Thermal Paste Removal/Installation Guide

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The problem with that is the paste has a big chance of spreading un-even over the surface. I've found out after 2 or 3 different times, that manually spreading the paste covering 100% of the CPU metal cap (what was it called? :p) yields better results. You gotta be extra careful while doing it though, so no dust or air-thingies fall before you put the HSF.

Cheers!
 

cannon_dt

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I intend to get the exact cooler and paste used in this guide - so thanks to amuffin for this guide, makes life easier.

I have a small question - in the amd_app_method_middle_dot pdf (the file that as5 recommends to follow for an amd phenom II proc) there is a section called "Tinting the Heat Sink and Metal cap" - I am not sure I follow the steps in the pdf explain it to me. Can someone explain it in the context of the hyper 212 evo and as 5? That would really help me when I get down to doing this in 2 days time :)
 
Well, as I understand it:

Apply a little bit of paste on both surfaces and then spread it with something (coffee filters could be a good idea) so that the "surface imperfections" on each (the Heat Sink and CPU Top) are minimized. And by little, it really means a little. Like 1/4th of a drop or even less. Then the paste applied afterwards on the CPU top will be better "joined" with the Heat Sink. This is how I understand it, off course.

Cheers!
 

dscudella

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Back in my day (LOL) of Athlon XP-M's, you put a dot (half a grain of rice) of AS5 on the CPU and used a razor blade to smooth it out until it looked like a sheet of gray paper.
 

Nafryti

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personally I think you used too much paste...

but very good 'stickie'.
well deserving.

with that heatsink, no he didn't, i too have this heatsink, it has ridges along the heatpipes where it collects thermal paste and prevents it from spreading on evenly, i had to apply the AS5 to the heatsink directly in order to avoid this issue... this is my second CoolerMaster product like this.

and frankly, it is really really annoying.
 

Nafryti

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that link, has one very disturbing image in it....
linked below, queezy should not click...
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17qhlvkb7nrwzjpg/original.jpg

Last image in that thread also has a picture of spiders of which the retard called "Brown Recluses" which they are not, the brown recluse only spins web when laying eggs, on a side note, they are more tanish brown than dark brown on their abdomen which here appears dark brown, and these spiders were spinning funnel style webs, a very VERY common trait of any common "Wolf Spider" which is not harmful at all, and very hard to mistake with a brown recluse, once you actually see one. Idiots will be idiots though.
 

Nafryti

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i seen a video on youtube that used cheese as thermal paste, and it seemed to work pretty well too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16qSDmMO3zQ
 

Nafryti

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ONLY 2 DEGREES???? SERIOUSLY?

kinda weak for the price don't you think?
 

darren0000

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you can see anywhere from 0 degrees to 10 degrees diffrence applying new thermal paste. let me give you a tip, if your cpu has a heatspreader then in fact all you are doing is replacing the thermal paste on the heatspreader and not infact the chip as the chip is under the heatspreader which is glued with epoxy glue, so u will still result in overheating if u are having overheating issues. like the ps3's people change the thermal paste on the spreader where in fact i take the heatspreader of and apply new paste to the chip and glue the heatspreader back down with epoxy glue.
 

goldensun87

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First, props to the OP for taking the time to post the guide. But:

1) Use a thermal compound that doesn't need any curing time and is not harmful to your skin. These compounds also usually last 5-6 years. If you're the kind of person who has to periodically get the newest and best, 5-6 years is more than enough time. A fine example is Arctic Cooling MX-4, which is a carbon-based compound.

2) No matter what type of thermal paste you use, the best way to apply it is to place a pea-sized amount on the center of the heatspreader, and just let your heatsink do the spreading. This is a tried-and-true method for maximum cooling performance.
 

dscudella

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No. If you're swapping heatsinks and the new heatsink has thermal paste already applied, then just clean the paste off the cpu (I prefer rubbing alcohol) and install the new heatsink. Clean the old heatsink before storing.
 

ericlw

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i might get flamed for this but...

that big line of thermal paste is WAY to much. your not trying to fill a .25 inch gap.you are only filling in the peaks and valleys of the two surfaces which could be microns in size.you only need a little drop in the middle.And this is only what i do...i rub it around with my finger to cover the entire cpu surface where the heat sink is going to contact.then i put my heatsink on and thats all.you dont need all this arctic silver and high metal flake whatever. I have a big bottle of cheap heatsink compound and it will last me the rest of my life.And no you dont have to change it like the oil in your car.only scrape off the old stuff and reapply when you take off the heatsink if your doing somthing that would require that.

in all the years ive been a computer tech ive never had computers overheat from how i do it.people put way to much thought and waste money on this.if 1 or 2 degrees is the difference between your whole system getting fried then you have other issues then your heatsink compound. Also using too much will cause your cpu to run hotter;more is not better.
 
If you use your finger, you'll add grease to the paste, which lowers it's thermal conductivity. If you're gonna spread it, use anything but your fingers (or anything that adds grease or dirt for that matter). Even worse, could affect the thermal compound, thanks to the human's acid pH.

Cheers!
 

ericlw

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I dought there is enough greese or dirt to effect anything from the tip of your finger.unless you have been working on your car or digging in the flower garden.
 
Like you said, this works on a microscopic level, so yes there is enough in the tip of your finger to affect.

I'm being purist though, since if you wash your hands and then you apply it right away, there will be almost no external agents that affect. Still, not a good idea to tell people to use their fingers, since most compounds are toxic to some degree.

Cheers!
 

amantes

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I started reading another guide here http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/How-To-Correctly-Apply-Thermal-Paste/274/3 and got to this part:

"Unfortunately, the use of those compounds “from the factory” has some inconveniences. The first one is that they can be used only once. If you remove the cooler for some reason, you’ll have to clean the old compound and apply the original one again (which is hard to find) or apply thermal paste instead."

I'm baffled. There is some fundamental difference between thermal paste and thermal compound? Why would the cooler not work with a different compound?
 
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