Installed CPU wrong?

D

Deschain

n00b
Joined
Oct 24, 2005
Messages
46
(first time builder)
Last night, i got my processor in. (AMD X2 4200+) and i researched how to install them into the mobo. It didnt look too hard. Well today i was talking to a friend and he said I installed it wrong. Supposedly according to him, thermal grease was supposed to come with my processor. But i bought my Proc retail and it just came with the proc and the heatsink and fan pre-assembled. On the bottom of the heatsink was a green pad. I read the instructions and even watched an internet tutorial. I just took put in the processor and put the heatsink on top of it (obviously)...(followed instructions) and it went in fine. My question is was there grease that i needed to buy to put on the processor or is this a new thing that AMD did where the pad is just fine? Someone help please.
 
Deschain said:
(first time builder)
Last night, i got my processor in. (AMD X2 4200+) and i researched how to install them into the mobo. It didnt look too hard. Well today i was talking to a friend and he said I installed it wrong. Supposedly according to him, thermal grease was supposed to come with my processor. But i bought my Proc retail and it just came with the proc and the heatsink and fan pre-assembled. On the bottom of the heatsink was a green pad. I read the instructions and even watched an internet tutorial. I just took put in the processor and put the heatsink on top of it (obviously)...(followed instructions) and it went in fine. My question is was there grease that i needed to buy to put on the processor or is this a new thing that AMD did where the pad is just fine? Someone help please.
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AMD comes with Stock thermal pads, they are okay. They are perfectly fine for the stock heatsink which came with the processor. Most people on the other hand even if they use the stock heatsink/fan or use a aftermarket. They will use special thermal paste instead of the thermal pad. They would just remove the thermal pad on the heatsink/cpu if there is any with 91%+ Alcohol and reaply with aftermarket paste. Basicly its for people who are looking for absolute best temps, because good thermal paste will obviously help heat transfer which can lower degrees depending. I would recommend Arctic Silver 5 if you plan on doing this as a alternative thermal paste.
 
Rubbing alcohol if you just want to replace the paste. (This is for both the CPU and Heatsink.) Also, try rubbing firmly with a napkin or paper towel to remove any residue that won't come off.

If you want to go all out with the heatsink, there is a process called lapping. Basically, go over the base of the heatsink with increasingly fine sandpaper, until you've gotten it to a near-mirror finish. I would recommend doing the same with the processor, but it sounds like you're fairly new to the "enthusiast" market. As such, you probably want to leave your warranty intact as much as possible, besides avoiding the risk of damaging your CPU.
 
with the thermal paste, when i put the dab of it on the cpu, how should i spread it?
 
Don't, if you read the instruction it clearly shows just putting the heatsink on.

It will spread out.
 
Borgschulze said:
Don't, if you read the instruction it clearly shows just putting the heatsink on.

It will spread out.
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Hmmm, I don't know where I read it, but I've been using a razor blade to spread my thermal paste. I always try to get a thin, even film. Apparently it works well enough that my computer hasn't blown.
 
DudeItsMe said:
Hmmm, I don't know where I read it, but I've been using a razor blade to spread my thermal paste. I always try to get a thin, even film. Apparently it works well enough that my computer hasn't blown.
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I do the same thing with a credit card.
 
LOL because of a PM I sent him. (He PM'd me a few minutes before asking the same question here.)
Me said:
Option one: credit card.
Option two: razor blade
Option three: my personal favorite- just smush the processor onto the heatsink (not yet in the socket) and just start sliding one against the other. Move them enough that the entire processor is covered. Then when you install them properly, the heatsink will squeeze out any extra.
Click to expand...
 
Evenly spreading the thermal grease with a razor blade or credit card supposedly does help, but yea wrong place to post :)...

Hope everything turns out well
 
juss squish it with the processor...simple as can be and saves you time and of course avoids the mess
 
The razor blade method works best with CPU's with a small die or those without heatspreaders( Athlon XP's, etc.). With a Athlon 64 you just want to put a small amout about the size of a grain of rice and lay the heatsink on top of it, it will squish out and eliminate the possibility of an air pocket forming (can happen using the razor blade method).
 
FiZ said:
The razor blade method works best with CPU's with a small die or those without heatspreaders( Athlon XP's, etc.). With a Athlon 64 you just want to put a small amout about the size of a grain of rice and lay the heatsink on top of it, it will squish out and eliminate the possibility of an air pocket forming (can happen using the razor blade method).
Click to expand...


I think a grain of rice size may be about right, but make it a small grain size.

You will get the lowest CPU temps by both methods IF you do a few steps: Put the CPU in then slightly move the heatsink around to evenly distribute (squish the compoundbetween the CPU and heatsink) and then remove the heatsink, wipe the heatsink clean (do not wipe the cpu off unless it is a visibly thick layer, in which case you put WAY too much compound on) and finally install the heatsink.

After the final install of the heatsink with as thin a layer of paste you can get, your good to go.

Using arctic silver can be dangerous if too much is used as over time it will continue to ooze out. Eventually it will end up on components that will not tolerate the conductivity of the paste. I can't tell you how many times people thought their CPU or video card died after a year or two of use, only to be revived by cleaning the parts down with alcohol to remove oozed out arctic silver.

There are probably a larger number of people who have thrown parts out thinking they were bad while they could have been revived very easily.
 
Yeah i just used the arctic silver. My mom helped me apply it ( :p ) shes good with stuff like that. I put a nice little rice grain size, spread it out evenly, and it was really thin (i made sure, hopefully no air bubbles) and just put my heatsink on it. Seems good to go.
 
I decided to try the spread out method. If it doesn't do too well...ill clean it off and try the squish method. This way should be fine though. Thanks for the help guys.
 
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