smurfdude

well i havent built it yet, so the answer is no compound. i was just planning on using the stuff ive got sat on my shelf. which is "akasa thermal compound"

smurfdude

oh speaking of thermal compound, i was meaning to ask if when washing old stuff off, does it make a difference if i used a cloth an water or is that specially made thermal compound remover best to use?

kris23

no.... keep the old stuff. its better than that akasa stuff, it sucks really. the MX-1/2 compound on that heatsink beats Arctic Silver 5 by a pretty big margin.

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Kazeko

You can use the cleaner, but I wouldn't recommend water. - You'll have to let the component dry for hours before installing it.



I use a small (based on the size of the project, cleaning my G80 took a little bit) amount of Isopropyl Alcohol on a (couple) Q-Tips. - It evaporates quickly, and is awesome at breaking down Thermal Goo of various types. (Ceramique, MX-1/2 and AS5.)

The cleaner is prolly better by a fair margin, though I imagine the majority of it's composition is either Acetone (nail polish remover) or Isopropyl Alcohol anyway.


For most OE TIM on Graphics Cards and Chipset heatsinks, it's typically a putty that's used, and most can be cleaned off with your fingers, the remainder is all that needs any kind of chemical removal.


Also - I'd recommend lapping any heatsinks you plan on using for this system. I had my doubts when I first saw mention of it on these forums and elsewhere, but the saying is correct...

"LAP EVERYTHING."

Here's the DH.net guide. It's really not very tough to do, especially once you get a little experience, and 5 degrees worth of temperature difference IS possible.

Lapping A Heatsink

Though, if you are really worried about taking the risk with a heatsink, the small OC you're looking at probably won't be a big deal, temperature wise.

(If you intend on lapping the heatsink(s) and can't find the mentioned 1k+ grit sand paper, I'd suggest a local paint supply store, or auto-body shop. Most will sell sand paper up to about 1500 grit sand paper, or higher.)