Thermal Glue on Processor

[The_OG_Nelta]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115043

I got this Processor, now i have no clue if it already has the thermal glue on it, or do i have to go out and buy it?

If i do go out and buy it, and it turns out that there is already glue on there, and i put more on, will it effect it in any way?

[Ikith]

If you buy thermal goo and you find out theres some on the proc then why not save the goo you bought for some other time?

But otherwise I don't think it would effect it.

[Isiolia]

As it's a Retail version of the CPU, it comes with an OEM heatsink and fan, which most likely has a patch of thermal paste/thermal sticker/something on it out of the box (never seen one that didn't). You shouldn't need to apply more if simply using the stock heatsink/fan/clock speeds/etc.

Thermal paste works best with only a thin layer. Too much will cause temperatures to go up.

In any case, it'd be on the heatsink, not the CPU.

[Dolmen]

With boxed CPUs coming with the stock heatsink, there will always be a thermal pad on the heatsink (like has been said). Personally, I always take that thermal patch off the heatsink (if using a stock one, some heatsinks come with nice stuff for that), and apply some thermal silver/whatever compound. I've seen too many thermal patches burn off/burn through, so the compound works so much better.

[The_OG_Nelta]

What does the Thermal patch look like? Is it the thing under the heatsink? Sorry this is the first time building a computer for me

[Epical]

Personally I've found that taking off any pre-applied thermal paste with some 99% Isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip, and replacing it with AS5 is the way to go. I've seen some pretty shoddy application jobs, so taking the time to do it yourself is well worth the 5 minutes it takes.

[The_OG_Nelta]

where do you usually find the thermal pad or paste?

[Dolmen]

The thermal patch will be on the bottom of the heatsink, the side that will touch the CPU. You can by thermal compound at most anywhere that sells computers (Best Buy, Micro Center, etc...).

Edit: It looks like a ~1x1 square.

[Avanarius]

http://img.tomshardware.com/us/2008/...el_box_tim.jpg
there ya go

[jkim1162]

If you decide to replace the thermal paste on the HSF that comes with the processor, just wipe it off with 99% Isopropyl alcohol as previously mentioned with a coffee filter.

Artic Silver 5, MX-2, TX-2, OCZ freeze are all good replacements.

When you do apply the new thermal paste, just put a tiny bit into the center of the HS, about the half the size of an uncooked grain of rice. Using too much can result in higher temperatures as will using too little. For LGA775 chips, the method mentioned above is enough.

Some thermal paste takes 200 hours to cure, so temperature may be a little above normal. However, if temps are really high, you may need to redo the process.

[Omniyoji]

...about the half the size of an uncooked grain of rice.

Oh damn, really that small?

Why do I see people put gobs of that stuff all the time?

[Isiolia]

Why do I see people put gobs of that stuff all the time?

Because people tend to subscribe to the "moar is bettar" philosophy. There have even been cases large companies having heat problems in their products *cough*Powerbook*cough* because of applying too much thermal compound.

I've had pretty good results with the thermal pads on stock heatsinks, but applying a 3rd party compound will tend to be a bit better. Just more trouble to do.

[mootsfox]

The paste supplied with Intel quads is fine stuff for stock use. I remember fucking around and taking my quad to 3500MHz with the stock heatsink and paste.

You'll be fine, there are instructions included with the CPU, just follow them.

With the last few Intel heatsinks I've used, they require a lot of pressure to click in. Don't be afraid to put 60-70lbs of pressure on the clip when installing it, so long as you are installing it correctly according to the manual.

You don't need aftermarket thermal paste or heatsinks if you aren't overclocking the CPU. So you'll be fine, just do it.

[jkim1162]

The reason for using such a small amount is that the thermal paste is basically used to fill in those microscopic gaps on your CPU and HS. If it wasn't filled in, then you would see higher temperatures due to no contact in certain areas.

You don't want to thick of a layer between the two as the heat would need to travel further to reach the HS in order to be dissapated.

Using a small amount in the center will ensure that you won't have a thick layer and it should be spread out evenly from the pressure of mounting the HSF in.

[jkim1162]

Umm, one warning of advice before you put pressure on the pins, make sure that the two clips of the pins are actually within the hole. I've seen many people mess up their pins by only have one of the clip in the hole and the other still on the motherboard.

[Olo401]

H/T to this thread... I never had to use thermal grease before when building, so on my new machine I kinda went overboard with it and put a big ol' layer of the stuff on. It hasn't caused any problems yet because I don't do any really hardcore gaming and I haven't tried to overclock yet.