Paste or Pad

[De Joker]

I have an old Celeron 333 slot 1 cpu that runs great at 500. The only problem is that it gets a little hot.

Before i pry of the retail heatsink i just want to ask the following question. When i look between the heatsink and the cpu i can see some gray stuff that looks a little like gum, my question is, is this a from the thermal pad or is it thermal paste?.

[Spencer]

Most likely it's from a pad. Most retail heatsinks come with a pad installed and over time it basically melts and forms a bond between the CPU and heatsink. I'd scrape it off and use thermal paste. Much less thermal resistance.

[Dputiger]

Paste. Always paste. Never use a pad.

A good brand of paste is the Radio Shack Heatsink compound. It's cheap, effective, and it'll fix your problem.

[thekingofpain]

Carefully remove it, and try NOT to scratch any mating surfaces...

Prying and scraping sounds so...ummm...harsh... http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by thekingofpain (edited 08-15-2000).]

[BFlurie]

King, you're right. Do NOT scratch the surfaces. It won't hurt your CPU per-say, but it will reduce the contact between the two surfaces & reduce heat transfer. Paste should be applied in the THINNEST coat possible -- just enough to cover one surface, then secured together until dry (24 hrs). Better to use a very volatile solvent like QD electronic cleaner, acetone, or spray carbuerator cleaner on a cotton cloth & try to dissolve the pad off, rather than scrape (GASP) or pick.

[Spencer]

Most of the gunk will be on the heatsink. Scrape that off with a razorblade and use rubbing alcohol on the CPU core.

[De Joker]

Thanks for the replys guys, i guess i got my work cut out for the weekend.