*Really* basic questions on thermal compound and my 900mhz Tbird

[zlady]

Hi everyone,

I'm a little confused about thermal compound and pads so I'm looking for opinions on my specific Heatsink/Fan (Taisol) and my CPU(900 mhz TBird).

Ok....
1. My "AMD approved" taisol has a thermal pad on it. I hear it is good but how can it *possibly* dissipate heat over the surface of my CPU???? It's only about an inch by an inch!

2. I also ordered some gray "Shin Etsu G749 Thermal Grease" thermal compound from Taisol. Which should I use, the grease or the pad?

3. If I should use grease, should I cover the surface of my CPU only or the entire surface of the heatsink? The surface of the heatsink is a lot bigger than the CPU.

4. Also if grease....Some say wiggle the heatsink a bit to get rid of trapped air, some say don't wiggle it to avoid creating air pockets....which is it?

Thanks in advance!

Zlady

 

[Poof]

The pad that came with the Taisol is most likely an AMD-approved Phase change compound pad. It should work fine with that T-bird. However, if you plan to use it and then later remove the HS/fan to do maintenance or whatever, the phase change pad will then be pretty much useless (it's basically a 1-time use product and most likely will not perform as well or at all if you place the HS back). At that point, you'll want to carefully scrape off the gummy remains of the pad and thoroughly clean the HS surface with acetone and/or alcohol. Then apply your new grease onto the T-birds "core" ONLY (the small raised square on the CPU), using a small amount. Don't spread paste over the entire CPU substrate and/or across the width of the HS.

There have been varying suggestions here about how one can spread the paste on the die, eg., with a gloved finger, a credit card or other similar, or (I do this) simply centering and placing the HS directly onto the CPU, allowing the paste to naturally spread across the die (assuming I put a bead-sized glob in the center). I may lift it once to check the amount and consistency of the spread before locking it down.

Others may add here but hope this helps...

 

[zlady]

Thank you!
Zlady

 

[Mikewarrior2]

If you don't plan on changing heatsinks, I think hte pad will be fine.

The pad is small because the cpu core is that little raised spot. Nothing more than that.


Mike

 

[DaddyG]

Taisol has replacement PCTC pads available as well. They are not quite as good as the original pad which is heat fused to the heatsink but generally work OK for normal use.