Remove heat sink bottom??

[Thira28]

I am putting together a new computer. using an AMD processor . Once I seat the prccessor onto the motherboard, I was about to install the heatsink and fan. The heatsink has a small rectangular area on the bottom which contacts the processor. I want to use Artic Silver thermal compound between the processor and heatsink. I placed the Artic silver on the small metal rectangle on the processor. Should I remove the small rectangular pad on the bottom of the heatsink before attaching the heatsink and fan onto the processor? Sorry if the question is so basic, but I honestly do not know the right answer.
Thanks in advance. BTW I am using a Coolermaster CP5-6J31C heatsink and fan with an AMD 1900.

 

[OulOat]

Yes, and if you need instructions on how to remove it, search the forum, there are so many threads on this already.

 

[Davegod]

can find artic silver instructions here

I'm guessing the "small rectangular pad" is a pad of waxy/putty type stuff? that'll be a thermal pad, aka "phase change thermal interface" and basically you can use that instead of the Artic silver if you want, although it's not quite as good (but is easier), and when the cpu heats up it melts to make a reasonably good interface between cpu & heatsink.

If you prefer to use Artic Silver, to remove the thermal pad the usual suggestions involve using something plastic that wont scratch the heatsink base (eg. bic penlid, old credit card) to pick at it, combined with a little nail varnish remover to make it easier. Ensure the heatsink base is clean and fully dried before applying artic silver and sticking it on the cpu.

if you want more info er maybe take a look at:
http://www.duxcw.com/digest/Howto/cpu/socka/4.html
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,751541,00.asp

 

[Thira28]

Thanks much.. And I did find the article on Artic Silver which said to remove the thermal pad.