It's not a major problem.
It sounds like what you've done is tear the thermal interface material.
It's
not thermal paste, but it serves the same purpose.
I doubt that it can be safely re-used.
What I suggest is (carefully) scraping off the material from the heatsink
with a single-edged razor blade. It may be helpful to remove the CPU from
the socket to remove any TIM from that, also. (See your mainboard manual
for
instructions on inserting the CPU in the socket. You may also want to take
precautions about electrostatic discharge, which could damage your CPU or
mainboard.) You might use a solvent to remove any traces of the TIM from
the
heatsink and CPU.
Applying thermal grease (also known as heatsink compound) isn't difficult.
Here are some instructions from one maker:
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina_instructions.htm
(In my opinion, these instructions would only be followed exactly by
compulsive people. For example: I seem to have gotten away with using
mineral spirits [paint thinner] rather than pure isoprpyl alcohol as a
cleaner. However, it's best to err on the side of caution.)
Some things to remember:
The same maker provides Arctic Silver. I've not used it. It is probably
good
stuff, but it can make problems in some circumstances, as it isn't a
dielectric (insulator). I doubt that it's a problem with an Intel CPU, but
I
vaguely recall that AMD may not recommend it.
Heat sink compound works best when it is thin. It has a much lower thermal
conductivity than metal. (It is used because it has a much higher thermal
conductivity than air, so it improves heat conduction when used to fill
small gaps.) I believe that thermal interface material is supplied with
retail Intel heatsinks because it is easier to apply. TIM is intended for
one-time, use, though.
If a "Prescott" P4 (E suffix) is similar to a "Northwood" P4 (all the P4s
I've used so far), it has a built-in metal heat spreader (a metal plate
that
sits on top of the CPU), so it's not as fragile as the chips that are more
nearly exposed silicon.
Lately, I've used Arctic Alumina. I'm not sure that it is significantly
better than the traditional heat sink compound that could be had at Radio
Shack for about $2. (Arctic Alumina is aluminum oxide in an unspecified
base. The Radio Shack stuff is zinc oxide in a silicone grease.) A small
tube of heat sink compound is good for more than a few applications.
In short, you haven't "royally messed things up". With a bit of work and a
little care, your heatsink/fan combination will probably work a little
better with heat sink compound than with the TIM provided by Intel. If you
ever wish to remove the heatsink again, it'll be a lot easier to clean up
than the TIM.
Good luck.
Bob Knowlden
Address may be altered. Replace nkbob with bobkn.
Eric White said:
Hi,
I am building my first computer and due to my inexperience have the
following problem. I purchased a p4 2.8E and fastened it to the mobo
socket. On top I placed the heat sink followed by the fan and closed the
clamps. Unfortunately, the fan cable could not reach the power pins for the
CPU fan so I unfastened the fan and heat sink to rotate 180 degrees. It is
then that I noticed a gray adhesive (thermal paste?) that had partly peeled
off from the heat sink onto the top of the CPU. Have I royally messed
things up or is there some way to fix? Any guidance would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Eric
