Thermal grease or thermal phase-change material?

[wraith3k]

For an Athlon 64, which of these is the right one to use?

According to AMD's "Builders Guide for Desktop/Tower Systems":

Always use an appropriate amount of an AMD-recommended thermal phase-change
compound.
For production builds, thermal grease is never an appropriate solution.
Thermal grease can be used for short-term testing and validation. When used
for a longer period, thermal grease has a tendency to be pumped out from the
gap between the processor and the heatsink due to the differing thermal
expansion and contraction rates of the aluminum heatsink and the processor.


From what I hear most people are using thermal grease.

So is it ok to use thermal grease, or should I be getting this thermal phase-change material? Or is there really a difference?

thanks

by the way, the guide mentioned above is at http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/26003.pdf

 

[Zepper]

That's for production assembly. The folks here don't leave things alone long enough for such pumping to make much difference . However, if you want a set-it-and-fortet-it deal, use the phase change stuff. Remember, you have to allow your CPU to get quite hot for the phase-change stuff to do its thing - that means you leave your fan turned off for a minute or so. Personally, I don't like to use my CPU for a lab oven...
.bh.

p.s. as soon a possible please learn how to do a proper link. Huge URLs like that warp a thread all out of shape making me/us have to scroll right and left to read the message. Thanks. Here's the idea (I have to use parens for square brackets so this syntax example doesn't become an actual link:
(L=Short, descriptive title for your link here)put.yourURLhereabcdef.nul/fujao/weirh/janalsraff.html(/L) . You use the square brackets [-] instead of the parens (-) and it becomes this: Linkage .

 

[NervousNovice]

Thermal paste performs slightly better than thermal pad.

 

[guppyplayer]

Didn't AMD just supply you with some thermal compound? I got some thermal compound with my Pentium 4 processor and just used that.

 

[wraith3k]

So is the "phase-change material" just those pads on the cpu then? If I am not overclocking, it sounds like I can just get away with using whatever comes with in the retail box, and not use thermal grease/paste. Correct me if I'm wrong about this though..

 

[NervousNovice]

"Phase-change material" = thermal pad.

That's nothing wrong using a thermal pad. You'll be ok with it.
Thermal paste lowers your cpu temp by a few degree C only.

 

[mechBgon]

Unless I'm much mistaken, the retail-boxed desktop Athlon 64 comes with thermal grease, not a phase-change thermal pad. I think the integrated heatspreader's contact area with the heatsink is so large that pump-out is a negligible factor, unlike the AthlonXP and Duron with their exposed cores.

 

[lenjack]

At stock speed, use the pad. Also OK for mild overclock. For best overclock, use thermal grease.

 

[Jeff7]

As far as I know, if you remove the heatsink once the phase change material has melted to the CPU, you need to clean it off and either use another pad, or else use grease.
I use Arctic Silver X in my systems - X because I've used I, II, and III. All seem to work just fine - only the progressive numbers slightly improve temps. I've used it on systems that remain un-upgraded for months, or even a full year sometimes, without ill effects.

 

[Brian48]

Actually, if this is the stock heatsink that comes with the retail package of the Athlon 64, I'd leave the pad on there. The material used is not the cheap, phase change stuff of the past. The thermal material is made out of Shin Etsu G751 which is on par, if not better than the popular Artic Silver III. AMD really went out this time around with their factory cooling.

 

[wraith3k]

If using the OEM cpu and buying a HSF fan separately, is it still ok to use pads or should you use the thermal grease that comes with the HSF?

 

[Jaxidian]

Originally posted by: theslug
If using the OEM cpu and buying a HSF fan separately, is it still ok to use pads or should you use the thermal grease that comes with the HSF?

If you get thermal grease that comes with the HSF, I would use that.