CPU thermal interface coating problem.....

[darkcast66]

complete newb... firs ttime building a computer. anyhow, i inserted the CPU on the cpu socket and i placed the heating sink/fan or whatever on top, and i accidently took it off and the thermal interface coating crap (silver colored) was peeled off. some of it got stock on the cpu, while some of it stayed on. anyways, what should i do?

 

[4W4K3]

complete newb... firs ttime building a computer. anyhow, i inserted the CPU on the cpu socket and i placed the heating sink/fan or whatever on top, and i accidently took it off and the thermal interface coating crap (silver colored) was peeled off. some of it got stock on the cpu, while some of it stayed on. anyways, what should i do?

wait so what kind of thermal compound was it? was it a little silver square on the bottom of the heatsink? or is it an actual paste like AS5 you got out of a tube. if it was a square thermal "pad" then i'd trash that sh!t and just get a tube of Arctic Silver 5...it's like the best stuff ever. If what came off was actual paste then use a kleenex/towel and some rubbing alcohol and just wipe it off. Apply a new thin l;ayer and pop it back in. I've coated my CPU in alcohol b4 and it works just fine....so dont worry about frying it. but then again i wouldn't give it a bath either...just in case lol.

 

[darkcast66]

i dont know what kind it was... i think it was a pad.... where could i get this arctic silver stuff? how much is it?? do i need this thermal compound?

 

[Praetor]

You can get this artic silver stuff from almost any online store or a small computer store (big stores dont even know they exist usually), sometimes its a special order but its not that hard to find.

When you do apply the thermal paste, make sure you (a) dont over do it, too much is bad and (b) you clean off all traces of the old stuff

 

[4W4K3]

do i need this thermal compound?

if you want to keep your processor from overheating and dying, yes lol. maybe not that specific brand of compound, but its the best out there i believe and only a couple bucks.

 

[Praetor]

Realistically just about any thermal compound is good (as compared to none) ... im running the stuff that came with my HSF and it runs perfectly good

 

[4W4K3]

Realistically just about any thermal compound is good (as compared to none) ... im running the stuff that came with my HSF and it runs perfectly good

same here. i liked AS5 cuz it was thicker and easier to clean off than this white paste i have now. this tube i use now is really runny and it smears when i try to remove it...uck. not worth driving out of town just for a few grams of AS5 lol. sounds like drugs

 

[Praetor]

Lol the stuff i use normally comes as a bottle+brush so i dont have to worry too much about mess

 

[4W4K3]

Lol the stuff i use normally comes as a bottle+brush so i dont have to worry too much about mess

lol im stuck with kleenex and rubbing alcohol...works pretty good on anything really. but this paste is thick like oatmeal and likes to spread all over the chip...soooo messy.

 

[Praetor]

but this paste is thick like oatmeal and likes to spread all over the chip...soooo messy.

LMAO if you're careful you can use a knife ... it saves me a lot of trouble