how did you apply your mx-4 ?

[shant]

thanks capttripppp! ill try that
eszee, WHOA, that small thing spreads THAT much????
troqueranger, sound dangerous, i think ill stick with alchol

 

[shant]

looking at eszee's pictures, hows this look?

3 lines, the same ammount, sorry i got the left one bigger

 

[CompuTamer]

That's worth a shot too. Very very fine lines.

 

[Conumdrum]

Apply a thin bit, fill all the gaps. Use a CC card or such.
Buy another tube of MX-4, why not.

Put a blob in the middle, put in on, twist once back and forth, and put HS on tight with anal care to getting it even. Done.

 

[TorqueRanger]

This is almost like surgery in here with applying thermal compound...

 

[shant]

Apply a thin bit, fill all the gaps. Use a CC card or such.
Buy another tube of MX-4, why not.

Put a blob in the middle, put in on, twist once back and forth, and put HS on tight with anal care to getting it even. Done.

well the thing is, mx-4 isn't located here, and no one ships it either, luckily a friend got one for me,so yeah i better use this wisely

 

[Crapxxas119]

Wait, i dont see why you would put it somewhere that isnt a heatpipe. You want the best coating on the heatpipe, because the heatpipe transfers the heat, it should get the paste. This leaves the best thermal transfer where it needs to be and it will lower temps.

 

[capttripppp]

The key is that I have found with thermal stuffs, is that a little goes a loooong way
Edit: the main reason that the paste is in between the pipes on the picture above is because of the size of the gaps in between the heat pipes and the base. You don't really have a huge gap on yours so I wouldn't be so concerned about it. However, like Conumdrum said you can use a CC to smooth it out to fill the gaps leaving a thin layer over the whole apparatus

 

[EarthDog]

This is almost like surgery in here with applying thermal compound...

Tell me about it!

 

[eSZee]

Wait, i dont see why you would put it somewhere that isnt a heatpipe. You want the best coating on the heatpipe, because the heatpipe transfers the heat, it should get the paste. This leaves the best thermal transfer where it needs to be and it will lower temps.

The pics clearly show how the paste spreads after application.
You did see the pictures, right?

 

[shant]

well, this is how i applied it, and i got 89C running furmark 1.9 for 6 minutes...at 29.5C room temp..isn't that still high?

 

[MattNo5ss]

With HDT sinks, I fill in the gaps between heatpipes with TIM before using a standard application procedure. On bigger chips like the GPU you're using, I usually spread TIM on the IHS with a straight edge.

 

[shant]

jesus christ guys!
everyone tells me different methods!

 

[MattNo5ss]

It's because there's not only one way to do it

Some people use a singular blob, some use lines, some use an X, some spread the TIM, etc.

 

[TorqueRanger]

Look there is no reason to apply thermal compound to the aluminum part of the heat sink because the copper heat pipes are the only thing that helps out dissipate the majority of the heat.. So just apply 3 small lines on the copper heat pipes and then make sure that you have proper coverage like this...

Or just spread out a very thin coat and call it a day ... This is not rocket science and this way over complicated here guys for a basic thing here..

 

[eSZee]

Look there is no reason to apply thermal compound to the aluminum part of the heat sink because the copper heat pipes are the only thing that helps out dissipate the majority of the heat.. So just apply 3 small lines on the copper heat pipes and then make sure that you have proper coverage like this...


Or just spread out a very thin coat and call it a day ... This is not rocket science and this way over complicated here guys for a basic thing here..

I think this is the second time you've said this.
As you can see in the picture, the paste spreads to the pipes no matter where you put it but putting it on the aluminum gives you best coverage across the IHS. So why would you apply it any way other than the way that spreads the TIM to achieve the best coverage? Aluminum still dissipates heat and helps with cooling.
Also you can't say

apply thermal compound to the aluminum part of the heat sink because the copper heat pipes are the only thing that helps out dissipate the majority of the heat..

You're contradicting yourself if you take into account that people fuss about 1 to 2* difference in temps.

To sum it up, putting the paste on the pipes doesn't mean you'll get the best temps while putting the paste on the aluminum STILL spreads the paste to the pipes and gives superior coverage. When both methods require same application procedure, just the location differs by few mm, why go with the method that was shown to spread the TIM across a smaller area?

 

[shant]

MattNo5ss, can you give me pictures of your method?

 

[PanteraGSTK]

On bigger chips like the GPU you're using, I usually spread TIM on the IHS with a straight edge.

That's how I've done it for years. I put a little on the IHS and spread with a straight edge. As thin as possible. As long as it covers completely and there isn't too much you are good. Too much can be just as bad (if not worse) than not enough.

As all others have said. A little goes a long way. I've used AS5 for many years. I've got like 4 tubes of it about 5 years ago. Those tiny little tubes have lasted me that long and I have 2 left.

 

[shant]

pics or im going to end up doing it wrong again

 

[capttripppp]

http://www.arcticsilver.com/PDF/appmeth/amd/md/amd_app_method_middle_dot_v1.2.pdf
Check out the section on "tinting the heatsink"