Heatsink is too loose with thermal tape removed. Help?

I’ve recently installed a GlobalWin CAK4-88T to a Pentium 3 (800EB) socket 370 and was surprised that there was give between the sink and the die. The sink will rotate slightly clockwise and anti-clockwise. Obviously this is going to compromise cooling and I’m not sure how to proceed from here? It was previously installed on an Athlon and the thermal tape was very indented by the AMD die so the tape was removed. I’m assuming that the removal of the tape has caused the problem or maybe it’s something else? The Globalwin is rated for use with S370 as well as SoA, so no problem there.

I noticed that the diagram of the heatsink labels the tape as Protection Tape rather than a thermal pad. It also shows that thermal paste should be used on top of the tape so it seems as if the tape is a necessary part of the unit. Any thoughts?

I put Arctic Silver on the die prior to installation and the only other solution I can think of is it to use a thermal pad. How much difference in temperature might I expect between AS and a thermal pad? I’d rather not have to even buy a pack of thermal pads so is there another solution to this problem? The only brand that I’ve seen advertised are ShinEtsu although I’m not sure if they’re the right type?

The system is currently running in the mid 30s at idle and up to 41C under full load over a short period. I don’t run full load for extended periods.
I’ll be removing the stock thermally controlled fan and replacing it with another 80 mm unit of much lower power and noise. Then I’ll let Speedfan control the fan speed which means I will passively cool the CPU up to say 50 or 55 C and then let the fan gradually kick in. Obviously passively cooling the die under moderate loads is going to require a good contact to keep the temps down.

Thanks

Smiling Crow

My coolermaster HS was that way to, it would move slightly when I twisted it, it is really is not a problem, those temps look fine for the cooler you are using, you could bend the clip on each side up slightly, and then it should have a little more pressure, if you dont want to do that it should be fine. A pad will raise your temps by around 5°C, so that wouldnt be that good, you could get one and try it to see, but I am pretty sure it will be worse.

Thanks for the input,

I think I’ll wait until I’ve settled on my optimum cooling solution regarding fans and then check the temps. I can compare it with a Golden Orb to get an idea of how they both work as passive heastinks. It makes sense to do that as I bought it to replace the Orb anyway. The Globalwin takes an 80 mm fan so even if the heatsinks working passively are similar I’ll be happy with it.

Crow

You should not use both a thermal pad and thermal paste, that's always a no-no.

The most obvious solution to the slightly loose heatsink is to bend the retention clip a bit so that it will push the sink down more. Even though your current temperatures may not be disastrous, it may be possible to improve upon them without investment, which is always a good thing. Replacing the paste by a thick pad will only impair temperatures (even if only slightly), and this will incur an extra cost at no gain as well.

Thanks FIZZ3,

I agree that a pad plus grease seems nonsensical. They may name it a safety pad but it'll still need to conduct. I wonder if it's a hangover from the days when soA chips were dying when certain heatsinks were roughly installed?

I guess I'll need to do some clip bending if the temps don't look good. I'm a little spooked by that after reading the reports way back on flip chip CPUs dying quite easily. Micron by micron I guess

New case fan coming tomorrow so I can get to grips with temps.

Cheers

Crow