Is this what your burn-in looks like?

[beatle]

I recently changed chips and took some pictures of the bottom of my Alpha 8045 and the top of my 1700+ tbred b. I used an old tube of AS2 in a very thin layer - I'm very careful when applying grease. Temps on this chip had reached well in excess of 60C (indicated by NF7-S) on a few occasions. These pictures make me wonder if the grease on my barton is failing (time to move to ceramique?) After only a week and a half of use, I'm idling 7-10C HIGHER than when I originally installed the chip. In the first pic, you'll see the top of my 1700+. The grease is no longer evenly spread and it is actually relatively thick in some places.

1700+

In the 2nd pic, you'll see the bottom of my 8045. Turn the picture 180 degrees and you'll see they match up pretty well. If I cleaned off the heatsink you could actually read some of the engraving on the core.

Alpha 8045

Any grease experts out there? Does this look normal? I know AS1 had problems with "leakage" and did not have a very long lifespan. It was my understanding they fixed this in AS2 and 3.

 

[stonecold3169]

Well, with AS2 and 3, over time it would slide, like the old stuff, but it wasn't an issue because the right, perfect amount stayed in between. Looking from your pics, maybe the contrast makes it look worse, but the remaining globs look really thick. Might wanna try using 90% alchohol and cleaning the core/hs off, and reapplying.

 

[beatle]

My last application was nearly translucent - about the size of a bb before I started to spread. The heatsink only had a light haze. Anyone else take any "money shots" after removing their heatsink?

 

[THUGSROOK]

that looks burnt to me.

ive seen copper change colors due to heat, but that compound looks burnt.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
that looks burnt to me.

ive seen copper change colors due to heat, but that compound looks burnt.

Looks burnt to me as well. Upon viewing the pictures before reading the rest of his post, I thought his core was fried.

I own a 8045, 2100+ TbredB, and I use AS3. Very much like your setup (different AS though). I've never seen my compound end up that way, even after several months of running 24/7 @ 100% full load, and overclocked pretty high. Usually when I take off my 8045, the grease looks very much like when I put it on, a silverish thin layer.

Faulty HSF installation?

 

[bjc112]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
that looks burnt to me.

ive seen copper change colors due to heat, but that compound looks burnt.

Definitely looks burnt, the core looks lke it's almost damaged, may-b you are putting it on TOO thin...

 

[bootoo]

EEEh, mine looks nothing like that. Even my old paly 2100 which gave me major headaches cooling wise looked nothing like that. I hope it runs ok for you, good luck.

 

[THUGSROOK]

it looks like it was boiling ~ was it watery?

maybe you shoulda checked it 1st by putting some on a napkin

 

[DAPUNISHER]

That AS2 has exceeded it's shelf life, Ceramique' is excellent stuff so grab some is my advice. BTW, beatle, was there a sign that said no flash photography or what?

 

[Ecliptic]

60C is way too hot. maybe installation was wrong? my 1800+ running at 2.1 ghz tops out at 51C on volcano 7+

 

[beatle]

Aw, 60C too hot? Where are your cajones? I couldn't crash it! I tried taking a picture with the flash, but it reflected off everything. Guess I should have used some more ambient light. The grease did not seem watery when I applied it, but it's probably about 2 years old. I may throw some Shin-Etsu in my cart or Ceramique, depending on who I order from next. I'll take another picture of the heatsink and my Barton when I take it off next time. I'll also get a "money shot" of the AS2.

 

[THUGSROOK]

good idea and good choices ~ either compound will serve you well

 

[Actaeon]

I thought AS2/AS3 couldn't expire? It would just sorta, dilute. Is it possible to mix it back up, or shake it, and it'd come back together?

 

[INemtsev]

try to reapply grease

 

[WarCon]

Tape/hold a piece of wax paper over your flash for close up fill. Give you less of the blinded by the light highlights.

 

[beatle]

Though it's not AS2, I had a couple syringes of thermal adhesive that came with my Zalman NB cooler (the old black one). I thought I'd use them today to attach a heatsink to my GF2 and one to my SB. They had separated quite a bit. Perhaps pictures of those would also be in order... if I can dig them out of the trash.

 

[beatle]

Sorry, no pics of the old thermal adhesive. I did take the 8045 off my Barton to apply some Ceramique tonight, though. Temps are already lower by about 4C. We'll see about the "burn-in." Here's a bunch of pictures. Some may look familiar if you've seen the Ceramique instructions, but they're closer pics and done by someone less than a professional.

This is what my Barton burn-in looks like. The AS2 has been in place for 3-4 weeks.

Here is a pic of the 8045 when "dirty" and here it is when it's clean. You can see where my old Tbird has etched the surface of the heatsink after 2 years of running overclocked @ 1.89v.

These 3 pictures show the application of Ceramique to the heatsink. My dumb ass didn't put the camera in macro mode for the core. This stuff is challenging to spread evenly when using a small amount. It's considerably thicker and drier than AS. Shin-Etsu must be like spreading play-doh! I was BARELY able to cover the core of the chip with a small "1/2 bb" sized glob.

Ceramique glob
Ceramique spread - I used a plastic baggie to spread this out. You need to use more pressure to cover the area than you do with AS.
Ceramique wiped - It's not gone! Notice the difference in color between the untouched copper and the center.

 

[Peter D]

that base lookslike it could use some lapping to get rid of those machining marks.. to me, the alpha heatsinks seem to be notorious for lots of machining marks..

 

[beatle]

Maybe I'll lap it next time it's off. Rubbing in the compound with a coffee filter yielded those "zzzz...zzzz..zzzz" noises.