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Comments on TIM application on quad core

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locustella

New Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Location
Sweden
I recently put together a system (my first) incorporating:

intel q6600 g0
asus p5k premium
thermalright ultra 120 extreme

I've reapplied TIM (I'm using AS5) one the cpu once already, and saw then that the first application was way too copious, the stuff was coming out at the sides. I've taken it apart again since I'm lapping the cpu and replacing the TIM on the chipset (help needed in this thread). This time I'm not so sure it's too much, so I'd like som expert opinions.

I applied it as one long thin line in the direction suggested by Artic silver for quad cores. This is what it looked like when I took it apart this time.

cpu:
cpuihsnotcleaned2ff2.jpg


heatsink:
cpuheatsinknotcleanedwo6.jpg


Two of the cores were consistently running about 5* C hotter than the other two cores under load, do you think that is due to the application of TIM? It could be the cpu itself, right?

I think the Arctic silver instructions say it's not necessarily a bad thing if the TIM doesn't cover the whole area, as long as the core area is covered. It's more important that it's the thinnest possible layer. Going by that I guess I could cut down on it a bit more.

What do you think?
 
I recently put together a system (my first) incorporating:

intel q6600 g0
asus p5k premium
thermalright ultra 120 extreme

I've reapplied TIM (I'm using AS5) one the cpu once already, and saw then that the first application was way too copious, the stuff was coming out at the sides. I've taken it apart again since I'm lapping the cpu and replacing the TIM on the chipset (help needed in this thread). This time I'm not so sure it's too much, so I'd like som expert opinions.

I applied it as one long thin line in the direction suggested by Artic silver for quad cores. This is what it looked like when I took it apart this time.

cpu:
cpuihsnotcleaned2ff2.jpg


heatsink:
cpuheatsinknotcleanedwo6.jpg


Two of the cores were consistently running about 5* C hotter than the other two cores under load, do you think that is due to the application of TIM? It could be the cpu itself, right?

I think the Arctic silver instructions say it's not necessarily a bad thing if the TIM doesn't cover the whole area, as long as the core area is covered. It's more important that it's the thinnest possible layer. Going by that I guess I could cut down on it a bit more.

What do you think?

That application looks ok to me. Could use a tad bit less next time.... I've noticed on my quad that 2 of the cores are also a wee bit warmer then the others and here is what I think is going on. If running a tower and you have a big metal heatsink, it's mass and gravity are going to pull down with a force towards the floor, so the heatsink might be leaning down putting more pressure on one half of the cpu then the other. If it's only a few degrees C it's no big deal...
 
That application looks ok to me. Could use a tad bit less next time.... I've noticed on my quad that 2 of the cores are also a wee bit warmer then the others and here is what I think is going on. If running a tower and you have a big metal heatsink, it's mass and gravity are going to pull down with a force towards the floor, so the heatsink might be leaning down putting more pressure on one half of the cpu then the other. If it's only a few degrees C it's no big deal...

Ok, thanks for the input. It sounds reasonable, the weight of the heatsink making the contact pressure uneven. I do, as you say, have a tower case. I also have a Sanyo denki 38 mm thick fan on the 120 extreme so it's quite a heavy package.

However, I did try running Prime95 with the whole case on its side and there was still a temperature difference, only it was 3°C instead of 5°. Maybe air bubbles became trapped in the TIM under the upper half of the cpu when the case was standing up, making temps uneven even if the case is on its side and the weight is evenly distributed.

Are the four cores identified in the operating system in such a way that it's possible to know which physical core is core 0 through 3 in Core temp or Everest? It would be interesting to see if the two hotter cores are in fact the uppermost on the motherboard.

Also, when Prime95 fails, it's usually the same worker thread that goes first. It would be interesting to know if this is one of the upper cores.
 
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