New CPU

[Coronus]

I just got my new CPU and its fan but there was no thermal compound for application of the fan to the CPU. Is this normal?

C

 

[DarkRogue]

Do you mean heatsink/fan?
You don't attach the fan directly to the CPU, it must be mounted on a heatsink that mounts on top of the CPU.

Check the underside of your heatsink for a square of thermal pad or paste. if it's completely clean/metal, then you need to get some of your own thermal interface material.

 

[jdkick]

If it's a retail packaged processor then the thermal compound/pad should be pre-applied to the stock heatsink.

 

[Coronus]

Cool. Thanks guys. I haven't opened it up yet to even look at it due to fear of static electric destruction.

C

 

[DarkRogue]

There's no need to worry about static as long as you take common sense precautions. Unless you're building the PC barehanded while sliding on the carpet for fun, just take some basic measures like touch something grounded first, work on a wooden table or some cardboard, don't touch anything with metal after the power supply is plugged in, etc.

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: DarkRogue
There's no need to worry about static as long as you take common sense precautions. Unless you're building the PC barehanded while sliding on the carpet for fun, just take some basic measures like touch something grounded first, work on a wooden table or some cardboard, don't touch anything with metal after the power supply is plugged in, etc.

Actually working on a non conducting surface makes static more likely. Static is caused by rubbing two non conducting materials together; which is which static bags are made of conducting material.

 

[DarkRogue]

Originally posted by: Martimus
Actually working on a non conducting surface makes static more likely. Static is caused by rubbing two non conducting materials together; which is which static bags are made of conducting material.

In that case my entire PC should have been shorted out by static.. :Q
lol but it isn't though, so even though that may be true, it's not like it will break if you're not perfect. Just don't do anything that's clearly stupid is the bottom line here, that's my 2 cents.

 

[Coronus]

Opened my package up and found the heatsink had some strips of grey green material on the underside where it came into contact with the cpu but I am not sure this was the thermal conducting material as the instructions for the cpu instructed to apply a layer of thermal compound to the top of the cpu. Was the grey green materials the compound?

Also, when I pushed the pins to hold the fan/heatsink down (which where really hard btw) it caused my board to have a slight bend to it. Is this something I should worry about?

Again, thanks to all of you for your help.

C