Thermal Grease Used for P4 CPUs 2

[olba11930]

Hello. Would appreciate an insight from anyone who came across the notion of installing a P4 with fan/fins combo (from retail box) without using the Thermal Grease (TG) found in the syringe. Is this a no-no for Socket 423 series and does 478 series has also a TG in package?

The question came up upon receiving a P4 Socket 478 with fan/fins combo and TG syringe was not include, and it is specifically mentioned in the Mobo user's manual to add the TG between the CPU and the fan/fins before using the lock clamps. In case some damage might be encountered, does anyone know from where can I get the needed TG?? Please advise at your convenience. Many thanks in advance.

 

[paparazi]

Yes you definately need it!!!!!
And any good PC parts retailer should have at least normal silicon based thermal grease, or preferably something better like Artic Silver 2.
Radio shack
Tandy
etc Martin Vote if you found this post helpful please!!

 

[olba11930]

Thank you appreciate the reply.

 

[fidleid]

I have seen many cases when users get so involved with the grease that they do not notice that the heatsink is not sitting flat on the cpu and in some cases shims are necessary....I have worked with both greases and see no significant difference between normal heat sink grease and quick silver.

We use regular grease but we have a little cooler that sits along side the computer and blows cold air into the computer thereby pressurizing the box. That way every thing is kept cooler including hard drives and the positive pressure in the box keep dust out. We open up two and three year old units and they look like new inside. We either disable or reverse the power supply fans. We use this method in industrial applications where computers are in a hostile atmosphere. Again, it is only my experience, but I have seen no advantage to the fancier grease.

The grease fills microscopic holes in the surface and makes up for voids formed by deformed heatsinks.

 

[olba11930]

CFID,

Thank you for your additional info re the TG. I was interested in noticing this notion of 'applying this thin film of TG between the CPU and the Fins', and I aware of the fact that it enhances perfect heat transfer for a sink. I needed some info which the Web failed to provide me with what I was looking for. Appreciate you stepping in with 'paparazi'.

One last thing that made me concerned was that due to the excessive heat transferred from CPU to fin/fan combo, for how long will this film be efficient before having a break in its bonding in its molecules (two, three years)?

George

 

[paparazi]

Firstly I think it is important to properly understand what heat transfer paste does and what it doesn't do to properly evaluate the issue.
Although applied as a thin film between the bottom of the heatsink and the CPU, once the two are applied together the paste quickly preads allowing metal to metal contact where the surfaces allow, at the same time filling in the inperfections and machine marks between the surfaces.
Ideally the two surfaces would be so perfectly matched that there would be no need for paste at all, in practice though this is almost impossible to achieve, so even the most highly pollished surfaces appear as mountains and valley's under the microscope.
When these two conductors are brought together tiny air pockets are created, these air pockets are very poor at transfering the heat between there respective surfaces.
Enter! thermal paste! which acts as a filler to expell the air pockets, offering a better medium by which the heat can transfer between the two surfaces.
It must also be noted that thermal paste is NOT as good a heat transfer medium as metal itself but the next best solution given that a perfect surface to surface contact cannot be achieved.
This is why only a small amount of paste is required, just enough to fill the suface voids.
Paste lasts for years, but does tend to go hard with age so my advice would be to re-apply if the heatsink is moved or disturbed in any way. Martin Vote if you found this post helpful please!!

 

[olba11930]

Martin,

Appreciate your well explained notes re the TG. Good job. Thank you again.

George