Thermal Paste

[sir-understeer]

So my motherboard and memory got here today, and it is taking everything in me to not immediately put together the new PC.

Here is the reason:

I want to get the best thermal paste I can on the CPU before I put everything together.

Here's what I found:

Newegg.com - MASSCOOL G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Interface Material - Retail

It is supposedly the best stuff on the market if you're going the air-cooled route, which I am.

People say you only need a thin layer of this stuff on the CPU and it goes a long way, which is awesome cause in the future when I get some more money, I plan on adding the monster Zalman CPU fan/heatsink so I can OC the CPU a little bit, and when I do I'll have to reapply the compound.

Anyway, do I definitely need this stuff to run my CPU? Or is it just like a luxury item, and not a necessity?

I have the OEM heat sink and fan for my AMD Athlon 64 3200+ chip, so it's not like it is not going to be cooled down at all, and so far, the only game I play is CS:S, so I doubt I'll be loading the chip up very much?

I'd like to be playing on this rig by this weekend if at all possible, but I don't want to do that if the paste needs to go on there, as I don't really feel like taking everything out and re-doing everything in the matter of days.

So yeah, any input is welcomed.

Thanks!

[fallen1]

I've read a couple of different comparisons between various types of thermal paste, and from what I've seen it doesn't seem to really matter (performance wise) which thermal paste you use as long as you use some form of thermal paste. That being said, you always want to use some form of thermal interface, and I've found that higher quality ones tend to last longer.

With thermal paste you only need a paper-thin layer for it to do its job. Essentially what it does is fill in the tiny imperfections on the heat spreader and the heat sink so that they make better contact and can transfer heat away more efficiently. If you don't use some form of thermal interface (paste, pad, adhesive, etc) you basically end up with tiny pockets of air in the microscopic pits and groves on the heatspreader and heatsink.

If you really want the most efficient air-cooling you can get from your parts, you could try lapping the heat spreader and heatsink. To do that, get a couple sheets of very fine sandpaper (1000, 1200, and 1500 or 2000 grit) and a flat piece of glass. Starting with the lowest grit, lay it on the glass and then gently slide the heatspreader and heatsink back and forth over it for a minute or two, then move up to the next grit. By laying the sandpaper on the sheet of glass you ensure you have a flat work surface so that you don't accidentally sand the heatsinks unevenly.

[ikillnothing]

i dont think lapping will help that much a good thermal compound like AS5 which is what i use and a really good cpu heatsink. I use a tuniq tower 120 for oc'ing and i have a custom northbridge cooler HR-05 with as5 added. i have an E6600 in and i get 3.4ghz on this cooler and its prime stable for 18 hours. if i lapped my cpu it would void my warranty so im going to lap my cooler make it look like a mirror.

[sir-understeer]

Lapping's only really needed if you don't plan on using the thermal compound.

Lapping is making sure something is 100% smooth and flat, so if it's 100% smooth and flat on 2 mating surfaces, you don't need anything in between for them to make 100% contact.

The point of the thermal paste is so that it helps the 2 mating surface make a tighter seal, helping it towards the 100% contact goal.

As a matter of fact, the compound that I have posted, were rated by many different people as being better than AS5, because it is non-conductive and lasts longer.

I'm going to place my order through Newegg now. Next week it should be in and the desktop should be put together.

Then I'll just need to figure out the OS issue... Fallen, I'll PM you w/ a question about OS in a sec.

[fallen1]

Arctic Silver 5 is good stuff I've used it in several builds and upgrades, and never had a problem with it.

I keep an old, expired AAA card in my tool box and use the edge of it to spread the AS5. This way I can get a nice even application without worrying about either oils from my fingers or fibers from a piece of cardboard or business card getting in the thermal paste.