Intel P4 vs AMD

If you go to the web site you will note that the core contact to the heat sink was much smaller then. That was because they show pictures of Athlons and thoroughbreds which have very small cores in the center of the die, so a drop would be enough. If you went beyond that small center core then you might accidentally create a circuit between open contact points. The new AMD cores cover the entire die with a metal plate so you can cover it entirely with thermal paste which shold be Arctic Silver 5.

 

You need to contact Arctic Silver and tell them about the flaw in their directions, so they can correct it. I wanted full coverage of the spreader plate for insurance, so the way I did it insured that. I'll continue as in the past. I can afford a bit more thermal compound as compared to a fried CPU. However, the picture of the newer Intel spreader looked identical to the spreader on my CPU which is a P4. The AS5 didn't go to the outer edge. Like I said, I prefer full coverage, so I use extra.

 

Use as much as you need. They'll make more.
I use plenty. Don't want any bare spots on the core.

 

The guys at AS should give us free samples for that type of promotion. LOL Use it up, they'll make more.

 

Get them while they are hot!!! The Opteron 175 is now going for $514 (USD) at Newegg. This is the box version with cooler and 3 year warranty. Must be a sale as the CPU by itself with a 30 day exchange policy warranty is $514. [bold]They are in stock.[/bold] Check it out at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103584

I want one but it is going to have to wait. I am moving at the end of the month, closer to the train so what with deposits, etc. I just can't do it for a couple of weeks. Oh well, the Athlon64x2 4400+ is down to $466 so at least the prices are starting to come down. Saw a sale at Newegg yesterday for the XFX 7800GT/256DDR3 for $269 so they are coming down too

Happy Trails
theonejrs

 

Theonejrs

The 939 opterons are being discontinued.

brobear, this is what they were talking about when they said drop.






Note the little core contact in the center, eveything eles is siliccon.


AMD continued to have that kind of core through to the Athlon Barton Cores and Intel until the end of the PIII (I don't know about the early P4's).

 

Sophocles
Here's what they meant by a BB sized drop. The picture is the heat spreader on the back of a P4 and they mention the same process for the Athlon 64 with slightly more compound. I still prefer Donald's plan, use it all. LOL I like being sure the entire spreader is covered, same as you mentioned.
___________________

 

Oh yeah, don't get me started on applying thermal compound, that really ticked me off. I kept getting a bit out in a slither that proceeded to lean on the side of the CPU die and not stay on the die itself. Very frustrating. I do wonder whether i used enough as I can still push 60C in heavy load uses. But hey, the system reached 77.5 once with the stock heatsink (before I added more case fans and changed the case, but after I added the X800PRO and the RAM) so that's still about a 16C improvement.

939 may be a socket that's soon to be superceded but it'll be around for a long while yet, 754 hasn't gone yet and won't for a while, it's currently the Sempron64 platform. The only thing is that AM2 will be the only socket to support DDR2, which blows unless I get an AM2 system. If they're not out soon enough then I'll just have to settle without.

 

What were you using? The AS5 we're talking about hear is tacky and stays where you put it. It's not difficult to spread with a plastic card or flat razor blade. I'm so dangerous with sharp objects, I opted for plastic.

 

I managed to move it alright, but when it came out it always wanted to stay there. It wasn't Arctic Silver, it was by Arctic cooling but came free with the Copper Silent2l heatsink, I think it's a ceramic compound. I used, like somebody told me, I forget whom, a (well series of) cotton wool bud, like the ones you clean out your ears with (a clean one! ))

 

brobear

I will continue to do it my way, it offers better coverage and a better seal. I've been doing it that way long before Arctic silver 3 or 5 existed and every experienced builder that I know does it the same way I do as well. I think that they're just trying to make the instructions moron proof so that careless users won't use too much and cause it to create a circuit.

 

A circuit? Another one? I assume you mean a short. Nasty things those.

 

Sammoris

You're right, the 939 will probably be around for a while, it's the 939 Opterons that are disappearing and being replaced by socket 940. Rumor has it that they made the Opteron 939 series too good.

 

sammorris

A circuit can be a short, in fact I believe that the word short is short for short circuit. lol

 

It even has its own spot in the dictionary as short-circuit, it's one of those hyphenated words. Those familiar with electronics take the meaning from context. As Sophocles stated, it could form a circuit (an unwanted one which could become a short-circuit). And a short is a circuit with a name, short-circuit. How's that for semantics? LOL

Sophocles, as I mentioned, I opt for full coverage as well. Part of the application method would depend on what I'm using and where. A smooth, thin layer on a P4 spreader works well with the AS5 and the finished heatsinks that fit flush. Using something like the thinner GEIL copper/silver compound, I'd put a layer on both surfaces to insure good coverage. Guess I'm like some of those custom builders, I trust the AS5 to do the job. I may eventually use the GEIL on something that's low heat and no worries about it getting too hot. I got the big tube of AS5, so I'm not likely to run out any time soon.

Sophocles, heres some interesting info on AS5. It uses 99.9 per cent pure silver, but the silver content would less because of the other conductive filler and the suspension accounts for a percentage of weight as well. I wonder what the actual percentage of silver is by weight in the AS5 compound. That's one piece of info they don't advertise very well. That 99.9 per cent pure silver sounds great though. http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm

[bold]High-Density:
Arctic Silver 5 contains over 88% thermally Conductive filler by weight. In addition to micronized silver, Arctic Silver 5 also contains sub-micron zinc oxide, aluminum oxide and boron nitride particles. These thermally-enhanced ceramic particles improve the compound's performance and long-term stability[/bold]

 

Another point that I'm going to make for the benefit of others. Your heatsink is going to come with a little heat pad on it, be sure to scrape it off with an old credit card and then clean it well before applying AS5, a good coating makes for better cooling.

 

I mentioned cleaning both surfaces, but I didn't make a point of informing the novices on using a razor blade or card to remove old material. Makes the cleaning easier. Guess I should have added emphasis. Then using alcohol or acetone to finish cleaning and to prep the surfaces is a good idea. I'd like to emphasize that and the following. One doesn't want oil of any sort on the heat spreader or heatsink surfaces, that includes greasy fingerprints. Never use any oil based cleaners, like WD-40 or citrus oil. Oil gets into the metal pores and lessens the ability to dissipate heat.

I edited the last post, some info on silver content in AS5, not 99.9%, that is the percentage of purity for the silver used, whatever the percentage is by weight. Anybody know where they put those figures? [bold]What is the silver content percentage by weight in AS5?[/bold]

 

I think that I read an article a while back that has it being about 93%, that's why it's such a stiff grayish muck but I can't say for sure.

 

From the wording of the AS statement it would fall less than 88%. I'm just curious why AS doesn't advertise the silver by weight like the other suppliers do.
Some of the other materials would add to the gray color as well as the silver. AS5 is one of the best thick, plus workable compounds. That's what makes it tops as well as being one of, if not the best at conducting heat. I'm not likely to use anything else on a PC I work on unless someone comes up with something better, which I haven't seen. As I said, I have a good supply laid in as well. LOL

 

To: Theonejrs-
You can get the x2 4400+ on monarchcomputer.com for 469.74 and free shipping. On Monarchcomputer.com the 3800+ is only 299 and about 3 dollars for the fed ex express saver shipping. Can you say I will go to dual core.