Lapping?

[0V3RC10CK3D]

So i hear the term all over and i'm pretty sure it just means making a surface smoother through some type of fine sandpaper but does anyone have the details? i'd like to try this on my Si-120 and opteron 144 ihs

 

[quadnad]

Not to sound like a dick, but man, type "lapping" into the search box. There are about a billion results on lapping and guides and experiences.

Hell, even google it. This was my first result. At first glance I see that the first five results on google after having typed "lapping guide" are guides to lapping your heatsink and the expected results.

 

[Arcygenical]

You dont sound like a dick. It's a valid point. Having said this, lapping takes alot of work (1-2 hours) and yes, you'll see a bit of a difference if your HSF was poorly lapped to begin with. Lapping the IHS of your processor *does* void your warranty.

 

[mrdlouisd]

I just lapped my hs the stock one that comes with opty 165. I got 4c's cooler on load. Took about 3 hours. Id never do it again, lol the gain isnt worth the effort, and it cost me around 11 bucks to get sandpaper from local automotive shop. I broke down and found me a water cooling kit. But if you got time go for it.

 

[WarlordOne]

For best results you want to lap the heatsink and the IHS (if your chip has one) also some aftermarket coolers can benefit from lapping too but they don't have to go through the whole process. You may be able to start with 800 grit instead of 320 or so making for a quick improvement in cooling.

 

[NoEcho]

If your heatsink or waterblock has a really bad finish then it'd be worth it. I use lapping to turn two old pennies into .02 heatsinks for ram and mobo components (used to). Most times, however, "lapping" is just another feverish effort from OCD candidate overclocker #34,087 who shines his block to mirror finish at the expense of an actually flat surface. He can read 2 point text off the reflection but the block rocks on a table. Thermal contact points get massively compromised. But it's shiny.