lapping cpu hsf... ummmm *?*

[poMONKey]

posted in motherboards forum cuz i b an igit!!!

link to thread

 

[OulOat]

Thermal paste is good at conducting heat, but only across tiny gaps. Across larger gaps, it is actually detrimental to heat conduction. That is why you want the base of the hs and the top of the cpu to be a smooth and flat as possible.

 

[Jeff7]

Exactly - thermal compound is mainly for microscoping imperfections, not the comparatively gaping canyons that some heatsinks have on their bases.

 

[poMONKey]

ahhhhh... ok, thanks!

my wife is a metalsmith... i'll be all set!!

thanks again...

 

[dejacky]

FFAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRTTTTTTTT!!! BBBPLEEARRRGGHH!! GFRREEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSTTT~!!! Freeeeeeescghkkktt!

 

[OulOat]

WTG?

 

[ProviaFan]

Lapping a heatsink is relatively easy, except for the manual labor of moving the heatsink across the sandpaper. Finding the materials is as simple as going to a local automotive store and grabbing some 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1500 (and possibly 2000 if you're feeling picky) grit wet/dry sandpapers. Then put everything on a flat surface (piece of glass), and wet sand the base of the heatsink. Some suggest using a elongated figure-eight pattern; that's what I did with the heatsink of my Thermaltake Volcano 7, and it worked well. It has been suggested that sanding to a perfect mirror finish is detrimental to the heat transfer capabilities of the heatsink (apparently it will actually start to reflect the heat?); I sanded my heatsink to the point where it reflects well from an angle, but you can still see minuscule scratches if you look at it straight on in bright light.

 

[Davegod]

nice how-to article on lapping:
http://www.virtual-hideout.net/articles/sk6_lapping/index.shtml