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paste or pad



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 1st 04, 12:40 AM
Max Coppin
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Default paste or pad

I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?


  #2  
Old May 1st 04, 01:22 AM
snoopy
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"Max Coppin" wrote in message
news:0uBkc.449$Af6.97@newsfe1-win...
I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal

pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?


paste period end of discussion. pads are only good for... well, never
mind... ;-) YMMV



  #3  
Old May 1st 04, 01:30 AM
Stacey
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Default

Max Coppin wrote:

I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal
pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?



Paste runs cooler, pads are easy for a dumbass to install i.e. stick one to
the bottom of the supplied HS and the end user can't forget to install it.
--

Stacey
  #4  
Old May 1st 04, 01:44 AM
David Maynard
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Stacey wrote:

Max Coppin wrote:


I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal
pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?




Paste runs cooler, pads are easy for a dumbass to install i.e. stick one to
the bottom of the supplied HS and the end user can't forget to install it.


It's also less messy, more rugged, reliably repeatable, and readily machine
applied in mass production.

Mention using thermal compound in most modern assembly facilities and
you're likely to be run out of the place on a rail.

  #5  
Old May 1st 04, 02:13 AM
dino
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pick up some Arctic Silver and apply ...it works way better than the
silicone paste or pad


  #6  
Old May 1st 04, 02:14 AM
snoopy
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Default


"David Maynard" wrote in message
...
Stacey wrote:

Max Coppin wrote:


I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal
pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?




Paste runs cooler, pads are easy for a dumbass to install i.e. stick one

to
the bottom of the supplied HS and the end user can't forget to install

it.

It's also less messy, more rugged, reliably repeatable, and readily

machine
applied in mass production.

Mention using thermal compound in most modern assembly facilities and
you're likely to be run out of the place on a rail.


Right pads lend themselves nicely to mass production. (more rugged? i've
never been able to break that paste!)
But is it better for the purpose of heat transmission?


  #7  
Old May 1st 04, 04:51 AM
Paul
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Default

In article , David Maynard
wrote:

Stacey wrote:

Max Coppin wrote:


I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal
pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?




Paste runs cooler, pads are easy for a dumbass to install i.e. stick one to
the bottom of the supplied HS and the end user can't forget to install it.


It's also less messy, more rugged, reliably repeatable, and readily machine
applied in mass production.

Mention using thermal compound in most modern assembly facilities and
you're likely to be run out of the place on a rail.


That is because engineers in mass production situations, want
what they hope will be a zero maintenance solution. Paste/grease
needs to be reapplied regularly, any time a rising CPU temp suggests
the paste/grease is no longer filling the gap between CPU and HSF.
Thermal "pumping" or drying degrade just about any paste/grease,
so at some point, the CPU/HSF interface has to be redone.

There are some "gooey" solutions (look like silicon rubber) that
can be injected into a heatsink assembly, using an injection port
and an observation port, but the performance of that kind of solution
is worse than a pad.

For an Athlon, the combination of a bare die (i.e. limited contact
area) and high power dissipation, really limit what will work to
keep the processor cool. While AMD doesn't approve of AS3, home
builders find it works just fine. (You may want to read up on
AMD warranty issues if you use AS3 or something similar. If
returning a processor, make sure the processor is cleaned first.
Don't be sloppy with the paste/grease.)

Paul
  #8  
Old May 1st 04, 05:41 AM
David Maynard
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Default

snoopy wrote:

"David Maynard" wrote in message
...

Stacey wrote:


Max Coppin wrote:



I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal
pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?



Paste runs cooler, pads are easy for a dumbass to install i.e. stick one


to

the bottom of the supplied HS and the end user can't forget to install


it.

It's also less messy, more rugged, reliably repeatable, and readily


machine

applied in mass production.

Mention using thermal compound in most modern assembly facilities and
you're likely to be run out of the place on a rail.



Right pads lend themselves nicely to mass production.
(more rugged? i've
never been able to break that paste!)


To 'break' it is to do something that causes it to not serve the purpose
and thermal compound that gets smeared off during handling, as one example,
or wasn't applied properly in the first place, doesn't do its job. It's
function is 'broke'.

But is it better for the purpose of heat transmission?


Depends on how you define 'better'. If you mean what is the best that can
be achieved under ideal conditions, and ignoring long term effects, then
thermal compound is probably 'better'. If you mean being able to count on
all of the applications, and the devices it's applied to, working properly
without costly failures/rework then a pad is better.


  #9  
Old May 1st 04, 06:02 AM
Triffid
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Default



Max Coppin wrote:

I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?



The choice depends on the application.

Pads are designed to provide an adequate thermal interface regardless of
installer competency. IOW, guaranteed & foolproof. They also last the
life of the processor installation, but can be difficult to disassemble
if required.

Paste has the potential to provide somewhat improved thermal transfer
performance if properly applied, which is largely irrelevant unless you
overclock or otherwise operate under stressful conditions. Paste
performance can degrade over time as it dries out, but disassembly to
replace it is not difficult.

Thermal paste should be applied such that it only fills voids which
would exist if no thermal interface were used - direct contact is
preferable. It's not easy to get this right in practice, hence the
manufacturer's preference for the predictability of pads.


  #10  
Old May 1st 04, 09:45 AM
Rob Stow
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Default

Ed wrote:

On Sat, 01 May 2004 01:02:11 -0400, Triffid wrote:



Max Coppin wrote:


I need to re-attach the heatsink to my processor, should I use a thermal pad
or paste? What are the pros / cons?



The choice depends on the application.

Pads are designed to provide an adequate thermal interface regardless of
installer competency. IOW, guaranteed & foolproof. They also last the
life of the processor installation, but can be difficult to disassemble
if required.

Paste has the potential to provide somewhat improved thermal transfer
performance if properly applied, which is largely irrelevant unless you
overclock or otherwise operate under stressful conditions. Paste
performance can degrade over time as it dries out, but disassembly to
replace it is not difficult.

Thermal paste should be applied such that it only fills voids which
would exist if no thermal interface were used - direct contact is
preferable. It's not easy to get this right in practice, hence the
manufacturer's preference for the predictability of pads.



I've seen as much as a 10C difference when applying paste to my AMD
Barton, man these things are touchy! Built a few (slower) with the AMD
boxed for friends and the temps are all about the same, these ppl don't
OC and could care less what their CPU temps are, as long as the PC
doesn't crash they are smiling.


With Opterons, I only see about a 3'C difference between
pad and paste when using the stock heat sinks and fans
that come with the processors. For an Opty 240 I see
about 42'C with the paste (AS3) and 45'C with the pad.
For an Opty 246, add 6'C to both numbers.


Did a few AMD64s with paste and found out you don't want to cover the
whole top of those, just the center area.


I covered the whole top (very thinly) of the Opties I did.
I'll try it your way sometime and see if it makes a difference.

 




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