SLK lapping question

stan03 · Jul 27, 2003

Ok when i peeled off the protective plastic for the bottom of my SLK i could see machine marks and ridges, if I ran my nail across it the short way i could feel ridges, is that bad? Does it mean im going to have to lap it?

fletch · Jul 27, 2003

Mine had the ridges too. I just went ahead and lapped it to be safe, and it's running great.

Nasdaq · Jul 27, 2003

I bought a SK-7 and when I peeled off the protective plastic it left all the sticky material on the bottom. I removed it using nail polish remover but I did not lap it. Will I really see a difference in temps?

System I'm building:
AMD 1700+ T'bred "B"
SK-7 w/ TT Smart Fan II
Ceramique

drshivas · Jul 27, 2003

Same here. I got my slk800a and it had the biggest ridges I've seen on a HS. I just lapped it to a dull mirror-like finish, and it works great. I am actually surprised that they ship with such a rough surface.

drshivas · Jul 27, 2003

Yes, probably. Check out these pages. They all have a good description of how lapping helps. There is some conflicting advice, so I'd say read it all and figure out what is best for you. BTW, you can get the 3M wet/dry sandpaper at an auto parts store. There might even be a multi-pack with all the grits you need.

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=208940&highlight=slk800+lapping

http://overclockersclub.com/guides/heatsinklappingguide.php

http://www.systemcooling.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=449

stan03 · Jul 27, 2003

well you see, i can still see myself in the reflection, thats why im confused, and the the ridges are also in "(" shape. So I really don't know if this is normal... i heard some had really bad ridges, and some you could see your own reflection, but mine has both.... some im lost

WhiteHawk · Jul 27, 2003

having a shiny finish does NOT mean that it is flat. i say lap it, and it really doesnt matter if it comes to a shiny finish.

stan03 · Jul 27, 2003

ok, so its just bad that i can feel grooves huh?

Ciffer · Jul 27, 2003

what you have on your hs is milling marks that are left from a mill which is what is used to machine the hs surface flat, if you can feel the ridges i would polish the hs, if you can see them but not feel them polishing won't do much but it might help a little.

WhiteHawk · Jul 27, 2003

i hope you dont mean polish by rubbing something on the heatsink to make it shine. that can hinder heat transfer.

stan03 · Jul 27, 2003

oh i can feel them, i can see and feel them

Strida · Jul 27, 2003

Point is to get the most surface area of the HS touching the CPU core. This being so, it doesn't matter if it is shiny as much as smooth, so even if the ridges are amazingly mirror finished, you still need to lap so that there are no ridges at all.

My SLK 900 had lots of ridges as well, and it only took a good 15 minutes of lapping to get rid of them, so I wasn't too dissapointed. I was going to lap it regardless of the finish, heh.

WhiteHawk · Jul 27, 2003

lap it then

stan03 · Jul 27, 2003

lapping it is, thanks all

Yodums · Jul 27, 2003

It should help since you won't need any thermal paste to transfer heat inbetween those small ridges of a heatsink, instead it'll be the copper doing the job.

I usually just lap it anyways just to be on the safe side especially if it comes with those protective plastic coverings on the base.

Strida · Jul 27, 2003

Even if it is perfectly lapped, I would always use the paste, as what it is for is to fill in microscopic ridges in the heatsink, in fact, it was never meant to have anything to do with the giant ridges we are talking about. It is impossible to lap it well enough with sandpaper to completely reduce the need for a paste of some sort, even cheap heatsinks use those pads to fill in the small gaps (though they usually hurt more than help).

nerdlogic · Jul 28, 2003

Well, yeah, you definitely need thermal compound to keep good heat transfer going on. I felt those exact same ridge on mine, each 1mm deep. I lapped it, since I was going to do it anyway, but If wasn't going to lap it to begin with, I'd have lapped it after feeling those ridges because there is no way I'm putting a HS with that finish on my CPU!

scoobiedoo · Jul 28, 2003

umm...my personal stance on thermalright hsf's...lap them.

starting from my first sk6 to the my now current hsf sk-800a.

These hs's no matter which one i had, were a little concaved, so even if i had a good polish the the base of them i found that the concave was causing the hs not to set all the way onto the core.

But of course that's nothing a little 'elbow grease' couldn't take care of.

BTW....has anyone seen the folding section? I seem to be lost

scoobie

Drinyth · Jul 28, 2003

Definite lapping. The more copper you have touching the core directly, the better. Otherwise, you'll have to depend on your thermal paste to transfer heat for you where there are gaps and that isn't as efficient as direct contact.

I too had a badly machined SLK-800. I was much happier with my heatsink post lapping.

Nanidin · Jul 28, 2003

I hope I don't get a badly machined HS. I plan on using thermal paste, are you sure that lapping will help even with paste?

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