View Full Version : My insulation of annoying LGA775 24/7 (56k warn)
Nothing fancy...I was just switching CPU's in my daily driver today and thought I'd snap some pics of how it looks like under the hood in case it might help someone. I've been running like this for 9 months straight 24/7, so you know it works. Overkill, perhaps, messy, definitely, but it gives peace of mind. This is the Asus P5W-DH, one of the first boards to give LGA775 insulation such a bad name.
This is how I started out. This is all Armaflex tape, which is very similar to soft neoprene with an adhesive backing. You can cut it easily to any desired shape. As you can see, I cut it to fit some of the capacitors, and then stuck it on the board. Two layers, 1/8" apiece. I left the inductors and mosfets above alone, as they get hot while running and shouldn't be insulated. Everyone knows I'm a big fan of grease, and I gooped up the socket good with Vaseline. However, I didn't directly put much on the board itself.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gautamb/insulation1.JPG
Pictured below is a 1/4" neoprene sheet, cut to fit the socket and allowing for the evaporator head. It goes above armaflex layer in the last post. Never mind all the imprints; they're only there because this gasket is already used.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gautamb/insulation2.JPG
And this is how it looks flipped over and placed on top of the armaflex layer, with the CPU installed. The opening allows the evaporator head to touch the CPU, while blocking everything else for an airtight fit.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gautamb/insulation3.JPG
Nice job Guatam :thup:
Good pics, I definitely had to think it over when trying to insulate my P5W-DH.
Messy, but gets the job done and thats all that matters :)
Jame Gumb
05-03-07, 11:40 PM
Approximately how much grease is that, Gautam?
I need to go through w/ the extra effort like this w/ my P5WD2. Too much sweating under there.
||Console||
05-03-07, 11:48 PM
I really do need to do some reading on insulation before I get my ss this summer . I have tryed reading about phase chaneg systems but I im the type of person that needs it in front of me to get it totaly . I saw a friend use Vaseline but with a tec and the Vaseline got runny and ran down the board . Was that because of the hot side of the tec does this not happen with a ss ( i dont mean a hot side i jsut mean it run down ) ?
Approximately how much grease is that, Gautam?
I need to go through w/ the extra effort like this w/ my P5WD2. Too much sweating under there.
Hey, nice to see you around again. :) The grease isn't nearly as bad as it looks. I always fill the socket up, and IMHO, this is sort of a necessary step with LGA775 for 24/7 usage. Otherwise corrosion is pretty likely on the pins and backside of CPU. Besides that its just a very thin layer on all the insulation just for peace of mind. Not fully necessary. Filling any cracks though is advisable.
I really do need to do some reading on insulation before I get my ss this summer . I have tryed reading about phase chaneg systems but I im the type of person that needs it in front of me to get it totaly . I saw a friend use Vaseline but with a tec and the Vaseline got runny and ran down the board . Was that because of the hot side of the tec does this not happen with a ss ( i dont mean a hot side i jsut mean it run down ) ?
I know watcha mean. It won't be bad at all once you get one.
Vaseline is always what I swear by. Liquid chilling, direct-die, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen...I use it for all of the above and have never had a problem. Never have used a TEC before though. I think you might be right about the hot side. Vaseline doesn't get thin unless its heated. When its cold, it just hardens a bit. When I have some around the mosfets it sometimes "runs," but that's why I don't put it there any more. If its running it means its getting hot and shouldn't be there anyways. In the case of a TEC it should only be very close to the CPU/GPU I'll bet since the temps aren't all that low.
greenmaji
05-05-07, 01:42 AM
Rock on Gautam! :thup:
well done man.that helps me to understand the mounting/insulating process alot better.now if i can just get the nerve up to actually try it myself :/ is it essentially the same with a tec?
Wow, that's pretty crazy, I'm scared to water cool let alone slather my P5B in Vaseline.
