I've made a disturbing descovery about my waterblock....

[Neco]

Yes we all know I'm a cheap *******.

Well, I got out all the sand paper we had in the house today.

it's nothing like you guys use, but it definately looks smooth to me now.

I started with 60 grit, then 100, then 150, then 220.. all we had, and it looks nice enough to me.


when I started using the 60, it was READILY apparant my waterblock was NOT flat, and I think it had that "arch" shape, lower on the sides and raised in the center.

:eek:

My duron was chipped around the edges of the core....

My waterblock was not flat....

Perhaps I have misjusged my wing nutt clamp .. However I am relectant to try it again, even tho my black has been lapped to a nice flat smooth surface... (I didn't even use glass and its actually very nice).


Well.. If I get the balls up to do it today, and I come back a few days later screaming about how I just killed my new XP 1500+ and how I just bought the cheapest Duron I could afford and I'm selling my PC for cheap.

You know what happened. :beer:

[Yodums]

Hmmm I don't know about that but you should be ending in 1500 grit.

Lapping without a flat surface isn't going to become lapping anymore as the heatsink is going to grinded into all angles of the sandpaper and just sand the metal so its shiny and giving it a cool look and you may think its flat!

Yodums

[oc jason]

nah you can still get a good lapp with out using mega grit sandpaper, i only used up to like 250 grit. I think its its type of paper used, i mena the 250 i used was like some 1000 ive used b4 dunno why but it was very smooth, just put it on a itle floor and lapp it.

[Neco]

Well, I am posting so good news...


The lapping made a BIG difference I think...that and maybe the 5 gal pale of water vs. my tiny res... lol..


Ok as far as my lapping goes - I could not find any sandpaper when I went out ( I was tired, my mom was tired etc)

When I did sand her down I meticulously examined the block all the time, I even did the process twice. I run a finger nail over it, and looked at it in a mirrior (pressed it up against it too, pretty damn flat) and I cleaned the base with 91% Isopropyl alcohol.

I took some plastic lunch baggy over a finger and rubbed some of my alumina in - my application on the core with a CC is something to be desired (but I was never good at that) but right now, after comming here, and replying to some e-mail my temp is a nice cool 32 C @ 1333mhz. / 1.75 v (just hit 33)

The lapping was a great choice because my Duron @ 933 and 1.8 was 45 + C when idle, so I know there was a problem.


I didn't kill my CPU thank god but I do not like that mount as I feel I could better get a tad more pressure on the core but am afraid. I'm a weak person and can't physically tighten it more but that doesn't mean I have a good fit.. the block is much more secure than my past fittings however and takes a bit of work to make it move.


Overall I think I have done a good job, and added to my experience, I guess that search function really came in handy.


Still looking into some sort of clamping system tho.. also I DO have those tiny water bubbles - they are mostly concentrated in my line runinning from my submersed pump to my waterblock inlet - and on occasion appear when leaving the block and along the patht hrough the radiator and back to the res. I usually bang those out.

I cannot get alot of the bubble out tho, I have twisted and turned - etc.. is this because I am using tap water ?? (I have yet to add water wetter or anything)..

In any event this seems to do ok.. so I should be able to afford some ram now (yay 128 more...heh) and I will probably pick up one of those 120mm 126cfm (42dBA) Mechatronics fans for my radiator... (I don't think the one I havenow does much).


If anyone has info on the bubbles, or any other advice drop a line please :D