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    Tape on NP-8170 CPU Heatsink?

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by nickwolf333, May 22, 2012.

  1. nickwolf333

    nickwolf333 Notebook Enthusiast

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    My CPU's heatsink has a square of black tape on it that's the length and width of the whole CPU, with a rectangular area cut out to accomodate the pasting area. Has anyone else seen this on their heatsink, and if so would this be electrical tape or thermal tape? My GPU heatsink is nothing but straight copper, so I don't understand the purpose of this. Even if most of the head comes from the die, wouldn't this just trap the heat if it was electric tape?
     
    nickwolf333, May 22, 2012
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  2. MrDJ

    MrDJ Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    hi nick
    any chance of uploading a picture.
    im guessing its the same as some of the older models which also had the same black plastic covering one of the fan vents on the base plate.
    quite a few members removed this but it turned out it was for compelling the air around the innards of the lappy's and a few started getting raised temperatures.
     
    MrDJ, May 22, 2012
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  3. Tmets

    Tmets De-evolving to Amoeba

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    It could be insulating tape, so the part of the heatsink not in contact with the top of the cpu doesn't contact any other components. Whatever it is, I'd leave it.
     
    Tmets, May 22, 2012
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  4. Heihachi_1337

    Heihachi_1337 Notebook Deity

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    that tape is there to protect the rest of the CPU to try and prevent thermal paste from getting all over anything other than the contact area of the CPU.

    Some thermal pastes are semi-conductive and that tape is there to prevent the thermal paste from possibly shorting anything out.

    I would just leave it on there, it only helps.
     
    Heihachi_1337, May 22, 2012
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  5. nickwolf333

    nickwolf333 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have some spare thermal tape here, and the thermal paste I have for the CPU is IC Diamond. Since there's no risk of a short from that paste, and the thermal tape would draw heat away from the CPU as well as cover up a fan vent if it's there, would it be possible to replace the black tape with the thermal tape?
     
    nickwolf333, May 22, 2012
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  6. Tmets

    Tmets De-evolving to Amoeba

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    Can't see the point. The heatsink is meant to conduct the heat to the fans to be extracted. Any thermal tape on the underside of the heatsink wouldn't assist that at all.
     
    Tmets, May 22, 2012
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  7. nickwolf333

    nickwolf333 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I had thought using that would draw any heat to the heatsink that wasn't already being conducted there by the paste. Oh well, at least it only cost $2.50.
     
    nickwolf333, May 22, 2012
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  8. Tmets

    Tmets De-evolving to Amoeba

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    Thing is, the metal of the heatsink conducts better than any paste or tape, so it's best when you have as much metal contacting the die as possible. the paste just fills in the gaps. The metal of the heatsink outside that area is more than enough to do it's job.
     
    Tmets, May 22, 2012
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