Tin foil

deeman · Jul 2, 2003

i just recently took off all the factory thermal goop off my hsf and tested to see what temps i would get it sat around 30/50 idle without it so then i got thinking what might work in place of it and came accross the idea of tin foil my buddy runs a flat penny so i thought what the hell i will try tin foil so i cut a square of heavy duty foil and attached it between hs and cpu shiny side up of course, now my temps are 29/42 using mbm5 and it has been on for 2 days straight, i have seen it go to 30/51 after playing gta3 for 3 hours but have to say im impressed at what a little piece of tin foil can do.

AlucardCasull · Jul 2, 2003

thats pretty interesting, ill have to try that when i toss my burnt out volcano 7+

deeman · Jul 2, 2003

Remember to use heavy duty stuff it is a little thicker but just as flexible and shiny up

Damian · Jul 2, 2003

Yeah, I was always wondering about using metal instead of thermal paste... why not go to the next step and use lithium, sodium or maybe even potassium and somehow find a way to suspend everything in oil?

Or are these metals still too hard to reliably make them mold into the shapes of the microscopic pits of the die/heatsink?

juliendogg · Jul 2, 2003

Or are these metals still too hard to reliably make them mold into the shapes of the microscopic pits of the die/heatsink?

bingo! i would have expected the aluminum foil to raise your temps. so i for one am surprised. i suppose if you lapped both the sink and the core well.. but any pits will contain insulating air pockets. interesting to say the least.

J.

k3nshin · Jul 2, 2003

yeh you would have to put them in oil as they are reactive, but they have been using metal, they have silver in some thermal paste.

Damian · Jul 2, 2003

juliendogg said:
bingo! i would have expected the aluminum foil to raise your temps. so i for one am surprised. i suppose if you lapped both the sink and the core well.. but any pits will contain insulating air pockets. interesting to say the least.

J.

Yes, but I'm talking about Group IA metals... these are so soft that they can be cut with a butter knife.

deeman · Jul 2, 2003

that was my thought when i started that it wouldnt make any difference in my high temps or maybe it would make it even hotter so needless to say i was pleasantly surprised.

deeman · Jul 2, 2003

i am looking for a copper foil now, i seen a roll when we installed the candy line(creamy lifesavers) at Kraft but i dont know what they used it for. Anybody got any ideas??

Damian · Jul 2, 2003

Copper might be too hard to work reliably...

Unless you're doing this for the sake of experimentation, stick to Arctic Silver III or Ceramique.

deeman · Jul 2, 2003

Damian said:
Copper might be too hard to work reliably...

Unless you're doing this for the sake of experimentation, stick to Arctic Silver III or Ceramique.

Ya thats all it is curiosity, want to see if i can find a no mess replacement to goops without spending money

Sterculus · Jul 2, 2003

Hmmmm, I would have expected the opposite. Interesting experiment though. How flat is your heatsink? Try lapping it really fine, as that may help this method more.

srs · Jul 2, 2003

I'm having a crazy thought. What about several layers of gold leaf? It can be had at craft stores for next to nothing.

deeman · Jul 2, 2003

Sterculus said:
Hmmmm, I would have expected the opposite. Interesting experiment though. How flat is your heatsink? Try lapping it really fine, as that may help this method more.

It is intel stockhsf so lapping would probally help lots there is a silver sticker on the bottom of the hs havent wanted to remove it as of yet just put tinfoil between it and cpu i think the hs is pure aluminium as it is super light i and dont see any copper anywhere on it so a copper one would probally be even better

Ffats · Jul 2, 2003

deeman said:
i am looking for a copper foil now, i seen a roll when we installed the candy line(creamy lifesavers) at Kraft but i dont know what they used it for. Anybody got any ideas??

Um... Copper Foil wouldn't be on candy... Its called painting the wrapper.

deeman · Jul 2, 2003

Ffats said:
Um... Copper Foil wouldn't be on candy... Its called painting the wrapper.

The roll wasnt for candy wrap it was in the machine shop at the plant dont know what they used it for. Would like to get some to try though had the same consistency as tinfoil

modenaf1 · Jul 2, 2003

what if you had a way to melt the tin foil on there so it would work like thermal past and fill in the litte itty bitty pits. but you would have to attache the hs really really really quikly though.

Gautam · Jul 2, 2003

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=210833

Excelsior · Jul 2, 2003

Actually aluminum foil has intersting properties... crumble up some foill... unwravel it and use the back of your finger nail going on it it will make it more or less flat... and smooth.. it might possibly be filling those thermal gaps because of the weight of the sink. Intersitng.

Caffinehog · Jul 2, 2003

Damian said:
Yes, but I'm talking about Group IA metals... these are so soft that they can be cut with a butter knife.

They will also react away with a little oxygen in about 2 days. And if you get a drop of water on them, you will get a fire.

What's more likely is an amalgam: An alloy that is liquid at or slightly above room temperature. Mercury or gallium can be used in these. Gallium, though, will oxidize in a few weeks, and mercury is toxic. Of course you COULD go with a bismuth alloy... And there's nothing wrong with that idea.
Try doing a web search for low melting point alloys. Some melt at about 45C.

Tin foil

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