athalon 3700+

dreaminginred

dreaminginred

New Member
hey, i got this processor, and im not sure if the heatsink that came with it has any thermal compund on it. tha instructions dont say anything about it, but it does say that all amd processors need "thermal interface material". And if i do need the thermal material stuff, what kind do you recomend, because im really new to all the internal hardware stuff and am building my own pc. thanks alot!!:D
 
The stock AMD heatsinks usually come with a thermal pad on the back of the heatsink, which should be sufficient if your not overclocking. If you're looking for something better, buy some Arctic Silver 5.
 
I have heard several times that once you run the stock heatsink, it becomes like a glue, and the heatsink sticks to the CPU. What I plan on doing is wiping the stuff that comes with it off, using some acetone, and then applying some Arctic Silver 5. This will make it so it doesnt stick, and it gives better thermal conductivity. And yes, the stock HSF does come with it on there.

D
 
Heya,

the stock pre-applied thermal pad from AMD is actually very good. It does become sticky but can be easily removed later. As long as you don't intend to OC, the thermal pad should be more than enough. It does not turn into a glue as has been suggested above. You can remove it later anyway. It's not hard to do so.

JAN :D
 
Thanks for clearing that up, I had just read that some pins had been broken because it stuck. But I dont own mine yet, so I dont know. I think I still might just go with AS5 though.
D
 
Ok

Sure... AS5 is known to be a better solution if you want better heat transfer characteristics. It is possible that it would get stuck but I would doubt that it was the stock AMD type. Anyway, I use the stock HSF with the thermal pad and have some nice temps going for me. I say that either way, the pad or AS5 will both do the same thing but AS5 will do a better job at it :)

JAN :D
 
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All thermal compounds act a little like glue, that's part of what makes them work. Never accept the thermal pad on your heat sink even if you don't intend to overclock, the stuff is simply inferior. Scrape it off with an old credit card, clean both surfaces (CPU and Heat sink) with isopropyl alcohol and then apply arctic silver 5.
 
I agree, using the stock kind of ruined my CPU on my P4. The wax filled in the microscopic valleys, and I could never get it out.

At least thats what I think happened....
 
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