thermal paste

[spilot]

i just bought ThermalRight SLK-700, which came with a little paste, which from what i understood from a guy in a store is to "glue the cpu to the heatsink". he also recommended arctic silver 5, but if i wasn't planning on oc'ing, i'll be alright with what it came with" what got me confused is....why that guy was reffering to it as a "glue" since as5 is a grease, without any adhesive qualities...also,

should i go ahead and spend a tenner for the arctic silver, or will i be ok with what came in the package...also,

since i am obsolutely clueless (and don't really rely on a guy's (who's going to come over, and help me to put this machine together, knowledge) lol), would you tell me THE RIGHT WAY to put it all together (whether it's a personal experience, websites...etc...anything helpful)

thanks!

[elroy]

I'm sure what came with the heatsink is a paste and not a glue. The artic silver seems to get the temp down just a few degrees, maybe 3 or 4. So if you're not overclocking I would just use what came with the heatsink. I've put many together with a silicon paste from Radio Shack and it was always ok. Use the paste very sparingly. All you need is a very thin layer, don't goop it on.

[Gomer]

Regular paste will do you fine... it is not "glue" per se.

Just apply a very thin coating to the heatsink and processor (on the die) and put the things together.

Save the 10 dollars.

[spilot]

cool, thanks...do i have to rub things off with some alcohol first, and from what i understand, sandwich bags are the best thing to use to spread the compound?

[Gomer]

Sandwich bag is fine... I'd be wary of alcohol on the processor (just my opinion) but on the heatsink it'll be a fine idea.

[spilot]

also, hopefully the last one on this issue lol

some say i should spread it thin, in order to prevent it from getting all over pcu, almost a see-through layer, but the manufacturer's sites show something like that:

http://arcticsilver.com/images/as2closeup.jpg

who to believe? hahaha

[teengeek88]

if your going to use alcohol, make sure it is a high concentration so water doesnt leak thru the pores of the processor

[JPMiller]

The pic you linked does show a nice thin layer... remember that this is ONLY to fill in any near invisible gaps or valleys to improve thermal connectivity between the two... VERY little is needed, and even when it is less than paper thin... some will squish out the sides...you can safely use alcohol on the CPU... I generally do wipe it off with a little alcohol in case the die was touched to remove any oil or residue...
I use the edge of a credit card or similar to apply to the die and use a little of the excess to rub into the heatsink ...literally rub it in and wipe off excess... you dont want anything more than a "stains" worth on the heatsink.
when attaching simply remeber to apply even pressure and be careful not to let the screwdriver slip and gouge the board...

[Bovon]

That is a good photo..it shows the thermal paste on just the core. For AMD processors that have some electronics out on the ceramic(?) base, Artic Silver will screw up the processor if any gets into any of them.

Artic Silver has a small percentage of silver 'dust' in a mix of some kind of paste. The silver is to help fill in the microscopic "holes" or pits in the heatsink for a better contact...usually for overclocking purposes. I have used Radio Shack thermal paste for a long time with good results..some people say to not use that because it will harden over several years....several years?..good Lord, we change machines every couple of years anyway. I have also disassembled computers after a few years of use, that had Artic Silver applied and it was hard too.

I just use my fingers to apply..(I know I will get some feedback on that one, LOL) but I wash my hands good, first with soap and water, then a paper towel with alcohol is used...no body oils on my fingers... I place a small amount on the core and spread it out thin..then, I use what is now on my finger to apply to the bottom of the heatsink exactly where it will touch the core. I have had excellent results.

[electric]

just did mind, house cleaning ,i notice that after removing
the heatsink on a xp2000+ CPU that the paste went to the side of the chip with little or none right on it

so spreading it out is a waste of time [IMO]

cheers