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Question about ASII and mounting a HSF

E

eLiu

Diamond Member
When you mount the HSF, what kinds of movement(s) will crack the cpu? Like will lots of downward force cause damage? or moving side to side?

Also, with ASII, when you apply it, do you apply to both the HSF base AND the CPU die? I read the stuff on their site, and Im a bit unclear on this- the talk about putting a finger into a plastic bag...???

And...this may sound dumb, but which side of the one-sided razor do you use...the sharp or the not-sharp? (im thinking the latter, as if it were the former, you wouldnt need a one-sided blade...)

ok...lastly: what other things besides a lens cloth are lint free? Could you use a q-tip?
 


<< Also, with ASII, when you apply it, do you apply to both the HSF base AND the CPU die? I read the stuff on their site, and Im a bit unclear on this- the talk about putting a finger into a plastic bag...??? >>


Yes you should apply it to both the CPU and the HSF. You want to use the plastic bag to spread the ASII on the surface of the HSF without actually touching it directly with your finger (the HSF or the ASII).



<< And...this may sound dumb, but which side of the one-sided razor do you use...the sharp or the not-sharp? (im thinking the latter, as if it were the former, you wouldnt need a one-sided blade...) >>


I actually use a two sided razor to spread the ASII on my CPU core. I find the sharp side works best 🙂 I imagine they suggest a one sided razor so you won't cut yourself.



<< ok...lastly: what other things besides a lens cloth are lint free? Could you use a q-tip? >>


I went to Target and went to the J cloth section. I found an assortment of clothes that are lint free. I bought a couple from 3M.
 


<< Yes you should apply it to both the CPU and the HSF. You want to use the plastic bag to spread the ASII on the surface of the HSF without actually touching it directly with your finger (the HSF or the ASII). >>



Where did you get that misinformation?

Best results are in keeping it confined to a thin layer on the core itself. People who do it the other way, are the ones who invariably get too much on, and on places where it should not be.
 


<< When you mount the HSF, what kinds of movement(s) will crack the cpu? Like will lots of downward force cause damage? or moving side to side? >>



Sorry missed this.

Moving the HSF around on top of the core isn't a good idea because it moves around the ASII and potentially lessens the effectiveness. In terms of damaging the core: as long as the clips aren't connected and you aren't pushing down then you shouldn't do any damage. However, I try never to do this anyway.

In terms of things that do cause damage to the core:
1) If you apply uneven pressure when attaching the clips, than you can do damage. By this I mean pushing down harder on one or two corners than all the rest.
2) The other way is by applying too much even pressure. Try to apply the minimum amount of pressure on the HSF and clips.

Hope this helps.
 
compuwiz1,

I got this directly from AS's website.

Cut and Paste from Arctic Silver Instructions:



<< Tint the bottom of the heatsink in the area where the CPU core will contact it. Put a finger into a plastic bag and apply a small amount of Arctic Silver to the outside of the bag. Rub the compound into the base of the heatsink using a circular motion going both clockwise and counter-clockwise. This will insure optimum filling of the microscopic valleys in the metal >>

 
You are right Garet Jax, but only partly. It also says to wipe it back off. What you are doing here is gap filling so the very thin layer on the core only has to touch other arctic silver that is in the other gaps on the heatsink and helps to make sure air can't be trapped in the valleys and lower performance.

..........edit............
😀 edited your post while I was being slow at typing
 
Warcon,

Amazing!

I have read that page a few times and I have (apparently) missed that sentence every time. 😱

Off with my HSF again 🙂

compuwiz1,

Thanks for the correction. I don't like being a perveyor of incorrect information.
 
Garet Jax, I could have also explained it better, but you will invariably end up with too much, otherwise. 🙂
 
ok...should i wipe the entire HSF w/ASII? Or just around the area that will contact the die?

i mean...a huge asz WBK38 (80mm...biig stuff) wont have its entire base touching the die...i dont see a need to put ASII then wipe it off of the entire base...am i in error here?
 
Hey, just wondering what is the best thing to use to get rid of excess ASII on the CPU (around the core). I obviously applied too much and don't want to ruin my CPU. Thanks.
 
From the instructions on the web site: (Emphasis Added)

1. Arctic Silver II can be removed from CPU cores and heatsinks with isopropyl alcohol or acetone (nail polish remover) and a bit of brisk rubbing.

If Arctic Silver II compound gets on the CPU ceramic, it can be removed with any dish detergent (Dawn, Lux, Palmolive, Etc.), WD-40, citrus based grease removers (Goo Gone, Etc.), Xylene based products (Goof Off, some carburetor cleaners), or an automotive degreaser.
(Do not use soap for an automatic dishwasher.)

Never use any oil or petroleum based cleaners (WD-40, citrus based grease removers and many automotive degreasers) on the base of a heatsink. The oil, which is engineered to not evaporate, will fill in the microscopic valleys in the metal and significantly reduce the effectiveness of any subsequently applied thermal compound.

Nevin House
Arctic Silver LLC



2. If you use any of the suggested products to remove Arctic Silver II from the CPU ceramic, always do a final cleaning with isopropyl alcohol to remove the residue from the cleaner.

 
Thanks, I was able to get ahold of some isopropyl alcohol from work and cleaned up the ASII. I've now CORRECTLY applied the compound, and things are running beautifully.

Thanks again.
 
Just wondering...when I re-applied my ASII, I also removed the thermal pad of the Thermaltake Volcano II HSF (saw many posts that suggested doing so), and in the process, seemd to have scratched the surface of the HSF.

My question is, have I ruined my HSF, or is it ok with a few minor scratches? My cpu is currently running at aroun 35-C, and gets up to the low 40's-C when playing games and running 3DMark2001. These temps are fine for me, but I was just concerned about things in the long run.

Thanks.
 
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