Hi there,
I recently purchased a new Athlon processor and heatsink/fan combo. I’ve built a few systems before,and have never had any problems, but am not sure how to proceed with the following:
my wife stuck a finger in the middle of the thermal compound on the bottom of the heatsink, smudging the area right where it covers the processor die (it appears that there are small specks of dust in the compound now, too)
All the journals I’ve read warn against letting this happen…can anyone offer advice? Can I install it as it w/ no worries? Its reallu not in bad shape, and the phase change should at least overcome the smudging…
–Joe
You’re better off ditching the thermal compound “chewing gum” and getting yourself some Arctic Silver or at least some cheap white paste. Even a slice of ham might work better.
Get yourself some Arctic Silver. It costs about $3-5 for a tiny blob enough to do about 2 or 3 heatsinks with. Don’t bother with anything else…
I would not install the heatsink after what you describe. Clean the bottom of the heatsink thoroughly so nothing remains of the previous compund/thermal pad. Take a tiny amount of Arctic Silver and smear it on your CPU (the little raised silverish part in the center of the CPU). Do not use too much. You only want a paper thin smear. Put the heatsink straight down on the CPU and lock it into place. Avoid sliding the heatsink around on the CPU while doing this. A tiny amount of movement is to be expected but if it slips too much you need to start the whole thing over (cleaning both CPU and heatsink this time).
Well, just about any thermal compound will do - you don’t need to get Arctic Silver. Check out Dan’s review here - there’s not much to separate different compounds, and even toothpaste was better than Arctic Silver (not that you’d use it).
You can get thermal compound at any electronics store, and I’ll join the crowd and recommend that you clean the heat sink and use it. Don’t use a screwdriver to scrape it off! You’ll damage the base.