Best way to apply thermal compound

So i am used to applying thermal compound to desktop pcs by applying a very thin layer over the processor. I did this on 2 toughbooks and the temperatures at idle are around 50ish and when browsing the internet they occasionally go up to the 80s and sometimes 90. Notebook hardware control gives me a warning. I then tried the big drop of compound in the middle and it seems to give similar results none the less.

I am using artic silver 5, also which is the processor chip, the square or the rectangular chip?

 

The black rectangular chip is the CPU. Follow guide as per AS5 instructions

 

You do not use very much. You can put a small drop on the mount and then spread it with a credit card, taking off almost all of it. All you are really trying to do is fill in the surface irregularities that are really invisible to see.

 

Watch this vid for different application techniques and to see which way gets the least air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4

 

One drop in the middle. Sqwash the heat sink onto the CPU and attach it. Power it up and let it run a while. If you use good stuff like ARTIC SILVER it will flow evenly once the heat kicks in from the CPU and it will spread out and you will be golden!! =]

 

@ xboxhaxorz

Could you post the model that you are working on
Most toughbooks require a thermal pad type
If by chance you have removed the stock pad and are only using thermal grease, because of the large gap that thermal grease will not bridge you are going to be in trouble


Alex

 

yes that is the issue i believe i am having. since the heatsink technically is the lid and there is a big gap. i did remove the thermal pad, since thats usually the course of action i take when upgrading thermal compound.

i have a cf 29 mk3 and mk4 i upgraded the compound on.

 

Read this thread for the part number for the pads you need
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=470107
A copper shim might work as well, it has not been tried ,but is a common way of reducing temperatures


Alex

 

Alex is referring you to the thread I put together, the correct pads are $4.77 x 2 plus $25 shipping from Heartland.

I ordered (4) sets and will only need (2). If you PM me your address I can mail you a pair as a way of saying thanks to this forum for helping me.

 

thanks, son of a gun though $25 shipping. will post in the other thread now.

 

A few words of warning:

Using silver impregnated thermal compound on processors without a metal can (the ones with exposed processor dies - essentially ALL the processor types shown in the AS5 instructions - CAN result in capacitive interference caused by the compound. For these processors I ALWAYS recommend a ceramic based high-density thermal compound, just as insurance.

Another thing to remember;
The high-density thermal compounds like AS5 and AS Ceramique tend to be very thick, almost a clay-like consistency. You will waste a LOT of it before you learn the techniques they suggest in that guide; however, if you simply follow their recommendations for the amount to place on the center of the processor die and then install the heat sink carefully without spreading it, you will NOT harm your processor, and once it has been running a few hours (or if you just let it sit for a day or two before turning it on) the compound will flow as intended and you will not have to worry about "doing it wrong".

Also, take their warnings about skin cells and body oil with a grain of salt; remember, this product is just another kind of oil mixed with particles 100 times larger than any skin cell. Sure, you don't want to leave that chunk of skin that got sliced off by sharp edges on a heat sink; but don't be afraid of breathing on it either.

The bottom line is this stuff really only makes a big difference in cases where the existing cooling solution is marginal to begin with. If the device is designed right, you can smear peanut butter in there and it will still stay cool; I've done this as a demonstration in one of my Electronics Engineering classes.

(EDIT) BTW - Speaking as an Engineer who has designed such things; many processors out there really ARE VERY POORLY DESIGNED as far as proper thermal dissipation; they are instead designed for least cost per unit above all else. In particular I'm referring to the above mentioned processors with exposed processor dies. Typically, they present approximately 1/2 to 1/4 the surface area of similar wattage devices used in a power switching environment; they simply rely on oversized cooling devices to make it work. So NO, don't put peanut butter on your processor and crank it up an extra Ghz just to have an excuse to yell at me... I'll still call you an idiot.

mnem
glop.

 

you can smear peanut butter in there.


mmmmmmmm....peanut butter. Does this mean we can now eat our Toughbooks?

 

Well... I suppose you can gnaw on them a little... I dunno if that magnesium content is good for ya tho.

mnem
Don't try this at home, kids. Or anywhere else either.

 

I would recommend against trying to eliminate these thick thermal pads by using a copper shim; they are there for a reason. The design of these laptops has cooling surfaces for the processors sandwiched between the top and bottom halves of the computer case, making them essentially a couple of big chunks of magnesium-aluminum alloy with your CPU in between.

This metal has a LARGE thermal expansion coefficient; if conventional surface-to-surface mounting was used on the heat sinks, you'd run the risk of that metal expanding enough to produce crushing force against your CPU core.

In other words, RUBBER PAD MAKE CPU NOT GO CRUNCH.

mnem
Thermal.