CPU / Heatsink Lapping : Shopping List

[Witt78]

I am building a new PC at the moment. Tomorrow, UPS will drop off my latest shipment of parts. These parts include a Zalman 9700 LED Heatsink, Arctic Silver 5 Compound, and some cleaner/purifier solution.

I understand that the Zalman 9700 LED Heatsink is no longer the best heatsink out there. However, it's pretty and has cool blue lights on it!

So the plan is to give it some help by lapping my CPU Chip and Heatsink. (Q9450 Quad Core)

Anybody have any suggestions on where I should look to buy the sandpaper I'll need?

I'm looking for 600 Grit, 800 Grit, 1000 Grit, 1500 Grit, and 2000 Grit paper.

Don't know if I can find this stuff at the hardware store, auto parts store, perhaps the Ma-And-Pa computer builders store up the street?

Let me know if you guys have any suggestions. I'd like to simply go buy it somewhere, so I don't have to wait a couple days for the stuff to ship.

- Witt

 

[orangegator]

Any descent hardware store or auto parts store should have what you need. I'd start with either 200 or 400 grit and stop at 1000. Using higher won't help with temps. Also, start by only lapping your heatsink. Don't lapp the cpu. It voids the warranty, could damage it, and will only improve temps by a couple degrees. After you have your system up and running and confirm that everything is working, then maybe think about lapping the cpu. But you shouldn't need to. It'll only help with extreme overclocks. And if that is what you are shooting for, then you should have gotten a true120 or good wc.

 

[Witt78]

stop at 1000. Using higher won't help with temps. Also, start by only lapping your heatsink. Don't lapp the cpu. It voids the warranty, could damage it, and will only improve temps by a couple degrees. After you have your system up and running and confirm that everything is working, then maybe think about lapping the cpu. But you shouldn't need to. It'll only help with extreme overclocks. And if that is what you are shooting for, then you should have gotten a true120 or good wc.

Okay, I see your points... Definutly the part about voiding the warranty on a brand spankin new Q9450.

What if there is a problem with my chip that I don't yet know about???

But as far as not lapping the chip... I guess I look at things in a different way.

I have seen this process done before... When it was finished, the guy used the bottom of the heat sink to pick the CPU up like a suction cup. You had to reach up and grab it before it would come off the heatsink, it just hung there.

I don't plan on giving this system an extreme overclock, but it would be nice to get my 4 cores running at 3.2 GHz or 3.4 GHz. (2.67 GHz stock 45nm) (Q9450) As I understand it, this chip gets to about 3.0 before you need to start messing with voltage bumps.

I don't really want to start that tricky road up towards 4.0 GHz Cores... That is what is going to kill your chip over time too. I'd like to preserve my chip, but it's the heat I fear, not the lapping of the chip.

- Witt

 

[boner]

home depot?

 

[orangegator]

You should be able to get 3.2 to 3.4 Ghz easily with low temps without lapping the cpu. I've successfully lapped an x2 4200+ and an e2200. But I did that so I could push them as far as I could with my true120. I've seen that same video. Again, doing that is only beneficial if you are going to push the chip to its limits.

 

[doomturkey]

I wouldn't waste the time doing that unless, as stated, you were going for an extreme overclock. The Q9450 should have little trouble reaching 3.2ghz, 3.4 should be do-able as well. My Q6600 easily does 3.2 with a small voltage bump (thats what I keep it at), and I'm able to hit 3.6 stable with a fairly large bump in voltage.

 

[dragonsprayer]

lapping the cpu is dumb

item 1) second cpu when the first dies from static or other damage