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Thermal Paste Aplication

R

Revant

n00b
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
45
I just got a new board mobo and was going to put a Zalman AlCu (picked it up free from a bud who moved on to H20) on it and i picked up some Artic silver 5 after reading some posts but i was wondering if any one had any tips for appling the stuff correctly (i've read the manuals/sites but most are pretty vague w/ a picture and say apply evenly heh which i guess is pretty simple) just wanted to make sure i didnt make any beginers mistakes. I also read that my Mobo ASrock Dual SATA2 has some poor termal compound on the NB and SB heatsinks and reappling some AS5 might help a little and i was wondering how exacly to do that? (do they just pop off or do i need to do something special...).


Thanks for any help!
 
i was pretty n00b when it came to thermal applcation, scared that my PC would overheat in like 2 secs :p but what i do, and have done with no problems so far is, heat the CPU/GPU with something intesive (high end game, 3Dmark, Prime 95) then take off the HSF. i then removed any old applications with Mineral Turpertine. might seem over the top, but thermal pads are a b**tch to remove. then when everything (Core and HS) are clean, i squirt out, about a rice grain size of thermal paste on the core. i then get something like Glad Wrap, or duct tape, wrap it around my finger, and spread the paste evenly on the core. then put the HSF on and done! im sure there are better ways of applications with ppl here who have more experience, but for me this method works great. :D
 
According to the makers of arctic silver, you drop about the size of rice in the middle of the cpu, apply heatsink and gently twist it back and forth a few times (gently!). Your actually not supposed to spread it around first, as you dont get the seal that you do when the heatsink flattens it from the middle.
 
there are many different ways to go about it ...

This is mine.

1) CLEAN all surfaces COMPLETELY using Isopropanol. Everything means the heat sink and the processing unit, you're applying the AS5 to. Use Q-tips, paper towels or cotton pads.

2) Using a compressed air can blow directly at the processing unit and then the base of the heat sink to insure that nothing has been left behind from the paper towel or the q-tip or whatever you used.

3) Apply a tiny drop of AS5. Tiny = as soon as you see AS5 pop out of the syringe, apply that tiny amount to the middle of the processing unit.

4) Whatever's left over on the tip of the syringe put on the heatsink and using a paper towel to move it around like as if you were cleaning the heat sink. This gives the heat sink a stain but also covers the cavities in the heat sink that can't be seen by the human eye.

5) Place the heatsink back on the processing unit and make sure that good contact is made between them.

6) Make sure contact between the heatsink and the processing unit is good.

7) You're done.
 
Regarding Asrock NB and SB heatsinks, I pulled mine off for inspection. They appear to use a standard white silicon paste (ala Radio Shack). Application was spotty and didn't cover the entire surface of the heatsink/chipset mating surfaces. The mating surfaces were truly flat, not needing any sanding/lapping of surfaces. I cleaned and remounted with AS5.

Heatsinks are secured by plastic two-piece spread-pins, accessed from the under-side of the board. I used needle-nose pliers - carefully, so the pins remain re-useable. Don't loose the tiny pieces!

On compound application, I apply a small amount to the center of the heatspreader and use my forefinger to spread the compound from center to edges, covering the entire surface with an even and thin coating. I apply a light pressure and twist the heatsink back and forth a bit in an attempt to further flatten and disperse the compound before securing.

Hope this helps!
 
Using your finger is never a good idea.

Arctic Silver said:
It is important to keep the surfaces free of foreign materials and NOT to touch the surfaces (a hair, piece of lint, and even dead skin cells can significantly affect the thermal interfaces performance, especially on modern small core CPUs as the surface area is already severely limited). In addition, oils from your fingers can adversely affect the performance by preventing the micronized silver fill from directly contacting the metal surface. (Fingerprints can be as thick as 0.005")
Click to expand...

Just follow the frickin' instructions. They're there for a reason.
 
Revant said:
I just got a new board mobo and was going to put a Zalman AlCu (picked it up free from a bud who moved on to H20) on it and i picked up some Artic silver 5 after reading some posts but i was wondering if any one had any tips for appling the stuff correctly (i've read the manuals/sites but most are pretty vague w/ a picture and say apply evenly heh which i guess is pretty simple) just wanted to make sure i didnt make any beginers mistakes. I also read that my Mobo ASrock Dual SATA2 has some poor termal compound on the NB and SB heatsinks and reappling some AS5 might help a little and i was wondering how exacly to do that? (do they just pop off or do i need to do something special...).


Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

My tips, after building for 15 years...
Basic rule is less is more. Clean the heatsink & CPU with Alcohol or carb cleaner. Etch the paste onto the heatsink rubbing off excess. Apply it to the CPU and use a toothpick or flat side of a popcycle stick to smooth out a thin layer. Use a smooth, cotton free towel to wipe off the excess if it spills (I use Lenscrafter eye cloths...for my monitor also).

Above all, be patient and don't hurry the process into a fatal mistake....
 
With original AS, I used to use a razorblade or a phone card to make a very thin layer. Now with AS5 I just follow the instructions with the rice grain sized glob and clamp down the HS. I dont twist it around either, that'll net you maybe half a degree F at the most. Basically, it's hard to screw up unless you put too much or too little on or if you try to get too fancy with plastic bags and smearing etc etc.
 
hey the AS website says you can use goo off to clean the parts, what about Goo Gone? is that the same thing? if not is it useable?
 
Single edge razor blade, bb sized drop, spread very thinly and evenly across the entire heatspreader, use the excess on the blade to "tint" the heatsink mating surface. Works for me. I have tried several ways, as long as you do it even half assed right, it won't matter more than a single degree either way....
 
Not sure what to use to clean it, i have a lot of house hold cleaners goo gone, CLR Windex/Tilex stuff like that but nothing specified on the page any one help me out here?
 
haha i know what it is, hehe im a chem major i just didnt wanna have to leave the house hehe. I used some acetone (unsented nailpolish remover hehe) got from my G/f works like a charm... Up and running on my new ASRock! 4000+...
 
i just use acrticlean or whatever they call it, its a two step process and i ordered it when i got the rest of my pc stuff. The first time i did it, i didnt spread it over the IHS just put a gob in the center about a half grain of rice. When i did a reinstall of my cpu i could see it was kinda caked in the center although it did spread out into an even circle. Now i spread it as even as i can with flexible ruler. I prefer tinting my HS with my finger in a ziplock baggy and wipe using coffee filters.
 
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