Lapping a COOLER MASTER Hyper 212?

[Shwick]

Was looking around for an aftermarket hsf to go with my new rig and the decision was easy, COOLER MASTER Hyper 212.

I know I lapped my previous cooler to remove impurities and increase contact.

Is there a danger of doing that with a hsf that has the heatpipes exposed?

There is no heat sink layer per say, I would be lapping the pipes directly.

 

[ssjwizard]

The biggest concern when lapping a heatpipe sink is going to be the chance you could put a hole in one of the pipes. My suggestion would simply be take your time and try not to take off more material than you absolutely have to.

 

[MattNo5ss]

I'd use very fine sand paper too; it'll help prevent removing too much material. I lapped my old HDT-s1283 with really fine paper.

 

[Automata]

You lap to make it flat, not remove impurities. From my understanding on how they make these heatsinks, it should be flat from the factory. In addition to that, ssjwizard is correct. They lap the heatsinks/heatpipes after construction to make sure they are flat, so the result is a very thin wall that is left. If you go too far, you will literally kill the heatsink.

 

[Shwick]

ok so just some light lapping with a fine sandpaper

 

[Automata]

Why not test to see if it is flat, before modifying it? If it is flat, there will be nearly no change in temperatures and you run the risk of making it worse.

 

[Dougshell]

Lapping in general is done to smooth out any surface that not perfectly flat. This isnt talking about the surface being concave or convex. (even though lapping will help fix this) When someone laps a heatsink what they are really doing is taking out imperfections from when the heatsink was machined. When you lap a heatsink properly you are left with a nice reflective surface because you have removed any (most) imperfections that diffused light and prevented the imaged being reflected accurately to your eye. The best way to lap any heatsink is to order a lapping kit such as this one. Premium Lapping Kit I have personally used this kit and i can definitely say it is amazing. Dont just run out and grab random sandpaper becasue you want varying grits.

The only problem i can see arising from using this kit is that this kit is more designed for non direct touch coolers (all lapping kits are designed for non HDT coolers)

Honsetly im not sure if lapping a HDT heatsink is really worth it. I cant tell you not to do it, but i think the results will be less then desired.

 

[Dougshell]

Why not test to see if it is flat, before modifying it? If it is flat, there will be nearly no change in temperatures and you run the risk of making it worse.

This is not entirely accurate. Even though the heatsink may appear flat against a machinist rule, it is not truly flat. Anything that is metallic but does NOT reflect a true image, is not flat. (im talking abotu surface imperfections, a steel ball bearing is round, but its finish is very fine thus flat)

Still the best idea i think would be to NOT lap. Also if your heatsink is slightly convex that is actually better then being completely flat in some cases. (due to pressure)

 

[Automata]

I realize that my response isn't technically correct, but it is correct for the range of values that we are using (i.e. in a home desktop environment). Even with a rough perfectly flat surface (i.e. a TRUE), the temperature different is going to be minimal. In addition to the low amount of improvement, you run the risk of making it not flat and you run the risk of penetrating the walls of the heatpipe which completely destroys the heatsink. Not worth the risk, to me.

 

[Shwick]

I will wait and see what I get. If it looks flat I won't lap it, as5 should make good contact.