Glueing Heatsinks onto ram

[CrashOveride]

i think- though im not sure... that thermal tape needs to melt a little so it can get the optimal thickness for heat transfer and that if you just had it on there as a tape it would not be as effective... thermal tape and goop stuff (as2/3) are applied to fill up VERY small scratches and "valleys" in that both the HS and CPU/GPU/Memory have... it just gives you more surface area... on memory it is obviously more impoortant to have it stay on though... you might want to go to your local radio shack get some of their thermal paste and try just that... if you put the right ammount on it is stickyenough that they stay on... i would put some electrrical tape or something like that on the card below for a lil while just to make sure if one falls it dosnt short anything out.. they may not stay on if they are copper though... i cut up an old 100mhz HS that was aluminum so it worked for me

 

[I.M.O.G.]

... thermal tape and goop stuff (as2/3) are applied to fill up VERY small scratches and "valleys" in that both the HS and CPU/GPU/Memory have... it just gives you more surface area...

it gives you a consistent interface (more contact between surface areas) between solids. air is an excellent insulator so if there were tiny pockets in all the microscopic bumps and valleys it would greatly hinder cooling. thermal transfer materials are not great conductors of heat, but the better ones are designed to conduct heat better than air and be durable. (as3 will last a long time, radio shack goop is known to dry up and lose its effect over time)

i am also not too familiar with thermal tape, but i think it needs to melt also to conform to the surfaces. but i dont know.

 

[Neofate]

IMOG:

My bad! heheh.. I was just trying to mess with you.. It seems we were both right, and a bit wrong at the same time.

I was right in thinking he was reffering to a lesser card, resulting in less heat. (Which may, or may not sufficiently melt the tape).

Now you were going by his Sig, and thinking he was using his 9700PRO. Which obviously would have the best chance of melting the tape.

As far as AIW, I just concluded that, that was just the acronym for an "All in Wonder" type of card. You know, the ones that have a little bit of everything, but really aren't great at any one thing?

Anyhow, I was tired, and in a bit of a cynical mood last night .. So I'm sorry if that rubbed you the wrong way.

BTW: Yes thermal tape is designed to melt. As others have suggested, the tape when melting fills most of the valleys, scratches, grooves, etc in the contact surfaces between the two components. The more contact you have, the, most obviously, better the heat transfer and in turn cooling.

Personally I would just use some ASIII and epoxy. Just go with what you KNOW works. None of these chemicals/substances are very expensive.

Best of luck!

 

[Puer Aeternus]

How about Artic Alumina(AS)?
Any experience w/ that?
I think for the next 3 ramsinks I cut, I will make sure they are better lapped and put the Artic Alumina on the HS to make sure the whole surface is covered..I had a lot of tiny stratches on my ram sinks. I spread the thermal past onto the memory instead so that I was sure none would leak over the sides to cause any problems on the board(if paste leaks over the sides will it damage my card?).

Thanks for all the posts..very helpful to hear diff experiences!

 

[CrashOveride]

arctil alumina should work just fine,.. AS or arctic Silver is pretty much the newer version... osrta... but for the epoxy stuff look for "Arctic Alumina/Silver Thermal Adhesive"

 

[Neofate]

Arctic Alumina isn't a bad compound, it should do just fine. As for putting the compound on your ram, hmmm, that doesn't sound like a bad idea either. The key to the application of the compound is to put just enough to cover the surface, but not enough to ooze out the sides with pressure.

Yes, the thermal past "can" damage your card if it gets into any contacts. Although it isn't a certain thing, it is something you don't want to chance. Simply clean off any extra that drips with isopropryl (rubbing) alcohol before you power up your card. The reason the compound can possibly damage a card is because the compound itself usually contains some type of alloys. Now these are very very tiny in nature, and thus make the compound fairly non-conductive of electricity. However, it does possess some electrical conducive properties, and given this it can cross two contacts or any other type of "short" scenario you can imagine. It all depends on where it lands, and chance.

If you can monitor the temps of your chips, you plan on placing these heatsinks on, it would help greatly! You could measure the before temperatures, and then apply the heatsinks with whatever measure you desire and monitor the after. If the after is less than before, (hopefully a good bit) then your set! Although if the temperature starts to rise above your baselines you will know to pull the sinks off and try another method.

Good luck! Glad to see your enthusiasm. Knowledge is power hehe, and you obtain it with questions! Keep em coming.

 

[supapuffy]

thanks to everyone for the information!

now i know what epoxy means and does

checking the instructions from arctic silver... it seems a bit complicated for a newbie like me but i think i'll manage

here's my current project plan, please provide suggestions/corrections

victim:
ati all in wonder radeon

parts:
5m x 5cm hsf on the radeon gpu
arctic silver thermal adhesive
4 x small heatsinks for memory chips

steps:
1. clean off surfaces of the chip and hs with isopropyl alcohol (where can i find this? pharmacies?)

2. follow instructions from arctic silver to apply the thermal adhesive and stick the heatsinks onto the chips

3. pray

side project:
clean the thermal tape off intel p4's stock hsf and apply arctic silver thermal compound

thanks!

