AS5 Help

I have orderd some AS5, but i have a question as to how to apply it. YES! I have taken the time to look at the Artic Silver website as to how to apply it and i have usd the forum search. But i sttill have one question. In the instruction site of Artic Silvers website it tells me to place a small amount of AS on the heatsink then take some of it and place it on the cpu, then spread it out. Next i am told to rub the remainder of the thermal grease that is on the heatsink and then to take it off. But in the same step it tells you that you do need to do the Tinting Stage of AS5 due to its better flowing. However this has lead me to be confushed as to what is the tinting stage. Do i still need to place some AS5 on the heatsink, or do i not need to? Thanks for your help.

no you don't need to, but it *might* help, i used ceramique because it is easier to clean up and i only got a 1c increase with as5, i don't rub mine into the base, i never really got an increase in performance with it. but try it out accople times and see what works...

Well, now i do not think that i need to. When i go my cpu out of the box (i got the retail one new hs/f comming soon) i found that the Heatsink had some kind of silver thermal pad, now i know that while it may be better than the white gloop, it is not as good as artic silver. When all my other parts come i will clean off the pad, and place some AS5 on the core, this is because the Heatsink is Tinited for me, the idea of tinting is to full the microscopic valleys, well they have been filled my the pad that is on there. Thanks for your help.

When I applied AS5, I put it on the heatsink first, then realized "Oh, they don't want me to do that". But the AS website is a paradox.

"Do not apply AS directly to the CPU..." But by the way, don't tint with AS5.

This rates a WTF, mate?

I guess that i will put it on a bit of paper or something, it is annoying they do not tell you what is tinting or what steps it is.

The tinting process is the act of adding a bit of AS to your heatsink, rubbing it into the heatsink, and then wiping off the excess so that the bottom of the sink is "tinted" a different color with the AS. The site does tell you what the steps are... they just don't define the word "tinting".

Well, it certainly won't hurt to tint your heatsink with AS5... I did, they're just saying you don't need to. And you cannot assume your sink is tinted because of the cheap thermal pad that came with the stock sink... prior to using AS5 you would need to completely clean that old pad off with alcohol.

The main thing to remember with AS5 is "less is more". In other words, use the absolute least amount you can... the thinner the layer, the better. I don't care for the "1/2 grain of rice on the CPU die" method... I prefer to spread a very thin layer on the CPU die with a razor blade.

My temp droped about 1C by tinting.