[tattcasetle]

Or attaching a cooler master HHC-001 to a GF3. Then using zip ties to make sure the coolers weight doesn't snap the agp slot ... lol

[Keyblctt]

So it is true, special people have special words.

[LClan439]

Hardcore OC'ing and modding computers and squeezing every mhz out of components is very geeky, not so much nerdy. I love being geeky! Chicks dig it [thumbup]

There's nothing wrong with spending 2 hrs with 7 different grits of sandpaper on a CPU and heatsink

[orbidewa]

Sticking your case out the bedroom window in winter time!

I did that and actually put it in the window and covered the window with wood and ran wires inside the room to turn it on and off...

[orbidewa]

Hardcore OC'ing and modding computers and squeezing every mhz out of components is very geeky, not so much nerdy. I love being geeky! Chicks dig it [thumbup]

There's nothing wrong with spending 2 hrs with 7 different grits of sandpaper on a CPU and heatsink

yeah those same guys told me that lapping a CPU was stupid and waste of time... they also brought up the warranty issues...

warranty on an x3210?

here is my answer to that...

[singleGirl]

Personally I think lapping a CPU to a mirror finish is a waste of time, mainly because that's the purpose of thermal goop, to fill in creases that are in a non-lapped CPU.

[Heacechig]

Personally I think lapping a CPU to a mirror finish is a waste of time, mainly because that's the purpose of thermal goop, to fill in creases that are in a non-lapped CPU.

Yeah, I would think roughing it up would give more surface area for the thermal grease and improve cooling.

[Gooracouppy]

Yeah, I would think roughing it up would give more surface area for the thermal grease and improve cooling.

Seriously?

Do you really think that thermal goop conducts heat better than polished copper? Is that why the heatsinks are made of thermal goop?

[gydrorway]

If you have never cut a blow hole in a beige pc case you have no mad skills [yes]

[thumbup]

hahahaha!!

Most people here are wondering what you mean by "beige".
________
****tube.om

[LClan439]

The best heat spreader for a CPU would be if the chip manufacturer would build a HSF directly on top of the core instead of having that "cheap" heat spreader on there. But thats not cost effective for mass production. Having that lapped or nearly flawless surface on the heat spreader easily results in better cooling. Its best if the HSF is also lapped. When you have that nearly flawless connection between the top surface of the spreader and the HSF, you get as close as you can to the HSF actually being the spreader.

When you lap, you do it in stages with the sandpaper. When you start out, you can see just how crappy the surface is. I give the pics of my lap job on my E8400 as evidence.

Here is what the CPU and HSF looked like before:




This is after the first run with the 600 grit. you can see some copper showing through. See just how uneven the nickel surface really in on a CPU heat spreader.




Here is after the 800 grit run. The copper is coming through more. You can tell the lowesrt part of the surface (the surface making the least contact with the heatsink) is the center. the area where the cores are! so this CPU would be a poor thermal performer. In fact, in a short prime95 run, it heated up to over 60c very quickly before the lapping.




Here is after the 1000 grit. You can still see some nickel in the center, this chip's heat spreader was terrible! and you wouldn't know how bad unless you did this.




Here it is pretty much finished. going to do a few more runs with the 2000 grit for sport. Then do the heatsink on the CNPS9500 cooler.




And the final results before reinstall. I used IC Diamond thermal compound. I ran prime95 again, and it never went over 47c.

[TeveVikep]

the last thing I did was

+ + =

[Matajic]

Good old times. I remember cutting a blowhole on top of tower and making watercooling. [thumbup]

It was a fun project.

[cristmiff]

Pencil lead bridging L1 bridges on an athlon, ahh those were the days.... and filled with "what the heck am I doing" moments

[Searmoreibe]

Going through 4 9700 pro's in 8 months.

[Qwjyrgij]

Does the lapping actually do anything in terms of temps ?
I honestly can´t see a big change, because afaik the thermal paste is there to sit itself into the small crevasses of the cpu/cooler and cooler and therefore create a better heat transition.

[Goseciwx]

Does the lapping actually do anything in terms of temps ?
I honestly can´t see a big change, because afaik the thermal paste is there to sit itself into the small crevasses of the cpu/cooler and cooler and therefore create a better heat transition.

Someone said a few posts back that copper is a better conductor than the paste (which makes sense), but even with lapping can you really get rid of enough of the imperfections in the surfaces so you don't need paste at all?

[Qwjyrgij]

Someone said a few posts back that copper is a better conductor than the paste (which makes sense), but even with lapping can you really get rid of enough of the imperfections in the surfaces so you don't need paste at all?

well through lapping you can get a Rt ~ 0,1 µm so that is really good.
the question still remains if the difference is worth it

[ExelePlavisseu]

If you're a modder, want the best results and enjoy it, then I imagine so?

[SAUNDERSAN]

*sigh*

That was such a wonderful time... Around the GeForce area, I don't think I even had internet, so all the PC news I got came through magazines. Reading about the phenomenal power of these things, seeing the few benchmarks the magazine had, that video card was like a myth! It was the only one of its kind, the only thing out there that could best Quake Arena, the ultimate setup...

Now powerful videocards are a dime a dozen.

[zdoppiklonikaa]

Nobody can call themselves a real modder unless they've performed an L1 bridge fill in with pencil or rear window defroster kit or sat next to a computer with a Delta 60mm 8000 rpm fan for hours on end just to get their TBird 1333 to run at 1450 Mhz. I think I'm deaf in my left ear because of it. If you've never heard a Delta fan... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfBGy0FuSGQ

I miss those days...

Someone said a few posts back that copper is a better conductor than the paste (which makes sense), but even with lapping can you really get rid of enough of the imperfections in the surfaces so you don't need paste at all?

No. Unless you have a Lapmaster setup and media that goes down to something less than 0.5 micron (500 nanometers), you are still going to have surface imperfections and create air gaps. However, you would need a trivial amount of goop with a good finish.