Replacing a stock HS

[skribetm]

What I don't know and have never looked into is if nail polisher remover or a thinner would work to remove the compound without damaging the CPU.

cattb, i use ordinary paint thinner/acetone+ coffee filter(or cotton balls).
works fine on bare metal, will ruin everything else(case paint, plastic..) so just be careful not to spill it.

[CRYPTIC]

You need to let the TP have a burn in time. You may see temps rise at first and then go back down. You can find out how to do it right. To much not good to little worse.

[cattb]

cattb, i use ordinary paint thinner/acetone+ coffee filter(or cotton balls).
works fine on bare metal, will ruin everything else(case paint, plastic..) so just be careful not to spill it.

Thanks, I will keep this in mind. Definitley cheaper than the stuff I bought from newegg.

[38ruk]

I always use an old credit card to apply artic silver .  You can get it smooth as glass and know that the whole heatspreader on the cpu is covered . The trick is how thick to put it on .... thats the tough part . 

[Ruler2]

Anax, you may want to look at the AC Freezer 2 Xtreme for that CPU, it's the next step up from the Freezer 7 Pro from what I understand, but I'm not quite sure if it will fit in your case or not.

[OOZ662]

When removing old thermal paste or those crap pads they put on at the factory, the important part is to not leave anything behind. That two-part mixture that someone bought is an orange-based cleaner to remove the gunk and a purifier that removes the orange cleaner. 99% pure rubbing alcohol works well too. Anything that leaves any sort of trace or film behind will degrade the contact between the thermal paste and the surface.

[Ghastly]

And if you intend to use something better, do so from the very start if possible.  The cheap compound "pads" are composed of a thermally conductive material suspended in a wax base, and no matter how you clean up afterward, once it's been exposed to heat you have to lap both parts to get rid of the wax that has filled in the pores.

<S>

[Bino]

Proper use of Arctic Silver's thermal compounds is illustrated on their web site:

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm