silver foil on Cpu copper heatsink?

hi all...need some advice,

i stripped my notebook (for the cpu upgrade) and removed the cpu copper heatsink.
i found a layer of something i could only say looks like a sheet of aluminium or tin foil on the base of the copper that sits between the heatsink and cpu, but i could also see faintly a little paste like artic silver.

i want to apply some artic silver 5 compound but the foil stumped me and i wanted second opinion?

should i remove the silver paper if removable and clean with artic silver cleaning solutions 1+2 and re-apply artic silver5 or leave it.

any suggestions as to what the foil is if anybody has seen it before and whether it okay to remove?

i was expecting some thermal paste or a thermal pad but found the silver sheet so thats why i ask.

thanks

 

My guess is that silver foil has been put as a non-stick barrier over a layer of thermal compound. Normally, reflective foil is used as aprt of insulating materials because the shiny syrface does not radiate heat and reflects it back.

Since you have some Arctic Silver ready, I would clean the CPU down to the surface and the AS. Note that you only need a very thin layer of thermal compound - enough to fill the gaps between the two surfaces. If there is more then it starts to act as an insulator. Perhaps the reason you see only a thin layer of compound below the foil is that is sufficient to work properly.

John

 

cheers for that

needed a second opinion cuz of the foil so thankyou for the advice.

 

Yeah,remove it,clean it with alcohol,put AS paste,and enjoy your new temps..