My first lap....

[StillFunkyB]

So before I install my new quad, I decided I wanted to take a stab at lapping. Never having done this before I decided to do a little research. I am not very patient, and I usually just go right at something without much thought most of the time. Well, I didn't want to ruin my new quad...

I read quite a bit here and there, and then I watched this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVXuZTuoEuE

Ok, so now what? I still don't feel comfortable with sanding my brand new CPU, so I decided to do my first test on this Scythe Ninja Copper heatsink that nobody seems to want to buy:

Now, it's not perfect. I spent 3 hours on this thing, took a break, and spend another hour trying to get a perfect mirror finish. This thing is EXTREMELY hard to move on the sandpaper without skipping, and without putting pressure on it. I used a razor blade to check if it's flat and it appears to be, so I think we are good.

Ok, great, so that's the heatsink, but I am still feeling like a wuss cuz I don't want to fack up my new CPU.

Old P4 to the rescue!

Used some painters tape on the back of the CPU since I didn't have any of those black covers that the CPU's are packaged in (the new quad doesn't have one).

Results after 400-600-800-1000-1500-2000:

It looks good in the picture, but if I hold it at angles I can still see "lines" from the sanding. Is that normal, or should it look like a smooth shiny mirror with no visible lines? I followed exactly what that guy did in the video I linked above.

Now I just need to test the temps. Might do so tomorrow, don't feel like dragging out all the crap to set this up tonight.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

Also, I didn't buy that bottle of "Monster Cable" brand screen cleaner. I "borrowed" it from work. That reminds me, I should probably take it back.

 

[Zero82z]

Lines from the sanding are perfectly normal. And make sure you don't polish anything, since the polishing compound will reduce thermal transfer.

 

[MrWizard6600]

As an aspiring electrical engineer I would like to extend my fist into the face of the genius marketeer at Monster who thought of the $200 HDMI cable. Evedentally a 4.92V true bit looks better than a 4.63V true bit.

sorry those guys always get me.

Anyways i was just as gung-ho as you when lapping my E6300 (which, back when i bought it in its hay-day was $250 MSRP), and yeah, i benched it before and after and the delta was noticeable but difficult to actually measure. I'd guess it was somewhere between 1 and 2 C as the processor gave me an extra 6Mhz FSB (41MHz core), even though everest was telling me that there was no difference.

I actually gave the bottom of my thermalright ultra 120 (non-extreme) a few goes over the 2000grit as well; you think keeping a processor from skipping is difficult.

But, I got my 41Mhz and it was fun.

The issue with lapping is making sure that everything stays true. There are "engineering grade" flat surfaces out there, but generally speaking a well made piece of glass will keep everything flat.

er at least, I got my extra 41MHz until the 680i board it was running on finally decided to crap out on me, at which point I bought this Asus X38 board which wont touch 480MHz FSB no matter what i do (short of liquid cooling?). If I wasn't so annoyingly attracted to flashing lights I would've bought something better from DFI...

 

[StillFunkyB]

Lines from the sanding are perfectly normal. And make sure you don't polish anything, since the polishing compound will reduce thermal transfer.

I lightly used one of the soft buffer attachments on my dremel to see if it would help get rid of the lines, but it did not.