MSI Ti200, Whats between the Sinks and Chips?

[Actaeon]

Hey, I'm getting a new Videocard finally! Woohoo!

MSI GF3Ti200 to be exact... (I think the Green Version, not the red PCB)

I know these cards have a HSF and Ram Sinks, but whats between them? Glue? Thermal Paste?

If it uses some crappy glue, should I try to take it off, and apply my Generic (RadioShack) Thermal Paste? Will there be any real noticeable difference?

And one last question, is "Heat Sink Compound" the same thing as thermal paste?

Thanks!
Actaeon

 

[Jeff7]

So far, I've never seen a single company use anything decent in terms of heatsink compound, though perhaps some companies that sell overclocked cards might use good stuff. I just got a GF4 Ti4200, and they used crappy silicone paste on it! Some companies will even use thermal tape on the ramsinks, which is also junk.
The "crappy glue" they use might not be much worse than Radioshack's thermal paste though. FOr the best in thermal transfer, Arctic Silver III seems to be the best out there; even ASII is good, and it's really cheap now too.

Heatsink Compound = thermal paste

What I do to attach things like ramsinks is to put a little bit of ASII in the center of the chip (do NOT use too much, as it can easily gush over the edges and contact the pins; it can be cleaned out, but it's a pain). So anyway, with the ASII in the center, put a few dabs of mixed regular 2-part epoxy on the corners, and press the heatsink down on it, and let the epoxy solidify; the 5-min stuff is fine for this. It works fine, holds the sinks in place very nicely, and provides good thermal transfer properties.

 

[Actaeon]

Hrm, interesting... So you think its worth more trouble slapping on some of my Radio Shack stuff than its worth?

Maybe when I get enough money for some ASIII, i'll use it, but I'm a poor high school student, I'm barly making my way in terms of computer hardware . Heck, I just upgraded from my TNT

As for that Epoxy stuff, i think i got some in the garage... is it easy to remove the heatsink after you applied the Epoxy? And how hard are the ramsinks to take out?

Thanks Jeff7!

Actaeon