Question about Core i7 and Xigmatech Dark Knight cooler.

[jareklajkosz]

I read about the thermal paste that should be used when applying a cooler to a CPU and am heeding this advice. However, my actual question is regarding the application of AS5 to the heatsink.

I read a few guides about applying the stuff, and one guide suggested that with the Dark Knight specifically and a CPU with an IHS, one of the better ideas is to apply a very small amount on the IHS of the CPU and then mounting the cooler on top of it without spreading the AS5. Can anyone confirm as to whether or not this is a good method? It makes some sense, considering the suction should fill in as many of the gaps in the heatsink surface as possible, but I'm concerned that it may leave too much of the AS5 in the contact area.

If this method is not a good idea, can someone clarify exactly which heatsink to apply the thermal paste to if intending to spread it manually? The guides I've read had me confused as to whether to spread it on the cooler's heatsink surface or the surface of the actual CPU's IHS/die. Thanks in advance!

 

[rwpritchett]

Here's a good read on HDT paste application:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=5

I used the authors method that had the best coverage and get really good temps with my Xiggy DK and Q9650.

 

[jareklajkosz]

Hmm, ok. I get the idea behind the thermal paste application for sure. Is it really necessary to do the lapping though? I'm pretty terrible with things like that and I fear I'd likely make things worse, so I'd rather not risk damaging my products that way. Is it going to make a significant difference if I want to overclock my i7 to 4 GHz with that cooler?

 

[rwpritchett]

No, don't bother lapping. It voids your warranty and you shouldn't need to lap to get to 4GHz. The main thing to take from the article is to fill the gaps between the heatpipes with paste to get rid of air pockets. The pattern that gave the best coverage was the horizontal line method. As I said, I'm very happy with my temps using this application.

 

[jareklajkosz]

No, don't bother lapping. It voids your warranty and you shouldn't need to lap to get to 4GHz. The main thing to take from the article is to fill the gaps between the heatpipes with paste to get rid of air pockets. The pattern that gave the best coverage was the horizontal line method. As I said, I'm very happy with my temps using this application.

Ok, thank you very much!