CPU/Mobo Did I apply the right amount of thermal paste?

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kvikram

kvikram

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This is an AMD Phenom II X6 1090T from a Dell Studio XPS 7100. As of late, it had been really noisy so I decided to reapply the thermal paste and reseat the heatsink. I used Deepcool Z5. After application there was no difference whatsoever in the fan speeds (It actually seems to have gotten worse, especially on booting).

The CPU idles at 43 C and is at 50 C while gaming.

Did I apply the right amount of thermal paste? Was it too less? Time to get a new heatsink?
 
1. your temps are fine.

2. hotter heatsink means cooler CPU because of better transfer.

3. fan speed control by motherboards is erratic, and fans go noisier with age and user perception, and not just temperatures. if you want lower noise, change the heatsink. Thermal paste can only result in better heat transfer. fan speed is a derived property and not always directly correlated. For example, if full speed is attained at 40 degrees, it won't matter if your temp is 41, 43, 53 or 93. Fan will be at 100%.
 
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cranky said:
1. your temps are fine.

2. hotter heatsink means cooler CPU because of better transfer.

3. fan speed control by motherboards is erratic, and fans go noisier with age and user perception, and not just temperatures. if you want lower noise, change the heatsink. Thermal paste can only result in better heat transfer. fan speed is a derived property and not always directly correlated. For example, if full speed is attained at 40 degrees, it won't matter if your temp is 41, 43, 53 or 93. Fan will be at 100%.
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Thanks @cranky. I really don't know what to do now. The noise is really annoying while I'm gaming. I'm planning to reapply the thermal paste again but this time I'm going to spread the paste all over the processor manually. If that doesn't work, I suppose I'll have to get a new heatsink.

Can you tell me what heatsink I should get? It should be completely silent and shouldn't get noisy under any circumstances. If it fits into a minitower case, which I have, it's a plus. Otherwise I can transfer the parts to another CM case I have lying around.[DOUBLEPOST=1364562729][/DOUBLEPOST]
cyberwarfare said:
i feel its a bit more than u should. put the amount of a rice grain.
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But even with this amount of thermal paste, it's still not cool!
 
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Don't spread manually, and use as little as possible. I go for a 5mm round blob, that is usually enough. The pressure of the sink will spread the paste.

Heat transfer happens from metal to metal, the paste only fills in microscopic gaps. Paste between metals will hamper contact.

Your temps seem to indicate the paste application is fine. Try a new cooler. And not Deepcool, those are nonsense. Get a Scythe, Thermalright or Noctua. Among the cheaper ones I've had good results (noise-wise) with the Coolermaster Gemin II though temps will be a little higher than 50 degrees under full load.
 
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cranky said:
Don't spread manually, and use as little as possible. I go for a 5mm round blob, that is usually enough. The pressure of the sink will spread the paste.

Heat transfer happens from metal to metal, the paste only fills in microscopic gaps. Paste between metals will hamper contact.

Your temps seem to indicate the paste application is fine. Try a new cooler. And not Deepcool, those are nonsense. Get a Scythe, Thermalright or Noctua. Among the cheaper ones I've had good results (noise-wise) with the Coolermaster Gemin II though temps will be a little higher than 50 degrees under full load.
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Thanks. Were you referring to Deepcool thermal paste or cooler? The cooler happens to be the stock cooler (or whatever Dell put there). Only the thermal paste that I used was Deepcool.

I'm really concerned about the compatibility between processor and heatsink? What kind of heatsinks will be compatible? The heatsink bracket is something that I've never seen anywhere else. The way the heatsink fits into the bracket is not what I've seen in any video on the internet. There is a horizontal lever on one side and tabs that fit into the sides of the bracket.

So I'm guessing that the bracket will have to be removed and a new bracket has to be put in (whatever comes with the new heatsink). And will this new bracket fit into the motherboard?

Help me out on this one!
 
I thought Z5 was a cooler, I don't really pay attention to their designations.

A lot of coolers will use the stock retention mechanism, a few may require you to remove the mechanism. Most CM coolers have a backplate that should work with your board in terms of hole pattern. Scythes work with the stock mechanism. Not sure about Noctua.

However, backplates *may* interfere with components on the underside of your motherboard. No way to tell without trying.
 
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cranky said:
However, backplates *may* interfere with components on the underside of your motherboard. No way to tell without trying.
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That's scary. Isn't there a particular cooler that you can recommend, that works with the stock backplate?
 
Not without looking at the back of the motherboard, no.

99% of motherboards will accept almost all third-party backplates. The 1% that are doubtful are the custom motherboards like those made for Dell. IBM etc, like yours.
 
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cranky said:
Not without looking at the back of the motherboard, no.

99% of motherboards will accept almost all third-party backplates. The 1% that are doubtful are the custom motherboards like those made for Dell. IBM etc, like yours.
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Oh okay. If I removed the motherboard and took a pic of the back, will you be able to suggest something?
 
cranky said:
A lot of coolers will use the stock retention mechanism, a few may require you to remove the mechanism. Most CM coolers have a backplate that should work with your board in terms of hole pattern. Scythes work with the stock mechanism. Not sure about Noctua.
Click to expand...

It is better to get the backplate screw down retention system. The press-down is way way better and integral. When one is picking a OEM HSF they should just read up which processors it supports. That is about it. And am sure 99% of backplate mounts have insulation covering. I have used the CM HSFs and currently on the NHD14 both had them. I reviewed the NHD14 here, it should be somewhere in the reviews section. Push-pin is something most professionals do not trust...!

:)
 
asingh said:
It is better to get the backplate screw down retention system. The press-down is way way better and integral. When one is picking a OEM HSF they should just read up which processors it supports. That is about it. And am sure 99% of backplate mounts have insulation covering. I have used the CM HSFs and currently on the NHD14 both had them. I reviewed the NHD14 here, it should be somewhere in the reviews section. Push-pin is something most professionals do not trust...!

:)
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The problem with AMD backplates (which is what TS has - no pins involved) is that there is a small square bunch of caps just underneath the CPU, and I've known of ODM users (such as Dell) to add more components on the underside so this square changes shape, and a custom backplate used.

Most AMD aftermarket systems are directly compatible with the original AMD mounts. Unfortunately with a custom mount, things become unpredictable.
 
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@cranky @asingh
I have a question. What purpose does the backplate serve? If it is merely a stand-off for the heatsink bracket screws, then wouldn't any other bracket fit into that backplate, as long as it has the same hole pattern? Would it be necessary to change the backplate?
 
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The simple answr is that the stock backplate is threaded and some aftermarkets expect through holes with a counternut. If the backplates were identical and had the same retention mechanism there would be no need for new backplates. However aftermarkets that ship with a backplate only follow the shape and hole pattern, but may adopt a different retention mechanism, usually bolt-down so you can fasten the heatsink (or in watercoolers, the block) from above the level of the socket.

The backplate also enables uniform pressure across the back of the motherboard to prevent bowing. If you have used the intel pushpin and amd lever, you will notice that both systems end up creating a bit of truss, but the intels a little more even though the mount pressure is a lot lower than amd.
 
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kvikram said:
@cranky @asingh
I have a question. What purpose does the backplate serve? If it is merely a stand-off for the heatsink bracket screws, then wouldn't any other bracket fit into that backplate, as long as it has the same hole pattern? Would it be necessary to change the backplate?
Click to expand...

Not all the OEM HSFs come with standard fitment grooves on the upper. A back plate gives the option for variations for the manufacturer.
 
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