arctic silver ceramique application and opteron load temps

[magictorch]

Hi, im a bit confused about the application of this...in the website instructions it says to put a rice grain size on the core of the cpu and apply heatsink...on other "areas" of the web people seem to spread it all over the cpu before applying heatsink. whats the best way? I spread the generic silicon paste as a thin layer all over before getting the ceramique and arctic clean solution. Also what temps should a good opteron get at @2.7 idle and load?
cheers, magic torch



Opteron 165@2.7 LCB9E 07 (1.46v (29-33oc idle, 46-48oc load stock heatsink and generic silicon paste)), asus a8n32 sli deluxe, 2gb corsair pc4000pt DDR496, WD 80gb raptor,WD80gb SATA2, BFG7950GTOC, thermalrock dragon case, OCZ gameXstream 600w.

I've used ceramique for awhile now and while I can't tell you the "best" method of application I can tell you how I do it :)

1) Wash hands
2) clean CPU heat spreader and bottom of heatsink with 70% isopropyl and use a good cloth (I use microfibre cloth but others use a paper coffee filter) and press fairly hard to remove all isopropyl residue.
3) put a very small droplet (I'd say about half the size of a grain of rice as I like it thin) on center of both the heatspreader and the bottom of the heatsink
4) clean your index finger with isopropyl and dry with the cloth you just used.
5) using index finger spread the ceramiqe around evenly on both surfaces - should be a whitish-opaque film that is very thin and even across surface. Just push it around and it will be very tacky to the touch.
6) install the heatsink

Works for me and hope this helps :)

[magictorch]

thanks for that. ive got my arctic clean kit as a substitute for the iso-alchohol although i'll use some on my finger. spreading it round seems better than just dropping a rice grain on the middle. this 165 is ok, got it to 2800 on air stock volts/ cooling with crappy paste, DDR516 and is quite stable with runs of 3dmark06 and games etc....30oc idle now, 41oc load.. cheers, magic

[3oh6]

if you are going to spread it around with the tip of your finger, wrap your finger in saran wrap at least...almost zero chance of any natural oils getting involved, and no cleaning your finger afterwards

Originally Posted by 3oh6

if you are going to spread it around with the tip of your finger, wrap your finger in saran wrap at least...almost zero chance of any natural oils getting involved, and no cleaning your finger afterwards

There will be a few molecules of flesh, dirt, sweat and... residue from your finger but I prefer to have the "feel" as I spread the T.I.M. (Thermal Interface Material) around. The "feel" is just that I'm spreading it thin and even.

@magictorch - As I say above I apply the T.I.M. by "feel" so if you feel that "half a grain of rice" size isn't enough put a little dab more on till it "feels" and looks thin and even :). As you spread with your finger some T.I.M. will adhere to/between your finger-print ridges which further reduces the amount of TIM on the heatspreader/heatsink - but as I mentioned I like as small amount of TIM as possible.

[magictorch]

ywant to get this right...cheers

[3.0charlie]

If you don't want to get your finger dirty, cut an old credit card 1/2" wide and use it to spread the AS5. Works like magic for me.

And yes, no need for more than 1/2 a pea grain so cover the whole surface.

[BALISTX]

Here's the instructions from the website.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appi..._dual_wcap.pdf

[3oh6]

Originally Posted by BALISTX

Here's the instructions from the website.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appi..._dual_wcap.pdf

AS5 != Ceramique...here is a link to the Ceramique instructions, just choose your processor. Arctic Silver outlines a very different process for the two thermal pastes:

Arctic Silver Incorporated - Route to Product Instructions for Céramique

everyone will provide you with an 'opinion' on thermal paste application methods but does it not make sense to listen to those who designed it?

Originally Posted by 3oh6

everyone will provide you with an 'opinion' on thermal paste application methods but does it not make sense to listen to those who designed it?

Not really. If so I'd use the TIM and heatsink Intel/AMD designed to go with my CPU

Sites like this exist, in part, to experiment and push the boundries