Thermal compound setting time?

[Omnirizon]

hi all,

I'm doing my first homebuild! luck of luck, my retention module bracket broke as I was trying to install the heatsink, now I have to wait a week to get another

I've already applied the thermal compound, what's more, I've never done this before and didn't know how much to use; I used a whole 3.5g tube! OK I didn't really know how much to put on, and the instructions don't really provide any comparison metric (like, "this tube should to about 15 CPUs"); additionally, the heatsink instructions said to use "twice as much as normal" (again, without a comparison metric this didn't really mean much, but did make me think to use lots). I didn't find out till recently how much a tube is supposed to cover.

to be fair to myself, most of that didn't go onto the cpu, but various household objects that attempted to spread it with. I tried: butterknife, spoon, small peice of plastic, finally realizing a business card is the perfect applicator. Each new object consumed quite a bit of the stuff. Additionally, the heatsink was a ah heck, and it didn't feel right having to apply so much force. I stopped multiple times, took the thing off inspected it and the board and reevaluated my procedure, checked the instructions, looked online for help, etc. Each time more thermal compound came off, and I felt obliged to reapply some.

Anyway, to the point, will the compound already on the processor be usable a week from now? Should I just go ahead and remove it and reapply fresh stuff? If I should remove it, how should I do this? Is alcohol a good idea? I read it was safe for electronics.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Remove the existing thermal compound. Clean the cpu and heatsink.

What brand thermal compound did you use?
Which cpu heatsink do you have?

 

[Omnirizon]

CPU is AMD Phenom II 720
HS is Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer

the thermal compound is tuniq tx-2, which came with the heatsink.

will alcohol do the trick of removing it?

EDIT:
Also: I've removed the old retention bracket already. How does that backplate fit in there, will it remain in place with the bracket off as long as I don't shift the mobo around? How do I know it is in place? I'm assuming it is what the bracket screws into, so if it wasn't there, the bracket would screw in anyway. Is this right?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Have you read the instructions that come with your heatsink? The backplate fits on the back of the motherboard under the cpu.

 

[Omnirizon]

Have you read the instructions that come with your heatsink? The backplate fits on the back of the motherboard under the cpu.

that's why I'm asking if it has fallen away from the mother board since I removed the bracket.

I would have simply assumed you would think I would have the knowledge that teh backplate is on the _back_ of the motherboard, where I can't see it, and thus get the jist of my question.

this is my first build, but I'm not a complete idiot

EDIT:
also, there was a missing "'nt" on the "would" (should have been would'nt) in my previous post. I'm stating that if the backplate had fallen away or shifted, the retention module would'nt even be able to screw in at all. Is this correct?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Misunderstanding. I guess it's a matter of interpretation. The way your second post was written I began to wonder if perhaps you were asking how the backplate is supposed to fit in the place where the retention bracket had previously been. I am a senior citizen and I am growing old disgracefully. I find it extremely easy to get things mixed up.

Yes, you can use alcohol to clean the heatsink and cpu.

Yes, if the backplate is not properly aligned, then the retention module cannot be screwed to the backplate. Sometimes it's like a juggling act.

 

[jsc]

HDT style cooler application suggestions:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1

 

[Omnirizon]

OK. thank you very much. sorry if I seemed snappy in response. It's been a stressful week already, and while opening the box of goodies for the first time was pure euphoria, the issue with the bracket was a complete buzzkill.

I used 99% isopropyl and some cone-style coffee filters and was able to get virtually every last bit off. There was a ton of expulsion that creeped over the sides and between the pipes of the heatsink, but the cone filters are kind of a stiff material and were perfect for getting up in the corners.

the CPU has a mark in each of its corners (a little curved line), apparently from where the heatsink was pressing on it. The heatsink has a single long scratch across the side of it which I was attempting to latch down. This was apparently caused by the CPU edge, but the CPU shows no signs of wear at all (apparently its a harder metal?).

The scratch being on the side I'm attempting to latch down puzzles me. Is it normal? I guessing it means I stared with the heatsink unit seated on top and then was leaning it towards the side I was attempting to latch down. I recall feeling that I _had_ to lean it over to get the latch where it could possibly be pushed down and around the hold. Is that normal or is me technique all wrong here? Will that damage my CPU/mobo?

 

[Omnirizon]

thank you for the very helpful post, jsc. After reading that article I'm thinking the bracket breaking was a blessing in disguise; had it not broke I'd have 10 times the proper amount of compound on the CPU, and it could of ran all over the place (possibly into the socket) once it started to heat up.

Also, I'm taking this time while waiting for replacements to lap my HS and CPU. I've started with the heatsink to get the feeling for it with something that isn't so fragile.