Stupid question regarding AMD 64 Stock Heat Sink.

I just purchased my first 64-bit AMD PIB (Processor-in-a-box), the kind with a heat sink and fan with it.
Since I've always purchased HS and CPU's as seperate components, I've always applied my own HS Compound.
On this particular model (AMD 64 3000+ Venice S939), the HS has it's own HS Compound (I've never really seen a "Thermal Pad", so I'm not sure that this is one). Although, this stuff does smear a little (Do thermal pads?)

The question is, do I just drop this HS on the CPU without adding some HS Compound (I have some AS5 sitting here), or do I add AS5 to the "already-there" compound, or do I remove the stock compound, and add AS5?

I looked at the AMD website, and it does not show in the "installation video" adding any HS Compound, the guy just drops the HS right on the CPU.

Get rid of the original compound. A friend of mine had te same question when he bought his skt754 2800+ sempron a few months ago. I just did some modifications for him. I removed the stock compound (it looks kike a pad but it isnt) and lapped the surface to a mirror and flat finish, then he mounted the heatsink with Artic Ceramique...Voilá the tempeatures were so low that I could not believe it. And just using the stock aluminum heatsink

Yup, what he said. Take off the original goop and apply your own.

What your seeing is a thermal pad. Most stock CPU's have this little wax like pad. After the CPU heats up the wax pad adheres itself to the cpu binding the two together and filly in the voids between the CPU and heatsink.

This stuff does not work well at all. I would highl reccommend buying an aftermarket heatsink as the stock coolers dont work well either.

If in the case you cant or dont want to buy another heatsink I would scrape off that thermal wax and apply the AS5 as it will give a much better performance then that wax pas will. To scrape it off I would run it under very hot water and slowly scrape it off with something like a credit card. This has always worked best for me and wont scratch the heatsink. It would also be best after you get the wax pad off completly to clean the base of the heatsink off thourghly with rubbing alcohol and if you have it wet sand it with a very flat base, like a piece of glass or a mirror, with a pirce of 5000 grit sand paper to polish the base and make it a little smoother. Thenagain clean it with rubbing alcohol. After this apply your AS5 and use that instead of the thermal pad.

The thermal pad has a very poor heat transfer rate. Even cheapo radioshack cermaque thermal compound generally works better.

It's always a good idea to clean off any existing thermal goop once you take the heatsink off, then reapply new thermal goop when you reinstall the original H/S, or put on a new one.

Thanks for the advice gang.....

and for Shadowknight281, you may have not understood the question, or you were just being nice (in an off-tangent) to the unknowledgable - Of course, if you were taking heatsink off of a CPU, anybody would definitely want to re-compound. In this particular case, the brand-new heatsink (never used CPU and HS) comes with thermal compound already applied...... and apparently, from what I've been reading, the only people that want you to use this is the manufacturer.

I've used it before when it was the only thing i've had. Works OK at stock speeds / volts.

But defiently want to at least do AS5 or something if your going to OC.

Didn't someone state that the FX-60 quadpipe coolers had a special type of compound on them which was equal to AS5?

It's Shin-etsu, and that some pretty darn good stuff.......

It looks the same on both A64 and x2-opty heatsinks.
I have an Opty heatsink on here, load temps low 40's, not sure what idel temps are.....