It sure does look messy 2 questions how do you clean the vaseline out of the socket and what do you use.
||Console||
05-08-07, 11:58 AM
Y would you take it out =)
Drinkyoghurt
05-08-07, 12:03 PM
lol when i looked at the first pic at first i thought your board and cpu had melted :P, then i looked a bit better and noticed the mounting hardware :P
deathman20
05-08-07, 12:11 PM
Man thats messy, defiantly cool though. BTW I think you got a little dust there on the heat sinks you might want to clean out ;)
Y would you take it out =)
When its time to change boards, i change mine every 8 months.
Acetone and a toothbrush is what I use. However you can never get the socket fully clean unless you're a nut. The only place its actually messy is just in the socket, but I feel its kind of necessary to have it gooped up. Too many tales of corrosion etc.
How do you do yours vento? The Commando is way easier which is why I pictured the P5W. :p
so let me get this straight...
YOU WANT VASOLINE IN THE SOCKET???
i would think that would mess up something
When i had my Abit AW9D-max i also filled the socket with vaseline but i did not put it over the pins Big mistake as one of them shorted out killing the board, on the commando i was a bit keen to get it running and put nothing in the socket when i changed my cpu to a quad for the first time ever it was all nice and dry. The layout around the socket is perfect for getting a good seal. But when i do a vdroop mod on the board at the weekend just to be on the safe side i will be aplying plenty of vaseline.
Are you sure the board actually droops? On my Conroe, I put a droop mod on immediately, and then when I took it off, I gained well over 100MHz on LN2. Turned out at stock the board only drooped .005V, not enough to care about, and after modding, the voltage went up under load...very bad for it clearly.
However the board certainly has a large drop...1.75v BIOS set = 1.66v in reality as I'm sure you've noticed. You can fix that by vcore modding it and putting the resistor at about 14K ohms...gets you pretty much exactly what you set in BIOS in reality.
Thanks Gautam thats just what i needed to know have you got a link to the vcore mod please.
im still confused so do you want it (vasoline) in the
socket
socket and cpu
not in the socket and on the cpu
or not in the socket and not on the cpu
Vaseline should be in the socket and also on the bottom of the cpu. The top of the cpu is obviously bare except for thermal grease.
jimmsch
05-11-07, 06:38 AM
I hate to sound like I am bashing, especially towards Gautam who has helped me out so many times here, but isn't Vaseline a petroleum based product? And as such won't it actually eat the armaflex in short time? I am not sure if armaflex is petro based, but I have seen petroleum based greases such as Vaseline actually melt other petroleum based rubber products rather quickly.
I a'int no chemist :p but I've been using this combo for about two years without issue. :shrug: It never ate anything for me. Actually I use it with neoprene as well (is there a difference) ?
@ Vento: Same as here (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1668115&postcount=5)
As I said about 12-14k gets you Bios set Vcore. But make sure that your board is indeed not drooping with that Kent.
I've never heard of any problems with Vaseline and insulation. I got a huge tube of dielectric grease from mcmaster a long time ago though, it's lasted me a couple of years but I'm almost out so I was going to go with Vaseline once I run out.
Wankerfx
05-11-07, 10:17 PM
OVERKILL! I'd do that if I had phase though. It would suck if a CPU/motherboard would die from something silly like that.
that sure looks like a lot of work...
lazy overclockers like myself should stay away :P
It still takes a lot less work than setting up a watercooling loop. (least for me :p)
too lazy for water as well.
i'm just lazy, all i am saying :P
seriously though, nice results, that 5.4GHz.
deathman20
05-11-07, 11:56 PM
It still takes a lot less work than setting up a watercooling loop. (least for me :p)
Yeah wouldn't doubt its easier than setupin up a water cooling solution.
Jame Gumb
05-13-07, 08:52 PM
Hey, nice to see you around again. :) The grease isn't nearly as bad as it looks. I always fill the socket up, and IMHO, this is sort of a necessary step with LGA775 for 24/7 usage. Otherwise corrosion is pretty likely on the pins and backside of CPU. Besides that its just a very thin layer on all the insulation just for peace of mind. Not fully necessary. Filling any cracks though is advisable.
