Datasheet

76 Chapter 1
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Personal Computer System Components
Improving and Maintaining CPU Cooling
In addition to using thermal compound, you can enhance the cooling efficiency of a
CPU heat sink by lapping the heat sink, which smoothes the mating surface using a very
fine sanding element, about 1000-grit in the finishing stage. Some vendors of the more
expensive heat sinks will offer this service as an add-on.
If your CPU has been in service for an extended period of time, perhaps three years or
more, it is a smart idea to remove the heat sink and old thermal compound and then apply
fresh thermal compound and reattach the heat sink. Be careful, though; if your thermal
paste has already turned into thermal “glue,” you can wrench the processor right out of the
socket, even with the release mechanism locked in place. Invariably, this damages the pins
on the chip.
Counterintuitively, perhaps, you can remove a released heat sink from the processor by
gently rotating the heat sink to break the paste’s seal. If the CPU has risen in the socket
already, however, this would be an extremely bad idea. Sometimes, after you realize that
the CPU has risen a bit and that you need to release the mechanism holding it in to reseat it,
you find the release arm is not accessible with the heat sink in place. This is an unfortunate
predicament that will present plenty of opportunity to learn.
If you’ve ever installed a brand-new heat sink onto a CPU, you’ve most likely used ther-
mal compound or the thermal compound patch that was already applied to the heat sink
for you. If your new heat sink has a patch of thermal compound preapplied, don’t add
more. If you ever remove the heat sink, don’t try to reuse the patch or any other form of
thermal compound. Clean it all off and start fresh.
Advanced CPU Cooling Methods
Advancements in air cooling have led to products like the Scythe Ninja 2, which is a stack
of thin aluminum fins with copper tubing running up through them. Some of the hottest-
running CPUs can be passively cooled with a device like this, using only the existing air-
movement scheme from your computer’s case. Adding a fan to the side, however, adds to
the cooling efficiency, but also to the noise level.
In addition to standard and advanced air-cooling methods, there are other methods of
cooling a CPU (and other chips as well). These methods might appear somewhat unortho-
dox but often deliver extreme results.
These methods can also result in permanent damage to your computer, so
try them at your own risk.
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