Thermal Paste and isoprophl alcohol

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Well, trial and error being a waste? I run severeonal high powered computers, and though time consuming, trial and error has been the most reliable and effective method of procuring results. Now, my home systems are pentium D's with stock cooling *Which works great*, my work computers are pentium D's with a custom water cooling setup. The methods are the same for both types of cooling. In short, do what your going to do, the laws of electricity say use as little paste as possible. Aslong as your processor and heatsink make contact with a good conductor between them in sparing quantities you will be just fine.

ps: Ive used pennut butter before in a pinch. . . so, it doesnt really matter what conductor you use. Im just wating for the full silver cpu water block for a water cooling system.
 
What "laws of electricity" are you talking about? There is NO current flow between the cpu heat spreader and the heat sink (if there is, you have more than a heat problem). The thermal paste is merely aiding the conduction of heat generated by the cpu away from the core. Perhaps you were thinking of the laws of thermodynamics.

BTW, peanut butter is a good conductor of jelly, not heat! 😀
 
And this goes without saying, always put the thermal paste on the CPU, not the heatsink.

I do both...but this way:

1) Put a dot just a bit smaller than a grain of uncooked rice onto the center of the IHS.

2) Use plastic wrap to cover your finger and just touch the dot of TIM so that no more than a 1/3 comes onto your finger.

2a) Rub your plastic wraped finger with that extra small amout of TIM in the area of the HS that will contact the cpu...rub 30 times clockwise then 30 times counter-clockwise.

This fills the micro groves/pits and when your done you should just be able to tell that the surface has any TIM on it at all....you should be able to see thru it!

Useing this method in a well vented case and a Thermalright SI-120 cooler my overclocked Optrons idle only 2C over room temps.

Z

I have never put the thermal paste on the HS. I've always spread the thermal paste onto the top of the CPU with a Fender thin. I've been told I have great style and technique. Like Carlos Santana. 8O
 
thermodynamics and electricity are very simmilar, I use the likewise.

Plus, when you talk about insulators and conductors the defintions are almost the same... furthermore I couldnt think of the word thermodynamics at the time, so I used the first thing I remembered.
 
severeon said:
Now, my home systems are pentium D's with stock cooling *Which works great*, my work computers are pentium D's with a custom water cooling setup. quote]

Ok?? You use stock at home and you use water cooling at work?? That seems wrong lol
 
Lol I know, trust me I wish that I could take my business comps to my house which is 3 blocks away... but, unfortunatly they need to more powerfull and they are VERY overclocked. And, the stock cooler works just fine, my 830 *after I looked and cleaned it today* now runs at 31c Idle, and 43 under 100% *playing prey 😀*
 
hi
i know i already have a simiar topic posted but anyway...
i am gonna get some thermal paste(coolermaster ptk-002 premium)
any1 ever used it?
when i put it on the cpu heatspreader is it best to rub it around and cover the cpu or leave the rice sized dot in the middle and let the hsf smeare it around?

im not using as5 but on thier instructions site it says that the whole heatspreader doesnt have to covered and just the area covering the core in the centre? is this worse?

i also need to get some isoprophl alcy.
where can i get this? local chemist?
if i go to the chemist and ask 4 it will they say what the f*k r u talkin about
how much does it cost?
are they all the same?
does it matter what cloth i put it on when rubbing it on the cpu/hsf?
also what is a lint-free cloth?

sorry about all the questions
thx in advance

Well, I usually wrap my finger using those plastic films used to wrap food(so there ain't any skin residue that could fall on the processor), put a small amount of thermal paste on hte middle of the processor and rub it until it becomes a thin uniform layer over the processor.

This gives me some nice results (my 3500+ has a 27oC temperature at stock and 31oC at 400Mhz overclock, using a zalman 7000BCu) and I live in Rio de Janeiro, where room temperature is usually around 33oC.

For the isopropil alc, sorry i can't help u out from here.
 
"Clean the mating surfaces completely with a low residual solvent (High-purity isopropyl alcohol or acetone will work"

Would break cleaner work awell, it evaporates completly doesnt it?
I've used it for almost everything for a while. Works great!

(I know you said most automotive cleaners leave a resedue - but its worth a try :) )

Why not just use isopropyl alcohol? It's proven, widely available, recommended by the best thermal paste company, and it's cheap ( about $1.50 a bottle in the USA). Me thinks you're suffering from too much information. :lol:
 
This gives me some nice results (my 3500+ has a 27oC temperature at stock and 31oC at 400Mhz overclock, using a zalman 7000BCu) and I live in Rio de Janeiro, where room temperature is usually around 33oC.

that doesn't sound right