Intel i7

Brink · 11 Jun 2010

Win7User512 said:

So the i7 stock heatsinks come with thermal compound on them already?

No, but they come with a tube of thermal paste to manually apply with though.

Win7User512 · 11 Jun 2010

Brink said:

Win7User512 said:

So the i7 stock heatsinks come with thermal compound on them already?

No, but they come with a tube of thermal paste to manually apply with though.

This is someone else's image, but this is what the bottom of my heatsink looks like:

However, I thought part of the point of applying compound was to get that bond between heatsink and CPU. If it is already dry...how does that work?

smarteyeball · 11 Jun 2010

Brink said:

Win7User512 said:

So the i7 stock heatsinks come with thermal compound on them already?

No, but they come with a tube of thermal paste to manually apply with though.

Lower end chips are pre-applied as per above pic.

fishnbanjo · 11 Jun 2010

I can't OC my system since it is locked out in the BIOS but I have the i7 975 Extreme which is 3.33 GHz native, 3.45 GHz and when pushed 3.60 GHz as monitored with Intel Turbo Boost.

Win7User512 · 11 Jun 2010

smarteyeball said:

Brink said:

Win7User512 said:

So the i7 stock heatsinks come with thermal compound on them already?

No, but they come with a tube of thermal paste to manually apply with though.

Lower end chips are pre-applied as per above pic.

If I don't rub it off with rubbing alcohol and just want to use it as is, do I just sit it on the CPU and lock it down? Will the pre-applied paste work?

sygnus21 · 11 Jun 2010

Win7User512 said:

However, I thought part of the point of applying compound was to get that bond between heatsink and CPU. If it is already dry...how does that work?

When you install the heatsink the heat from the processor will heat and melt that stuff, thus giving you your thermo bond. It's designed to work that way. No need to do anything else.

BTW those clips can be tricky, make sure your read the instructions when installing that heatsink!!! If not, YOU WILL have overheating problems!!!

fseal · 11 Jun 2010

I got the ASUS P6X58D and so far the board has been great, rock solid.

Also besides going to newegg, go to tiger direct and enter the exact same components once you decide and see which one is cheaper. Tiger saved me about $200 on the CPU/memory and SSD over newegg. They also show if it will ship next day or not and they got it to me next day. (overnight shipping was even cheaper than newegg).

Also I took a chance on the Corsair H50 seaqled liquid CPU cooler after favorable reviews and except for some lame install instructions, so far the cooler is great. Minimal, effective, quiet and clean looking.

sygnus21 · 11 Jun 2010

Make sure you keep an eye on that thing. There have been reports of it leaking.

H50 leaked and filled my pci-e slots 378MB of pics - The Corsair Support Forums

Win7User512 · 11 Jun 2010

sygnus21 said:

BTW those clips can be tricky, make sure your read the instructions when installing that heatsink!!! If not, YOU WILL have overheating problems!!!

What specifically happens? They aren't down all the way thus not allowing the sink to fit in contact with the CPU? If I know what to look for, I can check to make sure it has been installed correctly.

Thanks! :)

sygnus21 · 11 Jun 2010

That's exactly it. Just read the instructions and make sure the clips are locked in. That's a major problem with those plastic clip types.

I remember when I had one of those, I didn't have it properly fitted and had heating problems until I found I hadn't had cooler properly installed and locked.

Good luck