URGENT HELP: Installing Retail CPU Fan/Heatsink HOW ?

[gsethi]

hello

i am installing my cpu in the motherboard. need some help installing the Heatsink/fan on it. THere is this black strip on the bottom of the heatsink.

what do i do regarding that? do i just let the black strip remain there ? or do i peel(scratch) off the black coating to reveal the silver coating underneath it ?

Pls help asap.

Thanks in advance

 

[gsethi]

someone please help me. i am just waiting for this response. everything is lying open.

thanks

 

[conlan]

The "strip" is the PCTC pad, it's supposed to be there, just make sure you peel off the protective strip before installing.

 

[gsethi]

yeah did that......hair dryer trick did it.

one last question....the heatsink/fan fits loosely on the processor ? i mean i put the heatsink down, then pressed on the retention brakcets untill they locked into place. The heatsink is still pretty loose. is that normal ? i mean, i wont fall off or doesnt move by itself, but when i try to move it by hand, the heatsink seems to move a little.

is that normal ?

 

[Nate420]

It would help if you stated the mobo and cpu type, but the HSF needs to be fairly tight against the cpu core.

 

[conlan]

As long as the tabs are engaged fully and it's seated squarely, it should be ok if it's a Retail box HSF as you stated. Don't mess w/ it too much or you risk cracking the die.

 

[gsethi]

it is a retail Intel Pentium 4 1.6A processor. I am installing it on a Giga-byte GA-8IRXP motherboard.

the heatsink is pretty loose. do i need to glue it or something ?

 

[tornadobox]

the P4 heatsink should fit TIGHTLY against the CPU...also you said you used the "hairdryer trick"? what's that? you need either that black gunk on the bottom of the heatsink or some other thermal paste.

for the heatsink, make sure the white tabs on the two sides of the top of the heatsink are completely engaged and locked.

 

[gsethi]

got it......i was actually pressing the white tabs the opposite way. it fits tight now.

regarding that black strip of the bottom, dont you have to scratch the black part of it and only contact the silver part of the strip with the processor ?

isnt it just like the scratchers, where you scratch the coating to reveal your numbers ? same thing here, right ? remove/peel/scratch the black coating to reveal the silver conducing strip ?

 

[mcveigh]

you should just peel away the protective plastic sheet, that compund needs to be on there!
dont "scratch it"

 

[Nate420]

If you see the silver foil like stuff then you messed up The strip should look black on the bottom. If you have already scratched off the black gunk, then you'll need to remove the strip completely and use some regular compound, like Arctic Silver 2 or 3.

I used the edge of a credit card to scrape the strip off, then used OOPS! (regular alcohol wouldn't cut it) to remove the remaining glue/gunk from the HS. After you get it all cleaned off, go over it with alcohol before you put compound on.

Detailed instructions if you need them HERE.

 

[gsethi]

damn.......it is running fine so far.......guess i will get Artic silver then over the weekend and remove the strip and apply that.

damn damn damn.....thanks for the info.

 

[Wolfram]

I have a question along those same lines. I put the AS3 on the P4 heat spreader as instructed. When I put the heat sink into the bracket on the mobo, I was off by about 1/4 inch so had to pick it up a little and move it over a bit to get it to fit into the bracket correctly. Should I start over with the AS3, or will it be ok to proceed as is?
edit (first I removed the original thermal coupling thingamajig on the heatsink)

 

[Nate420]

After you have put compound onto the heat spreader/core, the idea is to try to sit the HS down onto the core right were it needs to be(easier said than done..I know). Once the HS is in contact with the core, moving it around can create small pockets of air between the HS and core(or scratch the HS), thus making a small area that has no contact. If you have a fairly thick layer of compound on there, it will more than likely spread out and fill any voids when you clamp the HS down. The P4 has tons of surface area for contact because of the heat spreader, so one tiny air pocket won't be such a big deal like it is with only an exposed core/slug. Still, try to move the HS as little as possible once it's touching the CPU.

If you already have everything together, I'd just fire it up and see what the temps are like. Remember that AS compound needs ~24 hours of CPU use before it's effeciency maxes out. You may see temps drop 1-3C after that time. So long as your load temp is below 50C you should be fine.( in the event something goes wrong, it will throttle itself if temps get crazy )

You can use Motherboard Monitor 5 to check your temps.

 

[Wolfram]

thanks Nate.....nice link.