Can anyone give me the lowdown on HeatSinks etc?

[guybrush]

Ive been reading up on how to effectively place a HS and fan aswell as how to apply bought thermal paste the best way.. However it firstly seems pretty fiddly for a clumsy git like myself aswell as requiring alot of american named supplies..

So can anyone tell me if this is easy, is it easy to mess it up and what are the best bits of kit you can use (cloths and stuff). Will I also see ample returns on using artic silver 5 on a barton mobile with a ten quid HS/Fan when overclocking it.. Is it worth it as opposed to using the stock thermal stuff that comes with the HS/F?

Thermal pads seem so much easier .

[Mblaster]

Noo, not thermal pads!

It's a little fiddly the first time but if you think you've messed it up then you can just take off the HSF and give it another shot. When i do it I use a credit card (or something similar) to smooth out a thin layer of thermal paste on the cpu core, place the HSF on it trying not to slide it along the CPU and push the clips into place. It's a lot easier when your not using an 800g copper beast such as the SLK-900's

The clips are often very hard to push on, scares me a bit when there's no heat spreader to protect it but i haven't broken one yet

[guybrush]

Yeah, I think my major problem will be making the hs sit while I wedge in the clips, the whole flat heat screwdriver thing is just a little dangerous for my liking, its also prone to causing you to move the hs about and messing up your lovely paste layer

[Stoo]

There's when the wonking great SLK's come in handy, you just tighten the screws, job done

[megah0]

Put masking tape over your precious PCB before mucking around with a screwdriver.

Also Arctic Silver have excellent instructions on their website

[CrapshoT]

Use a cigerette butt to apply the AC.I find it much easier anyway.Easily covers the cpu without getting AC everywhere.....

[iranu]

I use a plastic thing they use to label plants in garden centres to aply the paste. (stolen from me mum). Its thin and shaped into a (upside down) V.

Ensure you put a thin layer of paste on the H/S and the chip before applying H/S.

I also recommend you do the "dodgy screwdriver dance of death" whilst the mobo is out of the case and resting on some cardboard or other good surface. This will be easier than if it's in the case. Most new mobos have an area near the clip free of destroyable things. Patience is a virture. Masking tape is a good idea. Sometimes removing the fan on the H/S helps - usually they just pop off with light pressure from a screwdriver.

[guybrush]

Hmm,
Do you think that its worth the tenner for paste (anyone know where I can get good paste btw) the tenner for a nice hs (which might come with paste maybe?) to attach to a 60quid chip .. is the cooling it gives really gonna be worth it .. I mean if it was massive difference between that and the stock fan it comes with then yes, but if its a few degree s then it probably isnt worth it.

[myth]

I used some... hold on (stops to look for tube).... Here it is, Cooler Master compound made by "ShinEtsu"...



http://www.coolermaster.com/index.ph...itle=+PTK-002+

This stuff... Well it refused to spread! it was extreamly thick! Thicker then the oem stuff!! So thick that it took a credit card to apply!! Even then I knew it had air bobbles, oh and dirt! (fell on floor) I dont recomend!!!!!

EDIT: WOW! I never seen so many angles of a tube before!!! This must be some good stuff!! http://www.coolermaster.com/keyfeatu...ce/htk-002.htm

[Ashen]

www.sidewindercomputers.com is having a sale on Thermalright heatsinks. Currently the ALX 800 and the SLK-948U are being sold together for a mere 39.99 USD which comes out to something like 22.50 quid. That's a steal if there ever was one. The ALX can make a lovely present for a fellow geek and you just saved yourself about 10 bucks on the 948U. You do have do buy a fan as you probably know, but the extra cooling is worth it if you do plan to overclock. Assuming this is your goal, good thermal paste can be the difference between a fragging spree and a critical error/reboot. I reccomend AS ceramique due as it's non conductive and a joy to work with. For application, I tend to use credit cards to ensure a nice, smooth, thin coating to both the heatsink and the processor. All this aside, if you don't plan to overclock, put the damn stock HSF on and don't think twice about any of this.

[guybrush]

I plan to overclock my barton mobile up to 3200, Ive heard you can do that ok with the stock fan but people seem to be divided about that.. its dam tempting to go the stock route tho. Theres some nice artic silver 5 on cpu city for a fiver and from their site it seems you dont have to mess about putting it on teh heatsink just on the die cus its so thick.

[Lee H]

I use that coolermaster stuff in a kit from work that comes with application "stencils" and also a credit card type applicator so it goes on well

[mr_anderson187]

arent u sorta leavin out the fan as well, i think u get an amazing heatsink withthe volcano series of fans buy thermaltake, that coem able to take any 80mm fan, and are really effiect, with control etc pushin 75 cfm out of it, only 13 quid or so for fan and heatsink all in, its really good, the paste they give gives nice cooling, not really sure if its great cos i have nuthin to compare it too, but its gets 5/5 stars with me *****

[Knoxville]

wts wiv teh txt abbvs d00d?

Ain't questioning your advise chap but a few less abbreviations would make that easier to read, maybe i'm weird or somthing but i find them irratating.......


*wanders off to pick on all the other spelling and grammer on the forum*

[megah0]

wts wiv teh txt abbvs d00d?

Ain't questioning your advice chap but a few less abbreviations would make that easier to read, maybe i'm weird or somthing but i find them irratating.......


*wanders off to pick on all the other spelling and grammer on the forum*

[Knoxville]

Goit