Athlon mounting didn't go so well... 1

[realtree]

I got a new Athlon today. I've never mounted one before, I saw someone do it once, and she made it look eazy. I got home and dropped it in. *!ZIF!* no problem. then I noticed the booklet doesn't even mention anything about the 'silver grease' that it came with - other than the use of thermal grease voids the warranty. So I looked around and I found some pages about it, deciding there's nothing wrong with it and then I put it on. Just when I was about to put the heatsink on, I went to peel the tape off the bottom and realized there was no tape! All the while I'd been handling it as though it were protected. So now I got a thermal square with skin cells all up in it, and a greasy die. I carefully wiped most of the grease off
the die though.

Do I need to take any urgent measures to thoroughly clean off the die? Or is the whole thing shot? And what of the heatsink-fan - Time to make a little helicopter?

 

[dakota81]

Just put a little dab of grease back on the cpu die, and put the heatsink/fan on it, and power up the machine. It'll work.

 

[realtree]

Then what's all this I hear about tiny particles interfering with proper heat transfer? I don't want to void the warranty 'any more' than I already have. I think the warranty's essentially dead anyway, since it wasn't installed by a certified tech.

 

[dakota81]

First, I'm sure your warranty's not voided; second, cpu's are extremely reliable these days, they're not going to be defective unless you do something else to void the warranty, like physically damage the die or overheat the cpu.

And actually, since you've got thermal grease to use, you might as well just scrape the thermal pad off of the heatsink with a flat-head screwdriver or something else. The thermal pad is a poorer solution, but easier to install for those people who don't want to work with grease. And once you scrape off the thermal pad, off goes your skin cells too.

Once you get the heatsink installed, just watch the cpu temperature in your bios. As long as the heatsink is securely on, the temperature will not drastically rise no matter what is between the die & heatsink. If the temps stay below like 60 degrees celcius, you're good.

 

[realtree]

Yeah. That sounds reasonable. And even if the heat does go up, if I'm monitoring it, I can just shut it off before anything happens, and so will the MB. Sounds more in line with everything else I know about computers, them bloody panicky pamphlets. I'll try an hook it up tomorrow. It's a bit late. $200-> $0-> $200

 

[Fishguy]

I think it is also important to note that the thermal 'grease' MUST NOT come into contact with the little thingys on the processor, as that will render it completely unusable. Just a small dab on the processor die will be more than sufficient.

Because of my very vague description of the safe application of thermal 'grease', I have made a nifty picture showing you where not to apply this 'grease'. Here is a link:

http://theunforgiven.gotlag.com/computer_help/thermalgrease.htm

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Fishguy

 

[realtree]

Yeah. At first I thought maybe it's supposed to be all over the thing. But maybe don't cut it. Surprisingly, AMD doesn't make very good documentation.

 

[Fishguy]

Yeah, you're right, AMD is rather vague when it comes to that. It's just something that's important to remember when you are applying the stuff. Believe me, it's no fun trying to return a processor that has been killed in that fashion.
Regardless, I hope that saves you time and trouble.

-----------------------
Fishguy

 

[dakota81]

To clarify the issue of how much to use; in a perfect setup, the cpu die would be in complete 100% contact with the heatsink. The thermal transfer materials actually degrade the thermal conductivity.

However, since the cpu die is not perfect, and the heatsink surface is not perfect, there are very small tiny gaps between the die & heatsink in various places, and the thermal transfer material (grease or pad) is much much much better than air.

The whole point is, the thermal transfer substance is meant to just fill in those minute gaps, thus you ideally want such a small amount spread across the cpu die.


As for on the circuitry, while it is advised to not make contact with the grease & the circuitry, this is not a major concern. Thermal transfer materials are designed to not conduct electricity. BUT, small dust particles or other things that are floating around in the air, can become "stuck" in the thermal grease, and if enough do and can conduct electricity and bridges a gap...

If while applying thermal grease, if some does reach places other that the die, just wipe it off with a paper towel and in all probablility, that will be good enough.

 

[Fishguy]

Well for what it's worth, I once had to return a processor where the thermal compound had come into contact with the circuitry and after much research and such, they determined this to be the cause of the dead cpu.

I could be wrong, but just to air on the side of caution, I strongly advise that you do not allow the thermal compound to come into contact with the circuitry.

-----------------------
Fishguy

 

[paparazi]

The metal particle type paste's ie: Arctic Silver or Alumina do indeed have a low electrical conductivity, so the advice given is sound.
But from my understanding I shouldn't panic too much if you get a little of this paste off die, the risk of damage is very low.
The white silicon based pastes obviously don't conduct at all, so there is practically no risk but correct application is still advised.
I would say if you can see dust particles or contamination of the paste then it is always advisable to clean it off and start again, something like a hair could indeed prevent proper surface to surface contact and degrade the effectiveness of the paste.
Martin


Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.

 

[dazzaboy]

Hi Trefrog,

i think by now you have enough good advice and confidence to fit and run your new CPU. Even if you have some skin 'samples' in the thermal pad, it shouldnt make a difference really. Its only gonna slightly disrupt the heat dissipation a tad anyway.

If in doubt, give it a wipe with a lint free cloth and reapply a smear of thermal grease and that'll do the trick. Don't go too thick with the paste cos it can act as insulator and have the opposite affect.

Have fun!

DaZ

http://www.organizedkhaos.co.uk