool comes in. I would recommend grabbing the clip with a pair of needle nose pliers if you can since you'll have a more positive grip. Just make sure you have a good hold before you start pushing on it, you don't want to slip off and damage something on the motherboard.

It all sounds difficult but just take your time, and if something doesn't seem right take a break and come back to it later.

 

[MedicBob]

Number one thing is BE PATIENT

being sober helps also.

Read the reviews, instructions, and install the HSF and HS outside the case.

 

[Lokan]

<< being sober helps also. >>



LOL!! Ain't that the truth..

 

[Lord Evermore]

Bagheera: actually I believe in terms of thermal transfer efficience, the thermal pads on heatsinks are slightly better than something like generic Radio Shack compound. Shouldn't generalize "thermal paste" as that ranges from plain silicon compound to Arctic Silver 3 and everything in between.

PipBoy: actually, getting it running the way you want to leave it would be the best thing. The more times you take things on and off, the greater the odds you'll do some damage. There's no reason NOT to use a shim right off the bat if you plan to use it eventually. And there actually is a reason NOT to leave the thermal pad on if you plan to change to Arctic Silver or something at least better than the pad.

Once the thermal pad melts (as it should) to provide a good interface, it will be filling in all those little microscopic grooves that a thermal interface material is meant to fill. Once it's in there, it's well nigh impossible to get it ALL out. (Cleaning with acetone, alchohol, et cetera, will get most of it clean, especially the main surface, but not perfectly clean.) After that, any other material you apply will never be able to get quite as good a fill-in as it could, because the thermal pad material is in the way in those tiny pits that you can't get rid of. It's also quite a pain to clean that stuff out of the etching on a CPU core. Clean it off right from the start, and less of it will remain on the heatsink, AND you've got less risk of breaking anything by removing the heatsink repeatedly.

I'd also recommend against "scraping" the compound off, since that just damages the heatsink, providing an even worse contact surface.

 

[Jagoff]

You got to be a idiot to crack the core when installing a HSF. You would have to literally drop the HSF on it or something.

 

[Mem]

<< Thanks for the advice. Should I use the thermal compound thats on the cpu already or use
artic silver or something. Any pointers on using the screwdriver to install the clip >>




You don`t need to use AS paste especially if you don`t overclock,I`m using the thermal stuff that comes with my Taisol it is just a simple thing as peel of the protective tape and install the heatsink, clip one side and then with the other side I had to use a screwdriver with a bit of force,don`t worry about using pressure since the pressure is on the clips not the heatsink if you do it right.


Have a look at this Taisol install guide it has good pics of thermal compound, screwdriver etc here .

 

[Lord Evermore]

<< You got to be a idiot to crack the core when installing a HSF >>



Actually no, you just have to be used to dealing with older and/or properly designed processors that aren't made in such a way that damage is so likely. With older processors, there was no such thing as being able to put the heatsink in direct contact with the core of the processor, with all CPU's previous to the FCPGA PIII (as well as all AMD processors since the t-bird), the core was protected by lots of metal which provided a wide surface area. You could easily put the heatsink on at an angle and just slap it down and lock it in place. Other than fighting with bad clip design, you didn't have to be concerned about doing any real damage (of course minor scratches on the CPU or the heatsink would reduce cooling, but people weren't so anal about that back then). Now you have to be slow and careful and make sure you apply even pressure and don't let the heatsink move around.

I've no idea why there aren't more reports of cracked PIII FC-PGA cores. Maybe it's just died down by now and there were more reports when they first came out and I just don't remember. The design is essentially the same as with an Athlon, the core is exposed and could easily be damaged.

 

[littletemple]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. It has been helpful. I think I'll use the stuff that came with the cpu.
So, when installing the the second part of the clip, there should be no contact between the heatsink and the
clip...therefore no pressure on the applied on the cpu? Am I not understanding this right....forgive my stupidity.....

Thanks

Edit...Just open the cpu box.....finally....I noticed that there is no tape thingy on the bottom of the heatsink to take
off...just some pink stuff. Is that the compound itself? Is it ready to install as is?
I understand how to install them now...just have to do it...

 

[Mem]

<< Edit...Just open the cpu box.....finally....I noticed that there is no tape thingy on the bottom of the heatsink to take
off...just some pink stuff. Is that the compound itself? Is it ready to install as is? >>



Yep that`s the thermal stuff(comes in many colours ) anyway just make sure(if yours has it) you remove the protective cover over the thermal compound when you install it.

 

[Mavrick007]

Lord Evermore: Is it ok to use a razor blade to take off the thermal pad? I hear that lapping helps in heat dissipation since the tiny grooves fill in with the heat compound like Arctic Silver and allow for better heat removal.

Also, what about shims? Do they really help that much? What are they meant to do besides spread the heat across the entire surface? Do they help prevent a crushed core? Do they help to lower heat temps?

 

[Lord Evermore]

Shims are mainly intended to prevent damage to the core. Any heat changes are just a side effect, and probably negligible.

A razor blade is KIND OF okay to use. Just be careful not to gouge the heatsink at all (in other words, keep the blade flat against the heatsink and don't push down too hard). You'll eventually have to use alchohol and/or acetone to get it off anyway, so don't sit trying to scrape every last bit with the razor.

Lapping is not intended to MAKE grooves, it's intended to remove them and smooth the surface even more than the manufacturer. The better the finish (a good finish is almost mirrorlike; alpha copper-base heatsinks are like that, as well as others), the better the heat dissipation. What you want is as much metal as possible touching the core of the processor. Ideally you'd never want to use any thermal compound at all, but it's impossible to get rid of all the microscopic pits and grooves; even something cut with a laser has some, though you might have to use an electron microscope to see them well. The thermal compound is intended to fill in the imperfections that you simply cannot remove. So, you'd prefer to have as smooth a base as possible, with as little filling in as possible, so that as much metal contact is made as is possible. This is why with Arctic Silver you don't want to use too much; the heatsink pressure for one thing will squeeze out most of what you apply (getting it all over the rest of the processor) and what's left will serve to separate the heatsink from the core, which means a LESS efficient transfer (even though Arctic Silver is a good interface, it's still not as good as not having a "middleman" at all).

Oh yes, I've found that baking a heatsink makes it easy to remove the thermal pad. It heats up enough to become liquid (I just use a toaster oven at 125 degrees and check it once in a while), so it can be wiped off, then acetone can remove any remainder (after cooling a bit of course, but warm is still good). The only downside I see to this is that the thermal pad does melt, and melt into the heatsink. It's impossible to totally remove the residue, but I'm at least not doing any worse than someone that uses the pad then replaces it with AS afterwards, and it's probably not too much worse than scraping it off and cleaning it.