How Do You Apply Thermal Grease

[ClayMeow]

How do you people put your AS5/Ceramique (or favorite alternative) on a cpu with an IHS (processor lid)?

 

Do you just place a pea-sized amount in the center and allow the pressure of the heatsink to spread it?

 

Do you apply a thin layer to the bottom of the heatsink (using a credit card to smear it, or whatever) so you know that you covered the area that makes contact?

 

Or is there some other method I don't know about?

 

Before the IHS-days, I used to just take a credit card and smear a thin layer across the core instead of the suggested "pea-sized amount in the center" method because I never trusted that it'd truly spread it across the whole thing.

 

So what should I do? (this is for opterons, btw...if that matters...I'm just using the stock AMD hsf's...I haven't checked what's on the bottom of them, but i was gonna clean it off and use AS5).

 

Thanks

 

PS. answer my other thread while you're at it

http://forums.overclockersclub.com/Memory_...ion-t62525.html

[SMeeD]

I put some on the HS and smear it around then rub it off, then I put a pea sized amount on the IHS and spread it around with my finger in a plastic bag. Its seemed to work so far.

[BrewMeister2010]

The first time I used it, I did what everyone told me and put a dab about the size of a grain of rice on it. That only spread out to about the size of a dime and didn't help my temps at all.

 

The next time, I placed more on the IHS and spread it around with a piece of plastic. Much better temp results, although I also switched to a xp-90c.

 

This last time I "tinted" the heat sink by placing a dab on the heat sink and spreading it with some plastic. Then I put a pea sized dab on the IHS and let compression do the rest. The got me another 2-3C drop in temps.

[ClayMeow]

okay, so it seems both of you suggest this so-called "tinting" of the heatsink? Is that to make sure it gets in all the little nooks and crannies? I guess I'll try that method. It's not like I'll be OCing these, but I just want to make sure they at least don't burn out .

 

Edit: hmmm. on the bottom of the heatsinks is a very thin layer of thermal paste, not a thermal pad, so I'm thinking of just using it the way it came and save my as5 for a rainy day. If temps are bad, then I'll just take it off and redo it with as5, but no sense fussing with it if I don't need to.

 

Thanks for your help anyways though, as it'll be useful information for the future

Edited December 27, 2005 by ClayMeow

[romeo55]

About the size of a grain of rice on My p4s, and the sie of a pea on my a64s... I use a plastic bag and smear it around first... I made the mistake of just slapping it on the cpu without looking and caused me to fry a mobo/cpu.... Dang artic silver

 

kids, remember artic silver IS slightly cunductive...

[dean25]

I put on my as5 by blobbing a blob on then spreading it out with the syrynge.

[Uber]

i put a blob thats a little bit bigger than a grane of rice in the middle, then kinda spread it out a little, so that it is the size of about 3/4 of a dime, spread over the center of the IHS. then flap on your IHS give it light pressure and wiggle it around in a circular motion a bit, then clamp it down and away you go.

[ClayMeow]

About the size of a grain of rice on My p4s, and the sie of a pea on my a64s... I use a plastic bag and smear it around first... I made the mistake of just slapping it on the cpu without looking and caused me to fry a mobo/cpu.... Dang artic silver

 

kids, remember artic silver IS slightly cunductive...

606074[/snapback]

lol, doh! that's why at home, I have Ceramique (non-conductive...to avoid those "oops" moments ).

 

I find it interesting that nobody seems to follow artic's instructions though. heh. That's alright, I never have either

 

Well, since the plastic protecting the bottom of the heatsink and thermal paste was on there so dang tight, I figured it was probably well sealed, so I just left that stuff on there. Should have taken a picture to show you guys, but I forgot . It was a large square, seemingly the exact size as the processor lid (which would make sense since it's AMD's official heatsink, heh).

[ady1989]

exactly what Uber said, just make sure to not take your heatsink off once you clamp it down, or youll have to redo the whole precess because of air bubbles. this might help too: http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

[r_target]

A little dab in the center, between the size of rice grain and the size of a pea. It's always coated properly when I pull the heatsink.

[ccokeman]

Same here.

[Guest Raven65]

Holy shmoly, I was doing it right woo hoo!