Cooling gel?

Discussion in 'Cases, Modding and Gallery' started by beretta9m2f, Apr 4, 2004.

  1. beretta9m2f

    beretta9m2f Karate-Chop Action Gabe

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    I never put any cooling gel on my processor. My buddy says that i should applly some on there. Right now my mobo detects my cpu temp at 30 C. and when i play games its about 50C. how much of a difference would the gel make? I have a well ventilated chasis with 4 fans. 2 intake and 2 outtake. OH and what is a good range to keep my cpu temp at. any comments would be appreciated. :good:
     
  2. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    Thermal paste should be applied in a thin layer, not a big glob. 30*C is a great temp, and many stock heatsinks have a thermal pad. However, if you remove the heatsink, you'll need to scrape what's left of that pad off and apply some thermal paste there. Arctic Silver is considered to be the best you can buy.
    You should notice a few degree drop in temps if you put on some Arctic Silver. There is a very, very slight chance of electrical conductivity here, so keep it on the CPU core only (for Athlon XP's and Duron's).
     
  3. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    I agree with B, scrape that crap off your 'sync and replace it with some Arctic Silver. The purpose of the thermal grease is to fill in the tiny grooves that hold pockets of air between the heatsync and CPU, so make it a thin layer. I usually use a guitar pick to spread the stuff, but the clean edge of a credit card or your girlfriend's makeup utensils will do just fine.
     
  4. beretta9m2f

    beretta9m2f Karate-Chop Action Gabe

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    So far so good

    I don't know how much is a "thin layer" so i just put a small dab and spread it around, luckily the heatsink already had some kind of crap on it to give me an idea of how far i should spread it. my temp when not gaming is about 21*C. Is this arctic silver stuff any good for graphix cards? i have an MSI geforce Fx 5950 ultra, would there be any instructions to apply it on that card? thx again. :D
     
  5. FishyWishy

    FishyWishy Geek Trainee

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    hey i was told that the arctic silver is an adhesive and that if ya put it on once ya cant take the fan and heatsink off .. true? or do my mates lie to me to much?
     
  6. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    There's arctic silver, and then there's the arctic silver 2-part epoxy. The epoxy is adhesive. Normal AS can be slightly adhesive, but it's not permanent. It also is in one tube. I'm guessing your pals got the Arctic Silver thermal paste and the thermal epoxy mixed up.
     
  7. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    Yes, AS-3 or better are very good for graphics cards (earlier versions of Arctic Silver tended to run a bit when the got heated up to 75*C). Same principles apply:

    1) Carefully remove the 'sync
    2) Thoroughly remove all the existing thermal crap. Acitone and Q-Tips will greatly help with this process (once again, consult your girlfriend's makeup stuff)
    3) Apply a BB-sized glob of AS, and spread it evenly on the core of the GPU
    4) Reattach the 'sync, making sure it makes good contact. I usually add higher-tension springs to the 'sync in order to make heat transfer even more efficient.
    5) Finally, the fun part: Play a game with hardcore graphics and break in your new thermal adhesive! :)
     
  8. beretta9m2f

    beretta9m2f Karate-Chop Action Gabe

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    thanx!

    thanx for the graphx card part, i'll be doing that this weekend, b/c college is draining my life! I hope it isn't too hard to remove the sync. It doesn't look very complicated, nevertheless it was an expensive card so i don't wanna ruin it....or its gonna force me to buy a new one..hmm maybe an ATI this time..... :good:
     
  9. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    Depends on the heatsink. If it's held down by push-pins, that's pretty easy to work around with pretty minimal risk. If I remember right, that MSI card should have a cooling mechanism that does use the pins.
     
  10. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    You're right, that card's cooling accessories are held on by brass pins. It's very easy to take apart. Just make sure you don't accidentally gouge your PCB with pliers when you remove the pins! :eek:
     

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