Is my CPU damaged?

[viper92122]

Hej,

I recently have added too much MX2 Thermal paste between the new heatsink and the CPU, upon removing the heatsink, thermalpaste was spreading over the edges of the CPU. Like in this example from bit-tech.net http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2009/09/intel...

Now i dont know if the CPU has been damaged, cause when i looked the first time, it seemed to be between the metal top and the green chip part. I removed this with toothpicks etc, but now i dont know if theres damage. I have included pictures of how it looks like.

http://imageshack.com/a/img822/6973/hdi4.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img41/9350/ojhd.jpg

Dont know either if removed something that actually belonged there, that i thought was thermal paste.
Have read that Arctic MX2 is non conductive and non capacitive regarding elictrically.

The CPU is a Core i7 920. Also have to note that a drip of this paste came into the PCI E slot.

Thanks for answering!

 

[TeknoBug]

I hate that and I've had it happen with the older Athlon board, got some paste between the CPU pins and it drove me crazy but I went ahead and installed it and booted it up and it was fine. I don't think there's anything exposed between the top plate and the CPU PCB itself.

As long as it's non conductive, I don't think you should be too concerned, though if you can, get as much of it out as you can (perhaps with a toothpick) because if that motherboard ever goes, so does your RMA warranty.

 

[viper92122]

Warranty is no worry, mb and cpu are bought in 2009.
For me the 920 is still enough for what i do with it, would be sad to see her go just thanks to swapping out the stock cooler to something better.

For the record, there was nothing on or between the CPU pins on the MB, neither on the underside of the CPU. I just wonder now, if you look at my pictures, theres an open part on the cpu where you can look underneeth the metal top, should this be open? Searched whole google for pics but none that is taken so i can see there... Anyone have one laying around to confirm?

Also, on the sides, if you look on my picture from the cpu, is that thermal paste or is that something that should be there?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Warranty is no worry, mb and cpu are bought in 2009.
For me the 920 is still enough for what i do with it, would be sad to see her go just thanks to swapping out the stock cooler to something better.

For the record, there was nothing on or between the CPU pins on the MB, neither on the underside of the CPU. I just wonder now, if you look at my pictures, theres an open part on the cpu where you can look underneeth the metal top, should this be open? Searched whole google for pics but none that is taken so i can see there... Anyone have one laying around to confirm?

Also, on the sides, if you look on my picture from the cpu, is that thermal paste or is that something that should be there?

Man! Sometimes I can "worry about stuff" that really "isn't there." And if I had a dime for every worry my elderly Mom concocts, I'd be Bill Gates or Carlos Slim in a month's time!!

There is virtually nothing under that IHS except more PCB and the rectangular CPU die itself -- maybe some circuit traces. Also note the small recess or "slot" in one of your pictures, dead center between the corners of the IHS. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems -- if there's room to slip it in -- you could stick an analog thermal sensor in there and get darn good temperatures without calibration to power your "smart" fan-controller . . .

 

[viper92122]

Haha, yeah i worry about it, but it seems like a sensitive part. That 'slot' should be open then? Does it cool the CPU or what do they use it for.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Haha, yeah i worry about it, but it seems like a sensitive part. That 'slot' should be open then? Does it cool the CPU or what do they use it for.

I often wonder about that. On previous Intel processors, I'd noticed that little space, and I was much more naïve about what lay under the IHS. We lapped our IHS's down to bare copper then, and I still do it now. With lapping, you use 400-grit "wet-or-dri" sandpaper, for which it's always good to add a couple drops of water, so the consensual opinion -- water or no, because you're dealing with nickel and copper particles anyway -- "Exercise some care when lapping."

If you can stick a thin piece of paper into that little recess, you could probably fit in an analog thermal sensor. So I keep asking myself if that had been Intel's purpose for it all along. And all this while experimenting here and there with "thermally-controlled" fan controllers and their sensors, and the frustration that "I couldn't find a decent place on or around the CPU to mount the sensor."

 

[viper92122]

Okej thanks for the info!

 

[bryanl]

Have read that Arctic MX2 is non conductive and non capacitive regarding elictrically.

All thermal paste is capacitive to some extent, and Arctic says MX2 is carbon based, meaning it has be at least somewhat conductive. However that should not be a problem since the CPU lid is sealed with silicone rubber, except for a 1cm opening on one side, unless you dripped solvent on to the Arctic MX2 and made it flow into that opening. But even then, it's unlikely to do damage.

Don't believe claims regarding thermal paste conductivity unless the company provides a data sheet listing the dielectric breakdown voltage rating or maximum allowed voltage.

 

[viper92122]

Okej wow... now i get what that lid is, this silicon. I thought it was thermal paste, hence its the exact same color. So tried to remove it, might have damaged or removed this silicon lid abit.

Also, in this 1cm opening, abit of MX2 ran in, removed abit of it as far as i could reach though.

With the above info known, could i get some decrease in performance or some change in temps?

One thing i do know for sure atleast, never trust youtube guides on how to apply thermal paste. Fckn three lines of paste and abit more.... found out a tiny dot does the job... well

 

[Yuriman]

This is what most CPUs looks like underneath the heatspreader, which I believe is made of nickle-plated copper.

(Warning - don't try to remove your heatspreader, it's soldered on)

Getting thermal paste under it isn't going to do any harm. You could probably smear it all over your motherboard and not hurt anything, but don't hold me to it.

 

[viper92122]

Never new how it looked like under there, clears up alot. Tried to look there with a flashlight but never got to see. Thanks for the info

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Never new how it looked like under there, clears up alot. Tried to look there with a flashlight but never got to see. Thanks for the info

Just remember -- the processor in his picture was fabricated with an Intel thermal paste. Your Nehalem's IHS was made with Indium solder between the IHS and processor-die. To pull your IHS off the 920, you'd have to use something like a small blow-torch to loosen the solder, and there are bigger risks to getting the IHS off such a chip than people have with a razorblade applied to an Ivy or Haswell core.

Just rest assured that getting any TIM inside your processor doesn't hurt anything, and lapping the heck out of the IHS is your best bet for temperature improvement.

 

[tweakboy]

NO harm done, no foul.. You got lucky,, your fine..