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Stupid Northwood Question

S

Steve0

Senior member
I know this may be a stupid question, but I don't want to make any mistakes, so...

I am trying to install a Northwood 1.6A on a P4B266 motherboard. The Intel cooler has a piece of tape or foil or something adhered to the bottom. It has a black surface that is very easily scratched off.

I have already scratched it in a couple of places, even creased one edge of it while trying to determine if it was supposed to be removed. (I left it on.)

What's the scoop on this part? Do I leave it alone and put the HSF on as is, or do I scrape off the black stuff, or do I remove the foil entirely?

Steve
 


<< I know this may be a stupid question, but I don't want to make any mistakes, so...

I am trying to install a Northwood 1.6A on a P4B266 motherboard. The Intel cooler has a piece of tape or foil or something adhered to the bottom. It has a black surface that is very easily scratched off.

I have already scratched it in a couple of places, even creased one edge of it while trying to determine if it was supposed to be removed. (I left it on.)

What's the scoop on this part? Do I leave it alone and put the HSF on as is, or do I scrape off the black stuff, or do I remove the foil entirely?

Steve >>

That's thermal tape. Since you damaged it, I'd take it all off and use thermal grease.
 
The black stuff is the thermal tape/paste put on there by Intel. I don't think you can remove the tin-foil coloured metal below the thermal pad but that's ok.

I just got the 1.8A and installed it in a P4B266. I wiped off the thermal pad clean - it's not very good stuff anyways. Use Arctic Silver 3 compound instead of the black stuff - it's a far superior thermal compound.

Hope this helps.
 
I just pulled mine off and replaced it with Arctic Silver. It is just a thermal interface to minimize contact resistance. There are microscopic peaks and valleys on the CPU and HS and that (or Arctic Silver, whatever you use - just use something) fills them in to improve heat transfer from the CPU to the HS. The stock ones aren't supposed to be very good-but they are adequate, so most overclockers prefer to replace it with Arctic Silver, just make sure you get all of the old stuff off.
 
Thanks, guys...thermal tape is off, surface cleaned with Goo Gone, and Arctic Silver evenly and thinly applied. Looks good. Thanks for your help.

Steve
 
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