newbie builder - p3 fcpga fan question?

[jasonjm]

hi all...

i got a p3 chip here. It's got like a bumpy
little small circuit right on the top of it in the middle. I guess this is normal?

the reason I ask is because the heatsink/fan actually sits on top of this, instead of the whole chip then.

Do i need to use some sort of thermal grease/compound?

my chip is running too hot, like 60 celsius, I need a better fan/heatsink too i guess?

 

[Mem]

Go with a good heatsink/fan like Golden Orb,mine came with a thermal pad(which is supposed to be quite good)so you can put it straight on top of cpu,or you can scrape it off(thermal pad) & apply a good quality thermal paste,some heatsinks/fan are big so make sure it will fit OK on your board.Also consider buying a case cooler as well to keep temperature down .

 

[ghetto buck]

Actually if you read Anand's roundup of heatsinks and fans you'll see that the thermal pad actually sucks compared to good ol' thermal grease.

 

[Klosters]

The little blue "glass" "slug" should measure ~11.3mm long, and ~9.3mm wide. Or ~0.442" long and ~0.334" wide. It's in the middle of the green printed circuit board that has a gold colored triangle on one corner. The black label with white lettering on it runs along the bottom. This label has the "P!!!," SSpec, Batch Number, the week it was stuck to the PCB(~"Q0016051," or ~"00013152&quot and country of origin(Malay, Philippines) on it, etc.

The PIII FC-PGA that I have doesn't appear to be perfectly smooth on top. It has what appears to be a partial thumb print in its blue surface. Nonetheless, it's still very flat and the "thumb print" doesn't seem to actually be more than a cosmetic defect. The ridges and valleys aren't on the surface, but a tiny bit underneath the surface.

Anyhoo, the little glass slug is the actual CPU. If you're not using a HSF specifically designed for P3E's, such as the GlobalWin FKP32, or Alpha PEP66/PAL35t, the heatsink doesn't sit on the CPU properly. The easiest way to make HSF's that aren't designed for the PIIIE's/CII's fit properly is to buy a $9 copper shim from .3dfxcool.com. A thin layer of thermal paste between the top of the CPU and the bottom of the heatsink is mandatory. Hope this helps.

 

[MadRat]

A thin layer of thermal paste between the top of the CPU and the bottom of the heatsink is mandatory.

Uhm, no. A thermal pad is mandatory if you don't want to void a warranty.

 

[Mem]

Ghetto buck ,the thermal pad on the Golden Orb is a higher quality then the standard Intel ones (I`ve read the Anandtech review),second this is from GLOBALWIN WEBSITE
Should we use heat paste?

Not necessarily. Theoretically heat paste is a help to get better heat contact. However, if you do wrong when assembly, then the use of heat paste would cause you more inconveniences as well as reducing its function. So, what is the right assembly way: the knack is to make sure the heat paste is to be very thin, flat spread averagely and very firmly(-technique required) attach to the bottom surface of your heatsink. There is a potential problem: in the beginning of the use, the effect is indeed better then without, but after one year when the paste is getting hard, it doesn't have the function. On the contrary, it blocks the contact between CPU and heatsink bottom. Result? Incredibly terrible!!