Is this damaged or not?

[berries]

I bought a p4 2.8c processor, and it looks to me that the heatsink-fan assembly that came with it is damaged. Then again I have never built a computer at all, so maybe I am just over reacting. Help me decide if its damged or not.

http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~andkhi/hs1.jpg

As you can see all that white stuff on the black layer are holes where black layer is missing.

http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~andkhi/hsp.jpg

Thats the picture of the packaging of the cpu and HSF, if you look you can see stuff on the bottom of the where HSF is supposed to be, thats those missing pieces of the black layer.

I have read the instructions that came with it, and it doesnt say anywhere to peel that black layer off, so I guess its a functional part of the design. Also, it appears that that part is what goes over the processor it self, so I guess its important. But then again maybe those few holes don't mean all that much and I am just over reacting. What do you all think?

[skate2snow]

Get the black layer off(its almost not conduct the heat...LOL) and put AS3 or 5;)

[berries]

what?

[skate2snow]

the black layer is not important, remove it all. And then put some arctic silver3

[berries]

what is arctic sliver 3?

[TheDude]

The black layer that you see the "holes" in is the cheapo thermal paste that comes on the stock heatsink. You should clean it all off and replace it with some better quality thermal paste....such as Artic Silver 3 or 5.
If you do not have any other thermal paste to replace it with right now, you can go ahead and use it as it is until you can get some. There is nothing defective with your heatsink.
Welcome to xtremesystems!;)
:toast:

[Teus]

don't worry berries, it's fine.

others recommend to use arctic silver (3, or5,...) because it gives slighter better temperatures, especially important when over-clocking the processor.

but as you are new into this stuff, I recommend you just use the heatsink as it is... with the black stuff on it.

[berries]

will that void my warranty? the arctic sliver stuff

[Teus]

Originally posted by berries
will that void my warranty? the arctic sliver stuff
no.

I'd recommend you use the heatsink as it is. It's not the effort to order arctic silver, pay for it, wait to put your PC together and have troubles with applying the paste ;)

besides, thermal paste like AS3 is slightly conductive and can kill your hardware if you spill some

[skate2snow]

teus, its not better if he kills is hardware be having too much heat;)

[Hell-Fire]

The heatsink is fine as is...not defective.

But I am guessing you showed on the doorsteps of XS.org because you are planning on pushing your new system a bit farther than factory specs. :hehe:

If you are just planning on running everything you are putting together at stock speeds, that hsf will do fine....if you plan on overclocking your rig harshly, I would recommend looking into a nice air cooled hsf versus using what you got in hte box with the cpu.

Dont toss the HSF and they require it if you have to return the cpu for some reason (atleast AMD does...not sure about Intel honestly).

If you plan on removing the black "pad", use a razor and scrap it off gently..try not to scratch up the bottom of the hsink to much if possible. Clean the area thoroughly with isopropyl rubbing alcohol or nail polish (acetone based, not acetone free) before applying any other thermal paste such as Arctic Silver 3 or 5.

Welcome to XS.org. :toast:

[Teus]

Originally posted by skate2snow
teus, its not better if he kills is hardware be having too much heat;)
does it now matter if your CPU runs three degrees cooler? do 55° and 58° make a difference?

an additional 80mm fan in the PC does a lot more then AS3 or AS5, and is way more easy

[Hell-Fire]

I will agree that good air flow inside the case is important when you are using air coolers on your cpu and video card.

Not sure it will do alot more than AS3/5 unless he has zero air flow at the moment and is planning on adding fans to help that area. He would certainly see a big drop in temps if that were the case. If he already has 1-2 case fans then he wont see a huge drop in temps simply by adding another fan to the mix.

[berries]

i am using lian-li pc60 case, i believe it has 4 fans.

[Corvette]

Nice case for someone new to the hobby.

[lalPOOO]

Originally posted by skate2snow
teus, its not better if he kills is hardware be having too much heat;)


*cough* thermal shutdown... *cough*


berries, the black crap will be fine. You should buy some thermal paste if you plan to overclock.

[skate2snow]

Originally posted by Teus
does it now matter if your CPU runs three degrees cooler? do 55° and 58° make a difference?

an additional 80mm fan in the PC does a lot more then AS3 or AS5, and is way more easy By putting some AS2(yes, 2) my temp drop for about 10C. And i know 10C too dont really make a difference for hardware damage, but its not really hard to put AS.

[kleptophobiac]

if it made 10°C worth of difference, your HSF must've been mounted wrong in the first place....

[STEvil]

actually, that black TIM is pretty crappy...

Its two layers with a layer of aluminum foil between them..

[StormPC]

Those bare spots will make absolutely no difference. Use it as-is...it will be fine. If you were installing it directly on a CPU die I'd say it would be worth the trouble for some thermalgrease, but the P4 has an IHS, so no problem at all.:)

[berries]

Originally posted by Corvette
Nice case for someone new to the hobby.

I only paid $90 for the case. Not all that much IMO

[sinn]

i would definately reccomend taking it off and putting on some artic silver of some kind, as most people here has recommended. As for the holes in the pad, they most likely will not have a difference, under heat, that thermal pad changes into a more liquid-like state, so the holes shouldnt really effect anything

[DeForce]

Be careful if you leave the black crap on and use it for a while, it likes to stick to the cpu once it gets hot. I accidently yanked a cpu right out of the socket cuz the black stuff stuck. Didn't hurt the cpu or mb but it does take your breath away for a minute.

[Teus]

Originally posted by DeForce
Be careful if you leave the black crap on and use it for a while, it likes to stick to the cpu once it gets hot. I accidently yanked a cpu right out of the socket cuz the black stuff stuck. Didn't hurt the cpu or mb but it does take your breath away for a minute.
that has already happend with me every time... both with the black tape as with arctic Céramique

[TheDude]

I've found that twisting it side to side first before pulling it off helps break the suction and prevents pulling the chip out of the socket....works well on prommies too.

[Kunaak]

black pads gotta go.
eventually you will want better temps and such, and removing that black pad once it's worn in and bonded to your CPU isn't a very fun way to spend a evening.
just do it right from the get go, and get some decent, or even adequate thermal paste, and you'll be glad you did in the long run.
cools better, and easy to work with ;)

[StormPC]

Originally posted by TheDude
I've found that twisting it side to side first before pulling it off helps break the suction and prevents pulling the chip out of the socket....works well on prommies too.

Yes...this technique is always a good idea on any CPU with an IHS.:toast:

[doctorcod]

well since everyone else threw in thier 20 ducats ill throw in mine as well, leave the stuff on, dont put on any other compound as its not going to help you significantly anyway, if you dont get a new heatsink that is. welcome to the forums im new as well!