thermal paste

[petrefax]

as per poll - had a discussion today, what do you lot think??

[Bleek]

A thin layer across the cpu di is the correct way but in all honesty you'd get similar results if you put a thick dob on. Its only the extremes of LOADS and a faint layer that are incorrect appliations.

[Zathras]

Thin layer on the die, scraping it fine using a razor blade or similar. Also a tiny amount on the heatsink and use a plastic bag or other grease-free implement to 'polish' the paste into any imperfections in the heatsink.

[SilentDeath]

niether
melt a tiny amount of solder on heatsink with a bit of flux, get it smooth and sand the solder so theres just enuf, attach cpu with lamp of some kind and stick it in the oven for 30 mins at 190*c (wont kill cpu die while cpu is off, i think?). once its done u should have almost perfect joint, though lead/tin is crap at conducting compared to copper, it should beat pastes (i think?). pastes i think are around 7c/w (i cant read wither my as3 or the other one!) but thats what i remember from when i read it b4, lead has about 30c/w.

i dont know of any metals that might melt lower, though some 1 tells me pure lead will melt at 80 i dont know if i belive him but htat would b better.

currently use thin layer of as3 on core, a stupidly thin layer that takes 30mins to do each time, but it works best. i WILL try the cpu+solder+hs thing some time when i cba, ill use a p166 as a test machine, some 1 else should try it though if they got spares, mine will be a while i cba atm.

[Russ]

^^^

only try if u have a spare:
cou
heatsink
oven

[Stoo]

*blink* Soldering the heatsink to the CPU? That's a silly idea, lead/tin (aka solder) has crappy thermal conductivity properties compared to the modern thermal compounds, not to mention the fact that you'll be suck trying to install the cpu (most heatsinks foul the zif socket handle), and you'll be stuck trying to get them apart again..

Not to mention the fact that you'll probably kill the cpu by heating it up like that anyway.

[Prodigy]

Very thin layer of AS3 on the cpu die. I always use a credit card to smooth it out and make sure it's thin/even. Only takes a couple of minutes to get it right now. If I can be bothered I'll prepare the HS as per the correct method.

[Anders]

I always thought less is more. Isn’t the thermal paste just supposed to fill in all those tiny imperfections on the CPU and HS in order to make a good contact?

[SilentDeath]

Stoo it wouldnt kill the cpu, i think. socket lever woul;d be anooting but could be modded to allow the hs. get them apart y sticking in oven, to melt it and pulling them, apart...

what is as3/ceramic rated at for c/w? lead being 30, copper 390, silver 415? i remember reading 7c/w on my now unreadable as3 tube

[Austin]

Originally posted by Anders
I always thought less is more. Isn’t the thermal paste just supposed to fill in all those tiny imperfections on the CPU and HS in order to make a good contact?

That's my thoughts but as usual opinion varies, Bleek is also on the money.

[Stoo]

Originally posted by |SilentDeath|
Stoo it wouldnt kill the cpu, i think. socket lever woul;d be anooting but could be modded to allow the hs. get them apart y sticking in oven, to melt it and pulling them, apart...

Okay, you're talking about heating the thing up in an oven for 30mins at 190°C to melt the solder?

What about the soldered components and thin traces? Those are going to melt too..

[Slick]

I don't use anything cos I was on a tight budget when I made my comp and it was so hard to put my coolermaster fan on the socket I can't be bothered to detatch it and apply some since. Ah well It's running at 44 degrees now and normally stays under 40 on a cool day.

[Dr. X]

I balgged a few bolbs off CrapshoT when I boought his CPU. A tiny blob on the CPU die, spread it thinly and evenly. After all, it is only to fill in the minute gaps, as Anders said. Nex time I'll experiment with putting a wee bit more on, then spread a tiny bit on the abse of the HS.

[Knoxville]

i always use a thin layer smoothed out with a credit card or something similar.

the solder method could well work though, as the solder used on cpu's will most likely have a much higher melting point than the stuff we get our hands on.

not sure about the thermal conductivity though as i can't remember what as3 is rated to, but some good quality solder should be rated higher than as3 shouldn't it????

[steve threlfall]

thin layer on the heatsink for me tho i wont pretend i knew of these ohter methods

[joshwa]

a thin layer on the heatsink, in the middle (or where it will meet the cpu core), and it's smoothed out with some kind of flat thing, like a ruler end/edge etc. - coz I can't be bothered reaching into my case to try and put it on the cpu core, and i can't be bothered taking the cpu out...