Thermal Paste and isoprophl alcohol

Giraffe

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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
 

Kholonar

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Different thermal pastes pretty much all work the same and only a few make a sizeable negative difference.

I don't think it matters if you use the pea and press or the smearing all over. However, the pea and press and more effective for intels as they have all the heat generating components in the middle of the chip.

I fully recommend arctic cooling's Arcticlean - it smells lemony mmmmmmmm.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arcticlean.htm
 
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

To spread the thermal paste on a cpu I use a Fender thin (guitar pick). Alcohol is available at any Walmart for like a penny a gallon. You may need therapy if you ask a chemist what is Isoprophyl alcohol.
 

severeon

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lint free cloth: Coffee filter

the idea of putting the thermal paste in the middle is because the middle of the heat spreader is the only part that should get directly hot and plus, it will spread out to almost 80% of the heatspreader anyway. remember people, the heatspreader is much bigger than the core :p
 

unsmart

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isoprophl alcohol is rubbing alcohol it has distilled water in it to. You can also use lighter fluid or carb and choke cleaner. A coffee filter or cleaning cloth for glasses are lint free, never use a paper towel or your shirt as any lint will defeat the use of good thermal paste. Lapping the heat sink will also help if you want to spend the time on it.
 

jimw428

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isoprophl alcohol is rubbing alcohol it has distilled water in it to. You can also use lighter fluid or carb and choke cleaner. A coffee filter or cleaning cloth for glasses are lint free, never use a paper towel or your shirt as any lint will defeat the use of good thermal paste. Lapping the heat sink will also help if you want to spend the time on it.

Lighter fluid is a petroleum product that is often used to remove oil and grease stains. However, it will leave an oily residue on the heat spreader and is not recommended. Even though isopropyl alcohol has a small amount of distilled water as an inactive ingredient, if you buy 91% pure it won't be a problem (it's cheap). Arctic silver recommends its use as an alternate to their more expensive cleaner.


From the Arctic silver web site:


"Never use any oil or petroleum based cleaners (WD-40, citrus oil based cleaners and many automotive degreasers) on the base of a heatsink. The oil, which is engineered to not evaporate, will fill in the microscopic valleys in the metal and significantly reduce the effectiveness of any subsequently applied thermal compound."

"Clean the mating surfaces completely with a low residual solvent (High-purity isopropyl alcohol or acetone will work) "

Here is a link. These instructions are valid for any brand of thermal paste.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm
 

mickeddie

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http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/3161-3.jpg

This is the Conroe e6600. You said to spread the thermal compound on the center of the heat spreader. The pictures on the Arctic Silver site show the dye which oviously doesn't do us any good with a heat spreader. Just to reiterate...I put a small amount (the size of a grain of rice) in the middle of the heat spreader and spread it around there, or not spread it around and smush it (gently) with the heat sink? Should I still rub some compound on the heat sink first like on the AS site?

Maybe we need a new tutorial with pictures with CPU's that have the heat spreader???
 

jimw428

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http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/3161-3.jpg

This is the Conroe e6600. You said to spread the thermal compound on the center of the heat spreader. The pictures on the Arctic Silver site show the dye which oviously doesn't do us any good with a heat spreader. Just to reiterate...I put a small amount (the size of a grain of rice) in the middle of the heat spreader and spread it around there, or not spread it around and smush it (gently) with the heat sink? Should I still rub some compound on the heat sink first like on the AS site?

Maybe we need a new tutorial with pictures with CPU's that have the heat spreader???

Here is a link. Watch the flash video of a heat sink installation (at the bottom of the page) for proper application of thermal paste on a heat spreader.

http://www.zalmanusa.com/

Don't you guys use Google?
 

severeon

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I still dissagree with the spread it method, With arctic silver 5 my cpu temp raised by 3 degrees C by spreading the thermal paste. When I installed the paste corectly on my overclocked D 830 (WITH STOCK COOLING) my temps idle stay at 32C, and 47C under 100% load.
 

Grimmy

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Everyone has their own special method it seems.

