Hi there, I am the owner of a Dell Dimension 5150C. It's a small super compact mini tower server. Recently it has taken to speeding up its only fan to very high revs. The same fan cools the cpu heatsink and the main enclosure. The fan goes into hyperdrive mode. Very hi speed and very loud. I assumed therefore that the processor was overheating. I removed the heatsink assembly in the hope of finding it (or the fan) clogged with dust. But both are clear. Now the sink assembly is spring loaded by screwing it down on top of the cpu. There is some thermal material between the copper bottom surface of the heatsink and the top of the CPU. Looks a bit like blue tack!! So, to my question please. When I replace the sink I think I should refresh/renew the thermal material. But what is it? Where would I get some? Do I need to refresh it? The Dell site service manual tells me not to touch it and (by implication) I should just reuse it - I have of course touched it!! Any comments, advice, help appreciated. Ger
The stuff you are needing is thermal grease. You can usually find it at any computer store or online store. It is usually with all the fans and heatsinks. You DEFINITELY need to change it. Make sure to clean off all the old before applying the new. Be careful though and do not touch your CPU without being grounded. The price varies but is usually about 5-10 dollars. Good Luck!
to clean use Q-tip and alchohol place only a drop on the center of the processor...if you use too much it'll be everywhere
