Help! Need advice on how to apply thermal grease...

B

bnason

n00b
Joined
Jan 26, 2004
Messages
44
Hi all,

Screwed up the first time I applied thermal grease (the good Silver brand) on my stock HSF / A64 3200+. WAY TOO MUCH APPLIED! :p My cooling sucks - my comp. idles at like 39C.

Anyway, please help me make sure I do it right this time. If anything looks wrong below, I can really use some advice on how to do this right - I have a Zalman 7000 HSF coming today that I will be installing.

1.) Take old HSF off.
2.) Take CPU out of socket, use Isopropyl alcohol and lint free cloth to get old thermal grease off CPU.
3.) Install seating for new HSF.

***

4.) Drop a SMALL (bb size) pellet of grease on the cpu. DO NOT spread it around.
5.) Apply grease to HSF plate where it will touch CPU. Spread around with plastic bag.
6.) WIPE OFF ALL GREASE ON HSF PLATE, leaving only remnants in the microscopic cracks.
7.) Seat HSF on CPU, letting it smear the BB size pellet on the CPu as it is seated.

***

8.) Connect wires, etc., and turn on comp.




Thanks in advance!
 
Okay, a few questions off of that page.

1.) As this is an Athlon 64 chip, that presumably has a heat spreader, I should just have to drop a bb sized pellet of the grease on the CPU and then "wiggle back and forth" the hsf plate on top of it.

NOT spread the compound?

2.) Since this is an Athlong 64 chip, I don't have to worry about the "CPU core" stuff?

2.) I should clean the HSF plate with Goof Off (xylene cleaner), then apply thermal grease where CPU heatsicnk will touch it, and then wipe off with lint free cloth... right?


Thanks!
Ben
 
I used my stock hsf & returned the Zalman today. No diff in temps, the retail stock hsf is good.

IF you apply AS start with a dab & use a cc or playing card (from a deck of 52) and spread the thinnest layer you possibly can on the bottom of u Zalman. After THOROUGHLY cleaning up with the isopryl.
 
"After THOROUGHLY cleaning up with the isopryl."

Do you mean clean up the edges? If not, what should I be througly clearning?

Also, my big thing on the zalman is the noise reduction :0
 
Woah woah woah woah....

Just start over here.... You're thinking WAY too much about this thermal grease application. Here are 5 easy steps to apply:

1) Clean EVERYTHING with some sort of cleaner mentioned here. You do not want ANY thermal paste anywhere.

2) Install the processor into the socket and put a BB sized drop of grease onto the middle of the processor.

3) Take a razorblade (creditcard, playing card, just as long as its flat and rigid) and spread the grease over the processor so you have a thin layer covering the ENTIRE processor.

4) Install the cleaned heatsink. Don't jiggle or try and spread around the grease. Just make sure you press firmly so the grease is in good contact with the heatsink and the processor.

5) Thats it. Youre done. If you mess up, clean everyhing up and start from the beginning.

Good luck! I hope the zalman works out for you.
 
So you're suggesting that I don't put any grease on the HSF itself, not even putting some on and then wiping it off to get it into the invisible grooves of the surface?

That would make life much easier ;p
 
Yes, thats exactly what Im suggesting. If you really really really want to waste your time and your grease, you can apply it to your heatsink and wipe it off before you install, but I really doenst make that much of a difference (maybe only 1deg at the very very most)

If you really want to get some good cooling and not worry about grease in your heatsink, you should lap the heatsink. If you dont know what this means, dont even worry about it. Just apply the grease and you'll be fine.
 
Originally posted by bnason
1.) Take old HSF off.
2.) Take CPU out of socket, use Isopropyl alcohol and lint free cloth to get old thermal grease off CPU and heatsink.
3.) Install seating for new HSF.
4.) Drop a SMALL (bb size) pellet of grease on the cpu. DO NOT spread it around.
5.) Connect wires, etc., and turn on comp.
Click to expand...

Thats how I did it with the temps in my sig.
 
Originally posted by bnason
"After THOROUGHLY cleaning up with the isopryl."

Do you mean clean up the edges? If not, what should I be througly clearning?

Also, my big thing on the zalman is the noise reduction :0
Click to expand...

I meant for a re-application, sorry about being vague (operating on 2 hrs sleep)

For instance, if you aren't happy with your temps & want to take the hs off the cpu to reapply. Clean everything till it shines with isopryl alcohol.

You can apply the tiny amount of thermal grease (Artic Silver or whatever) to the hs bottom or the cpu & then spread it out real real thin but evenly. Don't put the grease on both the cpu & hs, its too much.
 
Well, have my zalman installed after a lot of headacher. I'm still at like 38 idle / 46-48 load. not sure why it's so hot??? My wired are EVERYWHERE (it looks like spaghetti in my case), but would that make so much of a diff.? I have a Lian Li pc-65 case.

However, it's a LOT less noisy :p
 
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