Thermal Paste & Heatsink & Cpu... How to?

AntMan

Senior member
Sep 24, 2000
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Sorry for such a stupid question, but I just got my new t-bird cpu and I have the globalwin fop-38, I dont want to make any errors, Im woundering what's the best way to install all of this. I do have artic silver paste aswell. The Fop-38 does come with thermal tape, but looking at reviews, I definitly should not use it, and result to paste instead. What im woundering is how I should install this, where to put the paste, and what precautions I should take?




Thanks Again
Jonathan Hurd
 

Rigoletto

Banned
Aug 6, 2000
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I installed a golden orb on my K7 today with silicon grease replacing thermal tape and H2G2 coolermaster or something. Grease seems to give you 2C lower than tape. This may or may not be important to you. With a beastie like the fop38, I think you is overclocking, in which case rub off the tape with alcohol and a credit card or plastic ruler. Apply the grease on the part of the heatsink which will contact the base, thinly- scrape across with the cleaned card.
If you are overclocking you might like a powerfan behind that CPU, but post your temp anyway, I'm curious. www.overclockers.com has plenty CPU feedback from users around the world.:)
 

pm

Elite Member Mobile Devices
Jan 25, 2000
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The key thing, as Rigoletto mentioned, is to apply it thinly. Sometimes in life you really want to goop stuff on, the more the better, etc... this is definitely not one of those times. You want to apply such a thin film that when you look at it, you think, "this is too thin".

The idea is that you really don't want any thermal grease between the CPU and the heatsink at all. You want the grease in the little nooks and cranies where the metal interface between the two doesn't totally line up. If you could somehow perfectly polish the two surfaces so that they were perfectly molecularly flat, then you wouldn't need any thermal goop at all. But, since this is impossible (or at least prohibitively expensive), you use goop to fill in the spaces.

I usually apply the grease to the back of the CPU, then press the heatsink on and work them together for a while to distribute the thermal paste as thinly and evenly as possible. Once I've done this, I try not to let the two separate and, if they do, then I wipe everything off and start over.
 

thorin

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Alot of people I know use a razor blade to spread out the thermal grease/paste to get a thin even layer.

Thorin
 

Electric Amish

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
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I really mean to put up a website about this.... with pics! :D


Here's what I do...good or bad?? I don't know.

  • Put a small dab of grease on the CPU
  • Spread it around slightly with your finger
  • Put on the HS
  • Remove the HS. All parts of the CPU and HS that make contact should be covered and have little points of grease rising up from it
  • Add a little more grease to the spots that don't have points and/or remove any excess that has seeped out around the CPU
  • Repeat until you have points on all surfaces of the CPU and HS that make contact


Good Luck.

amish
 

DaddyG

Banned
Mar 24, 2000
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Amish, check out the AS website, the oils in your fingers and AS don't mix well. Best not to touch the silver at all. Since most hsf are not that flat and smooth (they don't have to be for PCTC it fills when it changes), a slightly thicker application of AS works best. Course its alot of trouble for 2c and the PCTC protects that delicate core when you fasten the clip.
 

AntMan

Senior member
Sep 24, 2000
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Thanks Guys, I almost positive I did it correct, I may of put too much silver on, but either way I think I fried the chip or broke it somehow =(.


Im just getting no life out of the comp, not sure exacly why. ohh well thanks anyways. =(
 

RossGr

Diamond Member
Jan 11, 2000
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I am not sure where the 2C number came from. I picked up 10C when I replaced a thermal pad with Radio Shack Heat Sink compound. From 47C -> 37C
 

Rigoletto

Banned
Aug 6, 2000
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RossGR maybe your heatsink wasn't on very tight the first time round. You must have had an unusually bad contact in any case.