Concerns regarding AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE

[Oweineh]

Hi all

i recently had the honor of building my first PC, and you all know that when you lack experience you start doubting everything you did and start worrying about every tiny detail, and this is happening to me
Now i have some few concerns and i hope you can tell me what do?

1. When i installed the phenom II X4 965 i opened the am3 socket on the motherboard and aligned the cpu with the patterns until it entered the socket on its own and then closed the lid then i put the stock heat sink with pre applied thermal paste but it wasn't applied properly i will show how it was in the following picture

assume the black square is the thermal paste it wasn't complete and there was part that was scratched off , anyways i put it and the ah heck was tough to install and i applied a lot of force so i am afraid that A. thermal paste isn't properly covering the cpu and B. i damaged the cpu because of the force


2. the case that i ordered is faulty and i had to send it back for a replacement so obviously i had to take the motherboard out , will anything happen if i just leave the motherboard on my disk with the ram and heat sink installed and not cover it with anything?

 

[ocmusicjunkie]

Assuming that all the pins were seated in the socket (in other words, none are now obviously severely bent), the CPU will be just fine. As far as the thermal paste goes, it really is a personal preference how to apply it anyway. Some people use a razor or credit card and smooth it all the way across the chip, some people use the "tinting" method on both the CPU and cooler before seating the final install with only a dot in the middle, and some people just go straight for the pea-size dot on the processor, seat the cooler, and leave it at that. All of them can work, some more easily than others, some slightly better if done with skill. The main thing is to not use WAY too much or WAY too little, or to have the temps through the roof after install. Otherwise, there is no absolute.

No harm in leaving the board out so long as you don't have cats or anything to walk on it or knock anything over. Also be mindful of static electricity when handling the board, so probably try to not touch it more than needed while not in the case. I actually have a half-assembled board setup laying on top of clothes in a dresser drawer more often than not. Just follow general, common sense rules for electronics (keep it dry, don't drop it, don't short it out by laying a metal object across contact poiints, ect).

 

[Oweineh]

Assuming that all the pins were seated in the socket (in other words, none are now obviously severely bent), the CPU will be just fine. As far as the thermal paste goes, it really is a personal preference how to apply it anyway. Some people use a razor or credit card and smooth it all the way across the chip, some people use the "tinting" method on both the CPU and cooler before seating the final install with only a dot in the middle, and some people just go straight for the pea-size dot on the processor, seat the cooler, and leave it at that. All of them can work, some more easily than others, some slightly better if done with skill. The main thing is to not use WAY too much or WAY too little, or to have the temps through the roof after install. Otherwise, there is no absolute.

No harm in leaving the board out so long as you don't have cats or anything to walk on it or knock anything over. Also be mindful of static electricity when handling the board, so probably try to not touch it more than needed while not in the case. I actually have a half-assembled board setup laying on top of clothes in a dresser drawer more often than not. Just follow general, common sense rules for electronics (keep it dry, don't drop it, don't short it out by laying a metal object across contact poiints, ect).

Thanks that's assuring

the only reason why i am worried about the thermal paste is because i didn't see how it was applied i just put the heat sink and never removed it again so i got the feeling that it wasn't applied properly, do you think i should remove it and check again? if so how should it be applied, should it be covering the whole cpu?

as for the other issues i am not worried anymore

 

[ocmusicjunkie]

Thanks that's assuring

the only reason why i am worried about the thermal paste is because i didn't see how it was applied i just put the heat sink and never removed it again so i got the feeling that it wasn't applied properly, do you think i should remove it and check again? if so how should it be applied, should it be covering the whole cpu?

as for the other issues i am not worried anymore

No worries

TP can be a major factor in how well you are able to cool the processor- almost as major of factor as the actual cooler design itself. There is a huge benefit to using quality aftermarket paste as opposed to the slop that comes on a cooler from the manufacturer. This is the stuff I would suggest, and have been using myself lately: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100017 - it's non-conductive in case you get a dab somewhere unintended, and it's easy to work with.

I have evolved from the "credit card" method to the "tinting" method myself. The first is still quite effective and easier. Basically, you want to start with a pea-sized dot in the middle of the chip and work it outward with a flat edge, leaving it just BARELY thick enough to prevent the labeling on the CPU from being visible. About half of that original pea-sized dot actually gets removed as you use the card to spread it.

The tinting method is to apply the paste that same way, but to literally leave such a thin layer as to be able to read the CPU label through the paste, which is only left thick enough to "tint" the look of the CPU. The same is done for the cooler's contact surface. Then, a dot of paste the size of a grain of rice is put in the middle of the CPU, and the cooler installed.

The main thing to remember is that you are only trying to fill the microscopic gaps between the two smooth surfaces- not to create a buffer layer between them.

 

[Oweineh]

Best answer selected by Oweineh.