Ready for Thermal Greese: There's a Pink Substance on the Bottom of my HS, What Do I Do With It?

[Dan7608]

When I put my heatsink on the CPU,there was no tape on the bottom of the heatsink, just a pink substance in the shape of a square(thermal tape?). My CPU is getting too hot, so I bought some thermal greese. What do I do with the pink substance; it's not peelable like scotch tape is peelable. Do I just put the thermal greese on top? Any help would be appreciated.

P.S. Anyone know how much of a difference (estimate) thermal greese will cause? When running 3D intensive games (e.g. Medal of Honor), my CPU gets up to 63 degrees Celcius.

 

[tornadobox]

if you want to use thermal paste, you should scrape off the pink thermal pad from the bottom of the heatsink (very carefuly, trying not to scratch the bottom of the heatsink). this is because it's not good to use both a thermal pad and thermal paste.

FWIW, my experience with thermal paste is that it really only decreases CPU temps by 2 to 3 degrees at the most.

what motherboard and CPU are you using? reported temps vary quite a bit depending on the motherboard. also, are you overclocking at all?

 

[Dan7608]

Epox 8KHA+ MoBo
AMD Athlon XP 1800+

No overclocking at all, just built the computer this past weekend.

 

[tornadobox]

is the athlon XP retail? if so, are you using the heatsink that came with it? if not, what did you get for a heatsink&fan?

 

[Comp625]

You shoiuld consider getting a better Heatsink/Fan than the Stock one. Newegg.com carries alot of these "toys" and help you cool your CPU. Thermal Grease can decrease temps from anywhere between 2 deg Celcius through 15 deg Celcius depending on which type of thermal compound you got, how well the compound conducts electricity, etc. What kind of thermal grease are you using? (eg Arctic Silver III, no name grease, etc.)

Are you experiencing frequent crashes (BSODs, Lockups, etc)? If you are, and your temps are high (around 60 deg Celcius like you mentioned), then it's caused by a CPU overheating. If not, then I think the sensor diode might be inaccurate. Just to be on the safe side, get a new heatsink/fan combo (there are many threads here at the AT forums about "which heatsink/fan is the best") and buy some Arctic Silver III grease.

 

[Dan7608]

It's no-name grease I picked up at CompUSA for $2.99. It was the retail version of the Athlon XP, meaning I got the heatsink and fan with it.

It has been locking up and pausing somewhat frequently, so I suppose that's the problem. Would I be better off just forgetting about the greese I picked up at and get some Arctic Silver? Any idea how much those cost?

 

[tornadobox]

where are you located? (i know it's a longshot, but i'm in Columbus, OH and i have some Arctic Silver II that you could use if you're close by...)

 

[Maggotry]

I suggest using a credit card to scrape off the pink crap. Then get some ASII. Go here for instructions on how to properly apply it. That temp is really high, even for stock cooling with the pink crap. Do you have any case fans? How are they configured?

 

[Dan7608]

I just bought a case fan today, it's at the bottom againt the front of the case.

TornadoBox, Sorry but I live in NJ, thanks anyway.

 

[Paragon1]

Also be sure that the fan installed in the front is blowing into the case and i'd also suggest that you get a fan in the back the case, blowing out the air. And as the others have suggested, get some AS3 or AS2 and better HS/Fan combo.

 

[GooberPHX420]

HOLY CRAP THAT IS HOT

I recently built my friend a comp with an XP1700 and the EPOX 8HKA+ Board.

It never went over 107F (44.1 Celcius). Why the hell is yours so wicked hot?!

I overclocked the 1700 up to an XP1900 no problems at all. very stable board.

Of course that took the temp up a bit, so my friend got a solid copper heatsink for $30

and that brought the temp back down to the same as it was before overclocking.

And DONT FUGGEN SCRATCH THE PINK STUFF OFF!!! NEVER SCRATCH! Just get some Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and use a q-tip to soak the pink crap. let it sit for like 10 mins...then clean off whatever will come off. Do this like say 4 times...safest way without gashing up the heatsink.

-Bob

 

[Maggotry]

I didn't overlook general heat......that's why I asked about the case fans. It's never a good idea to get tunnel-vision when troubleshooting. Keep all possibilities open. In Dans' case, the 63 degree CPU temp is a definite problem. He should address it first as it is an obvious problem, then go from there.

Goober: I see you changed your reply completely after reading his problem more carefully! Removing the pink crap with a credit card will not scratch the HS.

 

[Yossarian]

Definitely find out why you're running so hot in the first place. I just put together that same exact setup w/retail HSF, pink square of thermal goo. My normal temp of 39-40C, 47 at full load, measured with Motherboard Monitor. This is overclocked a little bit as well, to 1621 MHz.

 

[Jerboy]

<< When I put my heatsink on the CPU,there was no tape on the bottom of the heatsink, just a pink substance in the shape of a square(thermal tape?). My CPU is getting too hot, so I bought some thermal greese. What do I do with the pink substance; it's not peelable like scotch tape is peelable. Do I just put the thermal greese on top? Any help would be appreciated.

P.S. Anyone know how much of a difference (estimate) thermal greese will cause? When running 3D intensive games (e.g. Medal of Honor), my CPU gets up to 63 degrees Celcius. >>




Shame on you for installing it. The pink stuff is a loyal PITA once it melts and gets everywhere.

Clean it off with paint thinner, carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner. Apply it and it should wipe right off.

 

[stonecold3169]

The only thing I can think of is when I got my athlon 1.4, there was a little transparent tab over the thermal past that needed to be removed. If this hasn't been removed I'd reakon that could explain a whole lotta things... unfortunetly, I haven't gotten to play with any of the XPs, so I'm not sure if they still cme like that.

 

[Dan7608]

The front case fan isn't really helping that much, I'm gonna try using it as an exahust fan.

The pink stuff wasn't covered by anything.

Alright, I'm gonna try using it as an exaust fan and am gonna put the thermal greese I got yesterday on. This will be just a temporary solution. As soon as I can I'll try and pick up a better heatsink/fan and some AS3.

 

[happie23]

Hey Dan, I have the exact same mobo and cpu (OEM). I got an alpha 8045 with sunon fan and Artic 3 silver thermal compound. I get around 38 C idle and 41 C after a few hours of high intensity max payne. My mobo temp is around 28 C.

60 + is really high... I've heard that the stock HSF is ok if you don't overclock, so something might be wrong with your case airflow like other people have said.

If your mobo temp is around 28, then definately go for a new HSF. I suggest an alpha 8045 since it is doing well for me. Also, do NOT go for a cheaper thermal grease... get the best (artic 3 right now). Besides, it is only 5 or so dollars more than other brands. You can buy it anywhere (like newegg.com)

If you don't want to do that, scrape off... maybe even lap (meaning sanding the area with fine grit sandpaper... I didn't do it, but some people around here suggest it) the heatsink if the contact surface between the heat sink and cpu is rough. Go to the articsilver website to see step by step instructions on applying thermal grease.