Taking thermal compound off / re-applying

zalmoxis · Sep 19, 2004, 08:03 PM

Hello all

i just recieved my artic silver 5 thermal paste today and had a question:

I am wanting to take the old compound off and redo the layer on the heatsink. What would be the best way to go about doing this?

Also im pretty sure i know the answer to this question, but i would like to double check:
Thermal compound (small drop) on the heatsink only correct? want to make sure.

Also

Received a p4 2.26 retail box for a friends computer i am building for him. It appears to have a thermal pad on it (black pad in center of hinksink with sticky material under) . Do some of the CPU's come with thermal pads on them?

Thanks in advance

Dom · Sep 19, 2004, 08:46 PM

Removal: Take a dry q-tip and wipe all the compound you can get off with it. Then take a q-tip with some alcohol (not dripping wet, but enough to be affective) and wipe over where the compound used to be a few times ontil it's all off. Then go over the area one more time with a dry q-tip.

Application: You should lightly coat the top of the CPU, depending on its make this will varry. For an AMD, lightly coat the diode. For an Intel, lightly coat its heatspreader. Also lightly coat the surface of the heatsing where it contacts the CPU. Make sure the applications on both the CPU and heatsink are done lightly. Just apply a very thin layer of compound, enough so that the area is completely covered but not so much there's globs on it.

CPUs don't come with compound on them, no. OEM heatsinks that come with the CPUs do though. It's really hard to remove this compound sometimes. Use a flat, dull piece of plastic to scrap off what you can. Take the rest off with alcohol and or nail polish remover.

Judas · Sep 19, 2004, 08:48 PM

alot of retail heatsinks (cpus) have a thermal pad...... it is wise to get them off..... depending on the type ... it's sometimes clean and easy or a messy hard time consuming job.... i usually try and use a straight smooth plaster object such as a credit card or sometimes even the light plastic contain some AMD retail chips come in

eggs420 · Sep 19, 2004, 09:03 PM

What about on an a64? The whole (top) spreader, right?

And I use strips of plastic..I actually recycle junk from old cases and such around here like the drive bay covers for these tasks..No need to clean it up and stuff, just toss it when you're done. I managed to scratch my hsf first attempt -- Razor blades look like a GREAT idea for the really sticky messes, but no no no! Bad idea.

I tried a credit card, but I found that my gf did not like silver-coated cards much.

My plastic strips work great. What would really work nicely are the really thin plastic putty knives..Been meaning to look into some really small ones for this. Home Depot doesn't carry anything small enough, but man that would be a nice handy tool.

As for how much, the best (worded) opinion I heard, and I still use myself, is a paper-like layer (on the cpu itself, of course). Not thin enough to see through, but not much thicker than a sheet of paper. Hasn't failed me yet -- If in doubt, add a _small_ little dot extra in the center, and it will smooth out when placing the heatsink on it. I find that once I get it smoothed out to the edges I have too little in the center..Trying to smooth that back out ends up making it uneven, then I add a little more and realize there's too much and have to take some off, resmooth...blah. A tiny drop in the middle fixes that apparently, as I havent fried a cpu/gpu yet.

Drakon · Sep 19, 2004, 09:27 PM

hmmm, does the artic silver website offer any info about applying the paste. i think i remembered reading some stuff on their website, but i can't really remember...

The_Neon_Cowboy · Sep 19, 2004, 09:28 PM

then I wipe it off with rubbing alcohol que tip (90% or better)... then I blow it off with compressed air to help get off any little tiny fibers or alcohol resuidue..

The_Neon_Cowboy · Sep 19, 2004, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drakon

hmmm, does the artic silver website offer any info about applying the paste. i think i remembered reading some stuff on their website, but i can't really remember...

yea let me dig up my artical... I have some coverage I and roadee did the same artical he finshied first I let my set un posted

though it coverd stuff his didn't. God rest his soul...

Vampyromaniac · Sep 19, 2004, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eggs420

As for how much, the best (worded) opinion I heard, and I still use myself, is a paper-like layer (on the cpu itself, of course). Not thin enough to see through, but not much thicker than a sheet of paper. Hasn't failed me yet -- If in doubt, add a _small_ little dot extra in the center, and it will smooth out when placing the heatsink on it. I find that once I get it smoothed out to the edges I have too little in the center..Trying to smooth that back out ends up making it uneven, then I add a little more and realize there's too much and have to take some off, resmooth...blah. A tiny drop in the middle fixes that apparently, as I havent fried a cpu/gpu yet.

that's how I did my A64.

for removing, I used a cotton paper towel and isopropanol from work.

eggs420 · Sep 20, 2004, 01:18 AM

Oooo, I see you ditched your ECS board too then. Congrats!

Vampyromaniac · Sep 20, 2004, 01:19 AM

yep, thanks

Judas · Sep 20, 2004, 08:34 PM

heres what i do in more detail..

I buy my cpu and heatsink... (usually retail)

pull open the cpu which usually doesn't have anything on it... pop it into the socket and lock it emediatly...

pop the covers of the heatsink.. .take the pages the cpu came in and use it to scrap it ( with a flush edge so that i don't gouge the heatsink as you'd be serprised how easy it is to bit scratchs or dints in them)

take my thermal past and put a dab on the heatsink approx were the cpu will be..... take the bag that was given to me at the shop (plastic), cut out a good size chunk without any dyes added to it.... and use it kind like a glove... using my index finger work the small dab of thermal paste i had put on the heatsink into it..... (covering the entire area).... however not leaving it with all that paste on it.. any obvious excess amout is removed..... ( just need to make the heatsink look like all the small specs are filled)

apply a small amount to the cpu... smear it around with the glove... as evenly as possible to the point that the "logo" or markings on it are pretty well out of site..... and place the heatsink on

for those that have balls of steel.... try to IF YOU CAN... somewhat twist the heatsink just a tad in both directs WITH NO PRESURE ON THE CPU (small SMALL twist.. kind like 2 mm either way)

fully mount the cpu and hook up the CPU FAN and fire it up...

The_Neon_Cowboy · Sep 20, 2004, 08:39 PM

there is a much better way...
[color=#dddddd]http://www.driverheaven.net/overclocking-modding/56562-how-clean-heat-sink-cpu-properly-apply-tmi.html#post448603[/color]

MythicaL · Sep 20, 2004, 10:23 PM

Don't forget to put the heatsink in a bottle of Coke to get the new, copper look again

eggs420 · Sep 20, 2004, 11:06 PM

How To Clean A Heat Sink & CPU And Properly Apply A TMI

I wouldn't use wd40 on the core, but hsf sure no problem. The artic silver guide http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_s...structions.htm (to be fair ..) is more to what I try to follow, though I did learn a few things..What they do for the a64 seems very conservative..

MythicaL · Sep 21, 2004, 12:42 AM

To clean the CPU, I just use 70% alcohol rubbing alcohol (on a q-tip, of course). For the heatsink, I basically do the same thing. But you can also, like I said, put the heatsink in a little container of coke, because it makes the gunk go right off. Remember how people said you can clean pennies by doing it? Well, this is the same situation

Just get the dust outta the heatsink before you do it though, for safe measures.

Dom · Sep 21, 2004, 04:34 AM

I would not recommend going against AC's instructions.