Quote Originally Posted by virtualrain View Post
I echo that question... The purpose of thermal paste is to fill the tiny gaps in an imperfect surface... With a finish like that, does paste help or hinder?
When people do the mirror finish it's just for the looks. If you just want to lower the temps by lapping the cpu, lap the HS to copper and you will have a good contact. Even if the cpu is lapped you still need thermal compound to fill the tiny air gaps.