Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (
More info?)
Cuzman wrote:
> "Alex Andra" <bogus@nowhere.net> wrote in message
> news:ToadnYgB19y8903dRVn-uw@comcast.com...
>
> " AMD's web site recommends you use their thermal pad. "
>
>
> Do you remember that line in 'Fight Club' ? *A new car built by my company
> leaves somewhere travelling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The
> car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate
> a recall? You take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the
> probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court
> settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a
> recall, we don't do one.*
>
> AMD will always 'recommend' thermal pads for their own business reasons.
> Temperatures will be higher with thermal pads, but there is much less room
> for application error. AMD's position probably stands like this:
>
> A CPU made by our company runs cooler with thermal paste. However, the
> potential for ruining the warrantied CPU is greater than with a thermal pad,
> as a number of retards will apply the whole sachet of thermal paste. You
> take the number of CPUs in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of
> replacement, B, multiply by the average replacement cost, C. A times B
> times C equals X. If the cost of X is greater for CPUs with thermal paste
> than for CPUs with thermal pads, we don't advise thermal paste.
>
>
>
That's an interesting theory but it doesn't explain why computer
manufacturers, with their trained personnel, as opposed to 'retards', use
thermal pads.