Applying Thermal Paste

[Shiranai_Baka]

Guys, I just bought a tube of arctic silver 5 and I need to know how to remove my old paste and put on the new one.. Thanks..

[clocker]

Use alcohol ( medicinal) or a solvent ( I use acetone) to clean the old TIM away.
Go to AS's website to see the recommended method of applying their product.

[Virtualbody1234]

Scape what you can off with your fingernail and then use acetone.

[haha21]

Go here great straight forward videos about the heatsink and applying thermal paste.
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/Techni...%5E6678,00.html (http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_869_4348%5E6678,00.html)

[tesco]

Here is the official guide by arctic silver (http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm).

I'd read it through once or twice before starting so you will know what u need before starting.

Here is how I do it:
1. Remove heatsink.
2. Use lighter fluid to remove the thermal paste from teh heatsink and carefully from the cpu core. (I find it works WAY better than rubbing alcohol).
3. Beucase i am scared of teh lighter fluid igniting I usually do one quick rub with rubbing alcohol just in case.

(remember not to use too much of this stuff, don't want it to run down onto other components)

4. Apply a small amount of thermal paste to the heatsink. About the size of a peice of rice.
5. Pick off a quarter of this rice size peice and put it on the core of the cpu and rub on using a credit card. Apply evenly all over. The layer can be VERY thin, the thicker it is the worse the temps will be. Make sure it covers the whole core.
6. Rub the excess into the heatsink with a rubber glove or lint free rag. Rub it in A LOT. No exess should be on the heatsink. Run it so much that it just sort of tints the heatsunk's bottom to a darker shade of grey (or darker copper color if your's is a copper heatsink).
Then carefully place the heatsink on and clip on the clip, then turn the heatsink a little to rub the paste in. If it won't move don't force it.


Good luck.

[Shiranai_Baka]

A friend told me to use a plastic bag and spread the paste on? is that right?

[tesco]

Originally posted by Shiranai_Baka@12 July 2004 - 17:58
A friend told me to use a plastic bag and spread the paste on? is that right?
ya that works too. (for the heatsink, for the cpu i wouldn't use anything other than a credit card...)

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by Shiranai_Baka@12 July 2004 - 16:58
A friend told me to use a plastic bag and spread the paste on? is that right?
Yes, that's fine. That keeps the oils from your fingers out of the paste. Only apply a thin layer.

Edit: Beaten both times now.

[Shiranai_Baka]

Erm.. Can I use like my school ID card? haha its still plastic =P

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by Shiranai_Baka@12 July 2004 - 17:04
Erm.. Can I use like my school ID card? haha its still plastic =P
Depends on what school and the plastic they use. :P

[tesco]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@12 July 2004 - 18:04
Edit: Beaten both times now.
sorry for doing it one of those times.

@SB, yes that will work fine. I used an airmiles card most of my times, but also used an old bus pass once too (made same way as my student card).

[Super Dude]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234+12 July 2004 - 23:06--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Virtualbody1234 @ 12 July 2004 - 23:06)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Shiranai_Baka@12 July 2004 - 17:04
Erm.. Can I use like my school ID card? haha its still plastic =P
Depends on what school and the plastic they use. :P [/b][/quote]
:lol:

[abu_has_the_power]

one prob with spread it is that there might be air pockets between the cpu and the hsf. putting a dab on the center and letting the hsf spread it itself works too.

[tesco]

Originally posted by abu_has_the_power@13 July 2004 - 01:59
one prob with spread it is that there might be air pockets between the cpu and the hsf. putting a dab on the center and letting the hsf spread it itself works too.
for a P4 that would work.

For an AMD i wouldn&#39;t though becuase you may have too much thermal paste then it spreads over the edges of the core, shorting out the bridges on the actual cpu. It also may not get spread out evenly enough. all of the core of an athlon chip gets hot. on a p4 only the middle of the heatspreader is hot.

besides, if you go as thin as you are supposed to with thermal paste you shouldn&#39;t have any air bubbles.

[abu_has_the_power]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004+13 July 2004 - 02:05--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ROSSCO_2004 @ 13 July 2004 - 02:05)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-abu_has_the_power@13 July 2004 - 01:59
one prob with spread it is that there might be air pockets between the cpu and the hsf. putting a dab on the center and letting the hsf spread it itself works too.
for a P4 that would work.

For an AMD i wouldn&#39;t though becuase you may have too much thermal paste then it spreads over the edges of the core, shorting out the bridges on the actual cpu. It also may not get spread out evenly enough. all of the core of an athlon chip gets hot. on a p4 only the middle of the heatspreader is hot.

besides, if you go as thin as you are supposed to with thermal paste you shouldn&#39;t have any air bubbles. [/b][/quote]
oh yea, thats right. i was talkin bout p4s. the amd cpus have a really tiny core. my bad

[Snee]

Some people use razorblades to spread teh silver.

And the coat is supposed to be so thin as to nearly not be seen.



Tho&#39; I wonder..

[Shiranai_Baka]

omfg really? I just put a thin layer but you can still see the coating... O.o but my temps did drop by 5C

[Snee]

Sounds like you did it right then.

[tesco]

Well, i didn&#39;t notice a diffferene between thick and ultra thin, but kai did. (kaiweiler).

He put a thick coat on and his temps were higher than before. Then he tried an ultra thin layer and his temps dropped way lower than the original.

[lynx]

As long as you don&#39;t go WAY over the top (so that it spreads across the bridges) any excess will get squeezed out anyway.

Here&#39;s how I do it.

Put a small about on the die and spread it around (as everyone else has said). Put the heatsink on, twist it slightly, then fasten the clips. THEN remove the heatsink and check you&#39;ve got a nice rectangular pattern. If not, apply a little more and repeat.

Use a small piece of wood or plastic (I use a cocktail stick) to carefully lift off any excess from around the die and from around the edge of the impression on the heatsink, then put a tiny dab (from the piece of wood/plastic you just used) on the centre of the die. Replace the heatsink giving it that little twist again, then fasten the clips.