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thermal paste question.

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

thermal paste question.

Tue Nov 2, 2010 5:07:09 AM #138965 Perm Link

when i cleaned my computer out a month ago i checked the thermal paste on the cpu. it looked really shiny like you could see yourself in it. my question is what is thermal paste look like when you need to change it? my temps are ok at 58 - 59 when the fan is on.

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2014: Year of change. Joined: August 3, 2001 Status: Offline Posts: 10753 Rep:

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Tue Nov 2, 2010 9:51:13 AM #138997 Perm Link

In response to apemax #138965

If you checked the thermal paste, you should've reapplied it. Anytime you remove a CPU heatsink, it is good to reapply the paste (even spread).

It depends on the type used, but if you could see yourself in it, it might be bare metal!

2014 is going to be a good year. More content, more streamlining. Be a part of history!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Wed Nov 3, 2010 5:00:21 AM #139106 Perm Link

oh right. thanks for the advice. am i right in thinking that the top of the processor (where you apply the thermal paste) should be black with out any thermal paste? so is there any way of finding out if it is bare metal?

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2014: Year of change. Joined: August 3, 2001 Status: Offline Posts: 10753 Rep:

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Wed Nov 3, 2010 9:59:06 AM #139110 Perm Link

In response to apemax #139106

No, it should be shiny. Most CPUs have a IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) that is metal over the die of the CPU.

Take a picture and we'll help you out.

2014 is going to be a good year. More content, more streamlining. Be a part of history!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Thu Nov 4, 2010 5:25:33 AM #139138 Perm Link

oh right. ok then. here's the pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apemax/5145590524/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apemax/5145590582/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/apemax/5145590640/in/photostream/

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2014: Year of change. Joined: August 3, 2001 Status: Offline Posts: 10753 Rep:

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Thu Nov 4, 2010 10:33:39 AM #139147 Perm Link

What you've got there looks like a P3 Coppermine (is it?). Those didn't have an IHS and the heatsink made contact directly with the die of the CPU.

What type of heatsink is that? It must be a proprietary solution. It doesn't look like any thermal paste is on those. Take a good cloth and put some rubbing alcohol on it and wipe it down to see if anything comes off.

2014 is going to be a good year. More content, more streamlining. Be a part of history!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Thu Nov 4, 2010 11:12:11 AM #139149 Perm Link

ah right. i have some arcticlean 1 & 2. would that be ok to use? i'll post a picture of the whole assembly if that would tell you because i don't really know.

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2014: Year of change. Joined: August 3, 2001 Status: Offline Posts: 10753 Rep:

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Thu Nov 4, 2010 11:21:34 AM #139151 Perm Link

Yes, that should work.

2014 is going to be a good year. More content, more streamlining. Be a part of history!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Thu Nov 4, 2010 12:46:28 PM #139155 Perm Link

ok so should i do this to the heatsink as well as the CPU or just the heatsink?

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2014: Year of change. Joined: August 3, 2001 Status: Offline Posts: 10753 Rep:

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Thu Nov 4, 2010 1:07:29 PM #139156 Perm Link

To clean? Both.

Then apply the paste to the CPU/

2014 is going to be a good year. More content, more streamlining. Be a part of history!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Fri Nov 5, 2010 6:16:46 AM #139167 Perm Link

ok so i cleaned both the CPU and heatsink. a bit of black stuff came of the heatsink and nothing much at all came of the CPU. applied some arctic silver 5 to the CPU (and made a bit of a mess in the process.) and it seems to have worked and everything seems to be running normally.

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Retro Grade Joined: August 16, 2003 Status: Offline Posts: 2958 Rep:

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Fri Nov 5, 2010 10:36:19 AM #139170 Perm Link

Power cycle the computer. It will help cure the AS5 and it will tell you if the paste was applied correctly.

Michael: Jodie, how's my schedule look for today?
Jodie: You've got a conference and dinner party at the Japanese Embassy regarding wildlife protection.
Michael: Oh, yeah...sorry, but I'll have to cancel that. I'm heading out to save America!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Fri Nov 5, 2010 1:12:32 PM #139176 Perm Link

ok just power cycled the computer and everything seems to be ok.

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Mon Nov 8, 2010 8:29:17 AM #139300 Perm Link

well it's been a few days since i did it now and under full CPU usage (when the fan is on) it's going 2C - 4C higher. also before it got to about 66C - 67C before the fan came on. now it gets to about 69C. is this normal or have i do something wrong?

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Retro Grade Joined: August 16, 2003 Status: Offline Posts: 2958 Rep:

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Mon Nov 8, 2010 10:37:05 AM #139301 Perm Link

Arctic Silver 5 takes a while to get to optimum cooling.
Alternatively, it is possible that you made a mistake when applying the paste (for example, too much).

On the other hand, unless I'm reading the second part incorrectly, it sounds like the CPU is getting hotter than it used to before the fan comes on? If so, this may actually a good thing, because it means the CPU is able to transfer more heat to the heat sink before the fan comes on (if there was a problem with the paste, the fan would usually come on earlier at a lower temperature because the CPU would get hot but not be able to transfer the heat).

In any case, give it another week to see what's what, I say.

Edited at Mon Nov 8, 2010 10:47:37 AM

Michael: Jodie, how's my schedule look for today?
Jodie: You've got a conference and dinner party at the Japanese Embassy regarding wildlife protection.
Michael: Oh, yeah...sorry, but I'll have to cancel that. I'm heading out to save America!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Mon Nov 8, 2010 11:05:07 AM #139303 Perm Link

ah ok then. yes it is getting a bit hotter before the fan comes on than before. i'll give it another week and see like you said. thanks.

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Fri Nov 19, 2010 1:23:27 PM #140220 Perm Link

well it's been over a week and at full cpu load it's about 59C. the fan comes on at 67C - 69C.

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Retro Grade Joined: August 16, 2003 Status: Offline Posts: 2958 Rep:

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Fri Nov 19, 2010 1:45:47 PM #140221 Perm Link

At load is the CPU running hotter than it was before?

Michael: Jodie, how's my schedule look for today?
Jodie: You've got a conference and dinner party at the Japanese Embassy regarding wildlife protection.
Michael: Oh, yeah...sorry, but I'll have to cancel that. I'm heading out to save America!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:21:54 AM #140255 Perm Link

no it seems to be running 2C - 3C cooler than before.

Edited at Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:52:14 AM

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2014: Year of change. Joined: August 3, 2001 Status: Offline Posts: 10753 Rep:

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Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:03:31 PM #140281 Perm Link

In response to apemax #140255

That's good. Looks like the new paste is working.

2014 is going to be a good year. More content, more streamlining. Be a part of history!

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apemax Joined: September 23, 2010 Status: Offline Posts: 31 Rep:

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Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:34:06 AM #140434 Perm Link

ok then. glad to know i didn't do anything wrong. thanks for all your help. Smile

Smile

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