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[Solved] Best way to apply thermal paste on i7 processor

Forum Overclocking : Cooler and Heatsinks - [Solved] Best way to apply thermal paste on i7 processor

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Best answer from Shadow703793.

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Hey guys im building my new computer as we speak , i need to know i have a thermalright extreme heatsink and a intel i7 920 processor is it the pea sized dot of thermal paste on top of cpu that i should do ?



or some other method ??

Put a pea sized drop on top of CPU and put the HSF on it. My preferred method is to apply a very thin layer using your finger covered in cling wrap.
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Best answer

Put a pea sized drop on top of CPU and put the HSF on it. My preferred method is to apply a very thin layer using your finger covered in cling wrap.

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Reply to Shadow703793

Small pea, bigger than a grain of rice.

Reply to Conumdrum

ok did what ya said , and booted the pc up went into bios and bios temps are showing cpu temp at 41-42c ,isent that hot ??? what should i do or disreguard it .

Reply to cdeez

Go to the arctic silver web site. They have a pictorial tutorial on how to apply AS-5 to the i7 cpu.

41c seems a bit hot unless your room is very hot. Perhaps you used too much material or did not mount it properly.


Push pin coolers can be tricky to install.
A bad installation can lead to higher temperatures, and even cpu throttling.
With the pc powered down, gently rock the cooler to see if it is on solid, or if it wobbles a bit.
Push pin coolers are best installed while the motherboard is outside of the case.
You need to be able to look at the back of the board to verify that
all 4 pins are completely through and locked.
Play with the pins on the cooler first, so you can see exactly how they work.
Read the instructions that came with your retail cpu.
When pushing down on the pins, do a diagonal pair first.
If you don't, it is hard to get the last pin in.
Don't forget to clean the parts and reapply fresh thermal compound every time.
Don't try to reuse the TIM.
Rubbing alcohol is OK as a cleaner.
I use a paper coffee filter to clean with because it is lint free.
Any name brand TIM should be OK(as-5, Mx-2, etc.)
When applying the TIM, don't use too much, because it can act as an insulator.
Don't apply too little, either, because it won't spread and fill the microscopic
imperfections in the surfaces. A dollop about the size of a grain
of rice should be about right.

Reply to geofelt

Never trust the BIOs temps. Use one of these, I like HW monitor best.

Benching software and such is very varied. I use these for each purpose:
These are pretty standard and used by many.
Monitoring the PC temps overall: HWmonitor aka hardware monitor
CPUZ for CPU info
GPUZ for GPU info
CPU only: RealTemp
GPU only: ATI Tool, I have a Nivida GTX280, so it works on Nvidia

Loading/benching tools:
CPU loaders: Prime95 and OCCT
GPU Loaders: ATI Tool and the best one is Furmark, nothing pushes the GPU harder right now.
Benching for overall graphics/gaming performance is 3DMark06

Reply to Conumdrum

ok un mounted it and looks like theres was too much thermal paste retrying with less

Reply to cdeez

temps are now around 35c so im happy , let me know if those are more normal or if i should try again .

Reply to cdeez

^Yup. Those look normal. More importantly, what are the load temps?

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Reply to Shadow703793

have not tested that installing os and updates right now. what should i use Shadow703793 for testing temps at full load ???

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by cdeez on 08-17-2009 at 01:01:27 AM
Reply to cdeez

Darnit? I posted each and every program you need. You can use Google right?

Benching software and such is very varied. I use these for each purpose:
These are pretty standard and used by many.
Monitoring the PC temps overall: HWmonitor aka hardware monitor
CPUZ for CPU info
GPUZ for GPU info
CPU only: RealTemp
GPU only: ATI Tool, I have a Nivida GTX280, so it works on Nvidia

Loading/benching tools:
CPU loaders: Prime95 and OCCT
GPU Loaders: ATI Tool and the best one is Furmark, nothing pushes the GPU harder right now.
Benching for overall graphics/gaming performance is 3DMark06

Find them, use them, read................................................................... Brain........... You have one.

Reply to Conumdrum

cdeez wrote :

have not tested that installing os and updates right now. what should i use Shadow703793 for testing temps at full load ???


Run prime95 until the increase in heat has stabilized at it's maximum. Select the option to check for rounding errors. You should get NO errors. I normally use speedfan. When running prime95, I use the graphic chart display to show the cpu temperature. It is easy to see when the temperatures level out and no more testing is useful.

Reply to geofelt

ok speed fan with prime 95 after everything was installed was saying cpu was ideling at 45c and stable load temp of 68c , those seam really high but damn i dont know .

Reply to cdeez

^Give us the RealTemp readings. You need to calibrate SpeedFan to get accurate temps.

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Reply to Shadow703793

im not sure how to configure speedfan . but i think i know what ya mean know . are the temp reading im getting false because the core 1-4 readings are much lower like 29-30c . Let me know what ya mean . thanks Shadow703793

Reply to cdeez

Video is to help compare with what a finished pasteing would look like. As well as one way to do it.

Reply to dragonfang18

cdeez wrote :

im not sure how to configure speedfan . but i think i know what ya mean know . are the temp reading im getting false because the core 1-4 readings are much lower like 29-30c . Let me know what ya mean . thanks Shadow703793


Testing, by mainly CompuTronix (seed the C2d/i7 temp guide sticky) that with out calibration SpeedFan can be off by up to 5-12C.

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Reply to Shadow703793

http://www.arcticsilver.com/images_v2/instructions/i7_dipicting_tim_across_the_chip.jpg

------------------------------ If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce today would cost $100, get a million miles to the gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.
PSA
Reply to outlw6669

Depends on the cooler. If it has heatpipes exposed, I spread it all over the processor. Otherwise I use the Arctic Silver method.
I had a problem with the Arctic Silver method when using it with a cooler with heat pipes exposed. It did not spread evenly.

------------------------------ Google is your friend and Bob's your uncle
Reply to evongugg

^True that. Proxymon had a guide for putting TIM on a DHT based coolers, let me see if I can find it.

 

edit: Coudn't find Proxy's, but here is Lupi's one for S1283: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] matek-1283
PS: Any one know what happened to him and roadrunner?


Message edited by Shadow703793 on 08-18-2009 at 02:03:50 AM
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Reply to Shadow703793
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