Yeah, I put the insulation tape straight on the board and it's a beotch to remove. So I'm no longer preserving the look of the PCB..lol
This method is a quick and dirty one.... but prolly less time consuming than cramming 1/2" tubing, pump and a 77 bonneville in a midtower. I'll testify on that one.:)
toddm27
05-17-07, 05:54 PM
It sure does look messy 2 questions how do you clean the vaseline out of the socket and what do you use.
crc electrical parts cleaner from any local autozone or likewise works great too, never messed with vaseline, but with dielectric grease, works great, you can never tell anything was in the socket when done:beer:
eaglescouter
05-25-07, 11:20 AM
Thanks for a great guide!
I was able to find the adhesive insulating tape at Home Depot just like you indicated.
I also located the sheets of armatex/rubatex insulation in 1/2 and 3/4 inch thicknesses, they were available from local suppliers. Also located a supply of the armaflex tubing. All at prices much lower than expected.
Neoprene on the other hand was totally unavailable in my region which was a bit of a surprise.
SuperDave1685
06-08-07, 08:28 AM
Thanks for the pics Guantam. I really appreciate it. I'm going to go phase here soon when I build my new PC and these pics are life saver. One Question though. I know the LGA775 CPUs don't have pins on them- the pins are in in the socket itself. So you coat the whole socket with vasoline, filling the holes where the socket interfaces with the CPU...Doesn't that affect the electrical properties of the board and/or interfere with the operation of the processor?
Nope, not in the slightest. The pins hit the pads on the backside of the chip to establish contact. They'll push through the vaseline easily.
SuperDave1685
06-08-07, 09:23 AM
ohhhhh... gotcha ;) Thanks!
Gautam has been helping me out as well, specially with upgrading to 775 from my old a** socket 478. I insulate exactly the same way, but the only difference is I use this stuff in a tube and it says on the side in big red letters " Non Conductive Silicone Grease , it doesn't run even when it gets hot. Just make sure it says "Non Beaded" otherwise it has tiny plastic beads in it, I guess to scrub something somewhere lol. Ive been running a 3.4ghz P4 @ 4.6ghz for over 5-6 years, and havent had one-single-problem...I just need to upgrade, AGP has been killlllling me. As a matter of fact, I never even had to remove the shell, or re-insulate!
Brutal-Force
05-12-09, 11:20 PM
I don't know anything about water cooling, but being a car mechanic who does lot of electronic stuff, we have a big problem with contact corrosion. We used to use vaseline as well, except being that it is a petroleum product, it has a tendency to break down plastic components/insulation. On your next install, can I recommend trying some dielectric grease instead? It is a silicon grease which performs the same function but is not petroleum based.
Oops, looks like the poster before me made the suggestion already.
GunnerMan
05-13-09, 12:08 AM
+1 for Dielectric grease. I used it on my rig and it worked very well, stayed put, is a nice consistency.
This next install I think I will just use grease in the socket and slightly around and nail polish the back side and around the socket and then use neoprene. Although im not planning on 24/7 use anymore.
I don't know anything about water cooling, but being a car mechanic who does lot of electronic stuff, we have a big problem with contact corrosion. We used to use vaseline as well, except being that it is a petroleum product, it has a tendency to break down plastic components/insulation. On your next install, can I recommend trying some dielectric grease instead? It is a silicon grease which performs the same function but is not petroleum based.
Oops, looks like the poster before me made the suggestion already.
I used to use dielectric grease exclusively, then one day I was too lazy to get more, and tried vaseline. Since it's never caused me any harm and is easily 10 times cheaper, I simply stuck with it. If you want to do it the right way I guess dielectric grease is the way to go as vaseline definitely does run, but I've never had it eat anything.
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