Thermal paste pattern with D15 cooler

[i6pwr]

So after a couple days I wanted to pull the cooler to ensure the paste spread correctly as this is my first time with this cooler. The D15 has been performing very well but I'm not sure if this is the ideal pattern for the thermal paste.

I see a void in the center and I installed the cooler per the instructions. Maybe this is normal but it just doesn't look right.

Also, in the instructions, for the 115X socket to use the plastic standoffs but it doesn't specify which color....there's black and white. After noticing this I took a dial caliper to the standoffs and the black ones are exactly 1MM shorter..... I used the black ones.

Maybe that's an ideal pattern or maybe not, I don't know......what do you think?

 

[i6pwr]

I checked online again and it appears the white standoffs are for AMD so I guess it's correct the way it is...but I find the void in the center a little odd but maybe that's what makes this tick....dunno.

 

[caddi daddi]

it is convex, the way it is supposed to be, how much tim are you using?

 

[i6pwr]

Roughly a 5mm drop, manual stated to use 4-5mm.

 

[caddi daddi]

the bare strip is full contact and, it's right over the cores.
the cores look like a a little billet of metal that is under the bare steak.

 

[i6pwr]

Sounds good then, thanks......figure its always better to ask.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Don't over think things i6pwr, your temps were really good. You would have had to totally botch the install, to really see a huge difference in temps. Just as Caddi mentioned, the heatsink surface in convex hence the reason for the pattern.

 

[i6pwr]

I agree....main reason I checked is this is the first time I used this cooler and I basically wanted to confirm everything went together correctly. You're correct that the temps would have been much much worse if I screwed it up but now I know what to look for and I repeated the reassembly the 2nd time.