Should I lap an SK6 HS?

[train22]

what'cha think?

[Richard]

Sure. Why not?

If at the very least you'll have a nicely prepared surface for the arctic silver. (Removing any oils from the machining process.)

[train22]

doesn't it have to be supersmooth though? to transfer as much heat as possible? Because even with the finest sandpaper you would only hurt the copper surface rather than help it.

[wildbilly2k]

you should if it really bad cause my friend got an sk6 and it was lapped already i wish he remebered where he got it. it was polished and everything but if u get one that isnt it is usally very rough and will need a little lappyijng but not that bad. here is some advice take your heatsink down to the hardware store and if they display the sand paper use each grid by 200 all the way up to the highest they have. it is better than buying all that sand papaer.

[outhouse]

nope theres two thoughts on this, one it must be polished to a mirror shine so that there is more contact between the HS and the CPU, and two you must leave it a little rough so that the thermal compound can fill in the small hills and valleys so that it can do its job to its fullest potential. Heres the thing there both rite and results only depends on who's doing it as everyone gets different results. Here's a story one guy just polishes first no lapping and gets his best results after lapping with 600 and 1500 grit his temps are equal but still 1C hotter then just the polish, but if his HS was not flat on bottom polish would not have helped
OH and theres the chance that he lapped incorrectly and thats why his temps came out that way.


rite now the the best bet is to lapp to make sure everything is perfectly flat as far as what grit you want to lapp too the choice is yours but the minimum should be 600 and the most 1500. Well if this is too much for you just throw it on and enjoy as youve made a good choice on a HSF.

[train22]

Nothing is too much, the more the funner, but the question you have broadend remains, I think that if I wash it with alcohol and use some thermal compound on both the cpu and the HS it will be just as good, wouldn't it? sanding might even increase my chance of bumping in a curve and thereby UNfaltening it, lol. Parden my sloppy english this evening.

[Richard]

If the surface of the heatsink looks poorly machined (Golden Orbs were notoriously bad) then yes lapping will make a difference. If on the other hand the surface is quite smooth (Alpha PEP66) then lapping isn't likely to be a significant boon.

It all depends on the heatsink.



Originally posted by train22
Nothing is too much, the more the funner, but the question you have broadend remains, I think that if I wash it with alcohol and use some thermal compound on both the cpu and the HS it will be just as good, wouldn't it? sanding might even increase my chance of bumping in a curve and thereby UNfaltening it, lol. Parden my sloppy english this evening.

[train22]

you wouldn't happen to be able to compare the SK6 to this, that would just solve my problem but sience I don't know how either of those feel... you get the point...

[jbslow]

Originally posted by Richard
If the surface of the heatsink looks poorly machined (Golden Orbs were notoriously bad) then yes lapping will make a difference. If on the other hand the surface is quite smooth (Alpha PEP66) then lapping isn't likely to be a significant boon.

It all depends on the heatsink.


Look at your sk6 and then you decide.

I took mine off and there was a visible seem running right through the center where the core contacted my sk6 there was also a few minor scuffs. Needless to say I needed to lap mine so I got some 2000 grit sand paper and did a wet sand until both the seem and the scuffs were gone , low and behold I got a 2c improvement.

[Cocytus]

Ya a friend of mine had the same problem on his sk6 so he sanded it down and got about the same results. I wonder if he got his from the same batch that you did.