 

[CrashOveride]

make sure you clean off ALL of the thermal pad/tape... i have heard that mixing it with thermal goop stuffs can causxe some unwatnted problems... also (this should be obvious) but dont use the same stuff you use on the ramsinks (if you use thermal Epoxy) use instead the regular stuff (simple "Arctic silver 3/2" or whatever NOT the adhesive)

 

[supapuffy]

make sure you clean off ALL of the thermal pad/tape... i have heard that mixing it with thermal goop stuffs can causxe some unwatnted problems... also (this should be obvious) but dont use the same stuff you use on the ramsinks (if you use thermal Epoxy) use instead the regular stuff (simple "Arctic silver 3/2" or whatever NOT the adhesive)

yes i'm aware of the thermal epoxy being hard to remove, so i'll only be using it on the video card to "glue" on the heatsinks

i will be using as3 thermal compound (non adhesive stuff) on the p4 + hsf

thanks for the reminders

 

[Neofate]

steps:
1. clean off surfaces of the chip and hs with isopropyl alcohol (where can i find this? pharmacies?)

Yes your pharmacy will have it, as will any drug store, or general grocery type store. Basically anywhere, IE: Walmart, Bruno's, Kmart, CVS, BIG gasstations (maybe), etc etc etc...
It's very common, and good to have around the house.
Cheap too =)
(Make sure it's at least 70% Isopropyl)

2. follow instructions from arctic silver to apply the thermal adhesive and stick the heatsinks onto the chips

Nod.. mmmhmm.. Nod..

3. pray

Heheheh, That ALWAYS helps!

Let us know your results, and if you have any more questions, you know where to turn!

Good luck,

 

[Neofate]

Oh yeah.. Just a tip.

If you come across a need to remove melted thermal compound/tape. Use a plastic card (cleaned), IE: Credit card, Drivers license.. Or something similar in texture.

After applying the chemicals to "soften" up the compound, gently while apply pressure use the edge of the plastic to scrape off the material. Similar to removing a gasket from say a cars "header". The same principle applies in a manner of speaking, using this plastic edge will prevent additional cuts,grooves,scrapes that you might otherwise obtain using a more abrasive tool. Ie: Flathead screwdriver

 

[supapuffy]

Yes your pharmacy will have it, as will any drug store, or general grocery type store. Basically anywhere, IE: Walmart, Bruno's, Kmart, CVS, BIG gasstations (maybe), etc etc etc...
It's very common, and good to have around the house.
Cheap too =)
(Make sure it's at least 70% Isopropyl)

is there a more common name for isopropyl alcohol (ie. nail polish remover, xxx remover)?

 

[CrashOveride]

i think nail polish remover is not the same exactly but should work... you might want to wait for some one that is sure though

 

[Puer Aeternus]

In regards to taking off the ram sinks..I think mine are on for good....I dont see myself taking them off w/ out fear of losing a memory
I do plan on adding a HS/fan to the actual chip on my GF4...depends on how much hassle it is to do...so far a fan and duct is in the worksto cool the stock cooling on my MSI card. Reaching magical ti4600 clock speeds is my goal

 

[Neofate]

Nailpolish remover contains acetone as one of its active ingredients so it is commonly referred to as a good "around the house" item to remove things with. However, I would really recommend against using it on electrical equipment as it contians various other additives that can be harmful.

The only common name I can think of for the alcohol is "rubbing alcohol". It is VERY common. If you go to your local grocery store and ask anyone, they will point you in the right direction. It shouldn't run you more than a couple bucks. There are other products that will remove the compounds, but that is generally one of the more common, and cheaper products. Also the good thing about alcohol is that it evaporates VERY quickly. This ensures that no water gets into the chipsets, and eliminates the step to actually dry it off. =)

Also, as far as pulling the heatsinks off your ram chips. I think it is wise to not attempt it, but if you ever should, depending on what you actually used to apply them, I have heard that you can place the card into an antistatic bag then place it in the freezer (yes your refrigerators freezer) overnight, and the next day the compound should be frozen and break apart. Note: this will vary greatly depending on what you used to attach it. IE: superglue does not loose its grip in the cold.

Post your results! I will be overclocking my Ti4200 in the future so your experimentation will be good for me!

 

[CrashOveride]

... However, I would really recommend against using it on electrical equipment as it contians various other additives that can be harmful.

did you mean "wouldn't really" ??!?!!?!?!! that is a big difference... lol

 

[Neofate]

Edited: Deleted to preserve quality of thread

 

[Puer Aeternus]

Thanks...that was a Awesome Gesture

 

[Puer Aeternus]

I am half finished my mod. I have all the ram covered w/ Alluminum HS's adhered w/ Artic Alumina. My next step is the duct/fan on my side panel.
What I do not know how to do is change the current fan/HS on the MSI4200.
I did search and did not find specific instructions. Has anyone done this and can they direct me to some instructions.

Who has done this sucessfully?
Is it worth doing if you dont volt mod the card?

 

[HiProfile]

For a HSF swap...many cards have 2/4 holes around the gpu, such as my crappy GF2ti. I used a k6-2 475 HS, drilled & tapped 2 holes in it for 4-40 flathead screws (no real need for washers, as that part is angled on these), and screwed it...err, put it on. I then ganked my old voodoo 40mm fan and tossed it on since the GF2ti's fan was one of those cheap stamped orb-style w/o an outer ring w/mounting holes. Edit: I'm guessing you have one of the huge block-sinks...some guy slapped a socket-a cooler on a vid card recently, all he has to worry about is snapping the fiberglass pcb or agp slot now...

As for a good claping method, try thick piano wire. Its basicly spring steel like in car springs, so its extra hard. Bend it into a C shape (have tips touch or even pass eachother), maybe glue one tip to the HS between 2 fins, then 'clip' onto the card using thermal compound; make sure you insulate the back of the card where the other tip touches...maybe round that edge like the tips of wire coat hangers are. BTW - metal coat hangers use cheap steel that fategues much easier than piano wire...don't be too cheap. This might not be a very permanant solution, esp for a lan-party box, but a cheap solution nontheless.