Thermal pad

[Mirko]

I've installed a coolermaster silent heatsink for my processor (intel p4
2.60c). It has a thermal pad on the base. In a few days (quite probably
friday) , I will get a new cpu (2.80c) and my question is if I need to
remove the original thermal pad and re-install the heatsink using general
silicon paste or simply re-use the original thermal pad.

Thanks in advance.
Mirko - Italy -

 

[Bob Day]

I've installed a coolermaster silent heatsink for my processor (intel p4
2.60c). It has a thermal pad on the base. In a few days (quite probably
friday) , I will get a new cpu (2.80c) and my question is if I need to
remove the original thermal pad and re-install the heatsink using general
silicon paste or simply re-use the original thermal pad.

Scrape off the thermal pad with a credit card or similar,
clean off residue with Goo Gone, cigarette lighter fluid or similar,
wipe down with 91 percent methanol, and, optionally, some
trichlorotrifluoroethane, and, having gone through that effort,
don't use some cheapo thermal paste! I would recommend
Arctic Silver.

-- Bob Day

 

[Mirko]

Scrape off the thermal pad with a credit card or similar,

clean off residue with Goo Gone, cigarette lighter fluid or similar,
wipe down with 91 percent methanol, and, optionally, some
trichlorotrifluoroethane,

!

and, having gone through that effort,

don't use some cheapo thermal paste! I would recommend
Arctic Silver.

Now I have a thermal compound kit of Coolermaster, I think that model is
something like "PTK....
I don't think is cheap, about 10$ for this kit, but I know that Arctic
Silver is the best :-(

Thanks for the excellent answer!
Mirko

 

[kony]

Now I have a thermal compound kit of Coolermaster, I think that model is
something like "PTK....
I don't think is cheap, about 10$ for this kit, but I know that Arctic
Silver is the best :-(

Thanks for the excellent answer!
Mirko

As Bob mentioned, do not reuse the compound already applied to the
heatsink but if you have the Coolermaster compound already you might as
well use it. It may be barely worse than the best compounds, but so long
as you apply it very thinly it should be fine.