Reinstall an unused CPU cooler 1 day later with no change to thermal?

[Choralone]

I'm building a new rig - 1st time in years. Anyway, count me as one who got fooled by Cooler Master: I installed their V8 processor cooler upside down by following their erroneous illustration.

What I want to know is, can I just flip it around the right way without cleaning off the thermal compound and re-adding more? I would be doing this one day after the initial install, and I haven't powered the thing up yet.

Thanks for the help.

 

[outlw6669]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.
What do you mean when you say it was installed upside down.

I disagree zip.
The CPU and Hs will need to have the thermal paste cleaned off and reinstalled regardless of having been heated up.
Reason being, when you remove the heat sink it is going to leave an uneven covering of TIM on both surfaces.
Upon reassembling, this uneven covering can trap air bubbles that will act as an insulator between the CPU and Hs.

Use some acetone based nail polish cleaner or isopropyl alcohol (the higher percentage the better) and unused coffee filters to clean off the old TIM.
As you only need to use a small pea sized dot of TIM, you should still have plenty left over from the initial install.
Do not worry to much about getting a different TIM, it will not make to much of a difference (at most 2-3°c).

 

[Choralone]

Ah thanks. I figured air bubbles would be the issue. I was just tired and cranky last night and grasping at any straws that would reduce the work ahead of me.

By upside down, I meant that the cooler is installed so that the fan is blowing the wrong way - inside the case instead of towards the vent. The illustration in the instructions is incorrect - if you mount it based on how the V8 logo is oriented in the illustration like I did, you'll need to rotate it 180 degrees.

Thanks again.