Geesh, just as long as the user is happy, and the CPU doesn't hit its threshold or thermal trigger should be all that matters.

If you overclock, that is based upon your own chances of losing it, especially if you overvolt it.

I'd rather just give advice, then try to state someone is wrong. I try to also use the instructions given for certain products.
 

Grimmy

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Hehe..

Well again it depends. AS5 does want you to put it on the bottom of the HS to fill in micro holes/gaps, then buff it off.

If you lap the bottom of the HS, then I would assume that you wouldn't need to perform that step.

With reg white stuff, I've usually put it on the core, rather then on the bottom of the HS.
 

mickeddie

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I still dissagree with the spread it method, With arctic silver 5 my cpu temp raised by 3 degrees C by spreading the thermal paste. When I installed the paste corectly on my overclocked D 830 (WITH STOCK COOLING) my temps idle stay at 32C, and 47C under 100% load.

So what do you do if you don't spread it? Put a dab on the CPU and just press the heat sink on top?
 

Grimmy

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I still dissagree with the spread it method, With arctic silver 5 my cpu temp raised by 3 degrees C by spreading the thermal paste. When I installed the paste corectly on my overclocked D 830 (WITH STOCK COOLING) my temps idle stay at 32C, and 47C under 100% load.

So what do you do if you don't spread it? Put a dab on the CPU and just press the heat sink on top?

Im my opinion, it depends on the HSF setup and Core.

I'd do the dot method (what you describled) only when the HSF is dropped downward and locked into place.

I would use the spreading method only when I know the HSF may move around when lining up screw holes in getting it locked down, or if it is a bare core that doesn't have a heat spreader.
 

sweetpants

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I usually take the CPU out, put a dab of thermal compound on it, then spread it as thin and evenly as I can with a credit card :D

Yea, but Severon said he disagrees with the "spread it" method.

meh then let him disagree, this was my thought process...

Identify the part that gets hot.
Will the part that gets hot be in contact with the heatsink?
To better cool off the part that gets hot put a thin layer of thermal compound on it to fill gaps and dissipate heat better.

Temperature's would rise, I would imagine from too much thermal compound being put on?
 

jimw428

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I still dissagree with the spread it method, With arctic silver 5 my cpu temp raised by 3 degrees C by spreading the thermal paste. When I installed the paste corectly on my overclocked D 830 (WITH STOCK COOLING) my temps idle stay at 32C, and 47C under 100% load.

Keep in mind that the results are not "instant soup".

From the Arctic Silver web site:

"Due to the unique shape and sizes of the particles in Arctic Silver's conductive matrix, it will take a up to 200 hours and several thermal cycles to achieve maximum particle to particle thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on the heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) On systems measuring actual internal core temperatures via the CPU's internal diode, the measured temperature will often drop 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period. This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer as long as the computer is turned off from time to time and the interface is allowed to cool to room temperature. Once the break-in is complete, the computer can be left on if desired."
 

ZOldDude

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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
 

severeon

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I wasnt trying to be obstinant. I was just saying what worked best for me.

Like I said in a different thread, the objective is to use as little thermal paste as possible, since AC5 is rated for 0.001 inches and most others are rated for 0.01 inches...

Though silver is the best affordable thermal conductor avaliable, using too much of it will make it a resistor.

My advice is, try severeal methods and come to one that you are confident in doing that is also effective.
 

jimw428

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I wasnt trying to be obstinant. I was just saying what worked best for me.

Like I said in a different thread, the objective is to use as little thermal paste as possible, since AC5 is rated for 0.001 inches and most others are rated for 0.01 inches...

Though silver is the best affordable thermal conductor avaliable, using too much of it will make it a resistor.

My advice is, try severeal methods and come to one that you are confident in doing that is also effective.

My advice is to follow the recommendations of Arctic Silver. I suspect they have already tried several methods and know the results. Plus, it would be my guess that they know what they're talking about. Since it takes up to 200 hrs for the paste to properly bond with the heatsink and CPU, why waste a lot of time with trial and error?