[ac3knight]

Three Step Guide to better Thermal Conductivity

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IT is important understand that the layout of the cores for Core2Duo and Core2Quads are different, hence they necessitate different ways of applying thermal paste.

For this guide, I recommend thermal pastes that are packaged in the form of a syringe.

Examples include:- AC MX-2, Tuniq TX-2, etc...
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[Step #1 - Thermal paste application on 3rd party H.D.T Direct-touch Heatsink]
* if your heatsink is the standard flat base-plate model, then skip this Step and proceed to Step 2.



Directions:-
1. Shown above is an example of the base of a standard 3-heatpipe H.D.T design Heatsink (Xigmatek 1283). (yours might have 4 exposed pipes, etc..)
2. Apply thermal paste by gently injecting the syringe along the grooves in between the copper and aluminium parts. (not the 4 yellow dots but the 4 strips of grooves in between the exposed copper!)
3. Use a flexible card (name card, playing cards, etc) to spread of the paste evenly and ensure the grooves in between are filled properly.
4. Clean off the excess paste on the exposed copper areas and it should resemble the picture above.
5. I would personally put 4 THIN-LAYERED drops at the yellow spots as shown above, to ensure corner coverage after the heatsink is mounted.

Rationale:-
- This step has to be used in combination with Step 2 below, where Thermal Paste is also applied directly to processor's heatspreader.

- Filling in the grooves will allow the Thermal Paste that has been applied on the processor's heatspreader to spread out to the edges of the processor after the Heatsink is mounted.

- If Step 1 is not performed for a H.D.T design Heatsink (leaving the grooves empty) and the Thermal paste is applied only on the processor, more paste will get stuck in the grooves after the H.D.T Heatsink is mounted, impeding the flow of the paste to the edges of the processor.


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[Step #2 - Thermal paste application on Processor Heatspreader]
* identify the correct direction via the triangular-marking in the corner.

Core2Quad and Core2Duo:


Core i7:


Directions:-
1. Apply a strip/layer of medium-thickness Thermal Paste as shown above for the respective model of your processor.

Rationale:-
- Applying Thermal Paste in this manner ensures that the paste will spread properly over the cores under the Heatspreader with maximum contact.

- DO NOT SPREAD THE THERMAL PASTE FLAT/EVENLY OVER THE PROCESSOR. If you have a Heatsink with an uneven base or with grooves such as the H.D.T model above, spreading the thermal paste flat/evenly over the processor might leave spaces in between the uneven surface/grooves of the Heatsink and the Processor's Heatspreader when mounted.

- Applying Thermal Paste as shown above will ensure that the paste will flow into the uneven spaces or grooves, in order to provide a medium for thermal conductivity between the Heatsink and Heatspreader over the CPU's cores.


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[Step #3 - Mounting direction of a H.D.T Heatsink]



Common Dilemma:
Many Heatsinks can either be mounted Vertically or Horizontally.
A common question asked is, "What direction should the Heatinksink be mounted?"

Type of Heatsink:
1. Standard flat base-plate Heatsinks
- Regardless of the CPU Model, if you are using a flat base-plate Heatsink it is recommended to mount your heatsink Vertically, facing the rear exhaust.

2. H.D.T exposed Direct Touch Heatsinks
- The mounting direction for H.D.T Heatsinks depends on the CPU Model.
- If it is a Core2Quad, the Heatsink should be mounted Vertically as this will enable the exposed heatpipe strip in the middle to be in complete contact over the cores in the Processor.
- If it is a Core2Duo or Core i7, it should be ideally mounted Horizontally due to the layout of the cores in the processor.


[End of Guide] - Happy mounting and getting your hands dirty!

[adrianlee]

How TIM Works & How To Apply It Correctly

Quote:

A desktop CPU gives off a ridiculous amount of heat - up to 130W - in a small and very concentrated area, which is why we use a cooler to dissipate heat inside the case. The problem is that the cooler removes that heat via conduction.

Easy, you might think; stick the smooth surface of the CPU against the smooth base of the heatsink, and you're away. However, even though both surfaces appear smooth, a microscope would reveal a hideous terrain of pits, grooves and undulations.

Where these abrasions occur, the two surfaces aren't making full contact with one another and therefore leave a pocket of air between them. As air is a poor conductor of heat, the effective contact area is reduced and these pockets of air are enough to prevent your cooler from working efficiently. TIM fills these tiny gaps to improve heat transfer.

Source: Bit-tech

[ac3knight]

adrianlee wrote:

How TIM Works & How To Apply It Correctly

Source: Bit-tech

nice illustrations on the first page there

but it uses the flat/even spread method, might not work for HDT Heatsinks that have deeper grooves

[YoriToshi]

Do the standard heatsinks + fans provide sufficient cooling?

Cos when i touch my heatsink.. like not much heat leh

[ac3knight]

YoriToshi wrote:

Do the standard heatsinks + fans provide sufficient cooling?

Cos when i touch my heatsink.. like not much heat leh

yes they do, that's why they r sold together with retail processors!

however if you overclock (especially if it involves voltage increases), you should get a 3rd-party heatsink that generally also provides a better fan if its included

[YoriToshi]

ac3knight wrote:

yes they do, that's why they r sold together with retail processors!

however if you overclock (especially if it involves voltage increases), you should get a 3rd-party heatsink that generally also provides a better fan if its included

thanks for answering

im not trying to hijack... but my 8800gt by leadtek has a puny fan... think its good enough?

[ac3knight]

YoriToshi wrote:

thanks for answering

im not trying to hijack... but my 8800gt by leadtek has a puny fan... think its good enough?

yes it is good enough, you should worry only when artifacts begin to appear when u run 3D games or applications and your entire system hangs or crashes

[FattyTW]

thanks, this is a great guide to me, i am using Xigmatek, keke! anyway dual core also refers to core 2 duo right?

[YoriToshi]

ac3knight wrote:

yes it is good enough, you should worry only when artifacts begin to appear when u run 3D games or applications and your entire system hangs or crashes

artifacts appear?

and yes my computer has "frozen" up a LOT of time already. mouse non-responsive, keys dont work, sound jams up.. needs a push of the reset button and after that my motherboard will beep 1 long3short.. which means no vga detected

[ac3knight]

nope, Intel Dual Core might refer to the Pentium D series:

[ISS]

nice guide!!!

[ac3knight]

YoriToshi wrote:

artifacts appear?

and yes my computer has "frozen" up a LOT of time already. mouse non-responsive, keys dont work, sound jams up.. needs a push of the reset button and after that my motherboard will beep 1 long3short.. which means no vga detected

hmm hard to tell what's going on lol..

anyway graphic artifacts look like this : http://deluxeforums.hardwarezone.com...ight=artifacts

[zhehao]

If i were to use the v8 stock coolermaster paste vs the mx-2,the difference very big anot ar?

[zero7090]

Quote:

If i were to use the v8 stock coolermaster paste vs the mx-2,the difference very big anot ar?

it will drop 2-3 degree

[YoriToshi]

ac3knight wrote:

hmm hard to tell what's going on lol..

anyway graphic artifacts look like this : http://deluxeforums.hardwarezone.com...ight=artifacts

haha nvm.. thanks tho

nice guide too +karma