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Which thermal paste for xp-90

W

warpigeon

Senior member
I will be installing an xp-90 on my oem 3200+ and plan on oc'ing in the future. The heatsink came with a little tube of thermal paste in the box, but no way to identify which type. Should I use it or get something else?

Thanks
 
I think even compusa sells arctic silvernow, id use that before I used the stuff that came with the xp 90
 
The stuff that comes with the cooler is fine. At some point in the future you might want to grab some AS to have around for the next time you take things apart.
 
Artic Silver 5 is a very inexpensive way to improve CPU temps...If applied properly will no doubt work better than "thermal grease" provided with most heat sink's.

A/S Ceraminqe is also a great product...Not quiet as good thermally but is a better choice for long term applications.

Do yourself a favor and go spend that little ole change knowing you are using the best stuff you can get your hands on that will drop your CPU temps several degrees after curing.

In my humble opinion of course.

 
I read on the arctic silver site that it takes 200 hours of use before the paste works optimally. Should I wait that long before I overclock?

Thanks
 
My experience with Artic Silver 5 is that temps will drop after the initial application...Letting the temps cycle by turning the computer on and off seems to shorten the "break in" period considerably.

As far as overclocking...I think it would depend on what your temps are...After, curing, break in, what ever you want to call it you will be looking at 2 to 3 degrees Centigrade.

I would not worry about waiting on your overclock attempts...Great way to cycle a box on and off that is for sure.



 
Ok thanks. Didn't know that the difference between a fresh application and 200 hours later is ony 2 or 3 degrees. But I will turn the thing on and off a few times as you said to speed up the process.
 
Your mileage may vary...Very important to mount the heat sink and then remove it to make sure you are getting good contact between the heat sink and processor...This is especially important for first time installations.

Also following the application guide at Artic Silver for your paticular processor is well worth the time.

In the overclocking world 2 to 3 degrees is a bunch...I know I have gone through alot more for alot less.

Clean is the name of the game...Time and money well spent.
 
Originally posted by: charlietee
Your mileage may vary...Very important to mount the heat sink and then remove it to make sure you are getting good contact between the heat sink and processor...This is especially important for first time installations.

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Can you elaborate on this a little. What would good contact look like? Would I add more paste if it didn't look right?
Click to expand...
 
Here is Artic Silvers guide for large contact area processors like P4 that have the large heat spreader covering the core.

If you scroll down about 2/3rds of page you can see what kind of contact your processor and heatsink are making.

Here is Artic Silvers Guide for small contact processors...They do not show a picture of the TIM contact like the large core instructions.

It is just very important to install and remove the heatsink on first time installations and make sure your processor and heatsink are making proper contact.

 
Originally posted by: charlietee

It is just very important to install and remove the heatsink on first time installations and make sure your processor and heatsink are making proper contact.
Click to expand...

you mean take it off and redo the whole process right?
b/c in big red letters the A S page says "DO NOT REMOVE THE HEATSINK FROM THE CPU TO LOOK AT THE COMPOUND ONCE YOU HAVE MOUNTED THE HEATSINK. This will introduce air into the interface layer and require a fresh application."
 
Make a couple of practice runs with your inferior paste (using the AS5 method). It will give you a great idea how the good stuff is going to go on.....

m 🙂
 
Yep...You have to do the whole process over...Well worth the time and effort to make sure you are getting good contact...A must do in my opinion...Back in the day AMD processors did not have thermal proctection and would burn up in seconds if you did not have the sink properely installed...I learned this lesson the hard way.
 
Do u guys think a Coolermaster Hyper 48 will perform better than the XP90 assume both use the same fan?
 
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