Heat Issue

[OrbitzXT]

Hi everyone, I have a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition. CPU-Z says it is Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, Code Name Gallatin, 3.46GHz. The chip with stockfan/heatsink got very hot, up into the 70's celsius. I bought a Zalman cooler and Arctic Silver thermal compound to cool it, and it worked great. Idle temps were in the upper 30's to low 40s, and under full load it never hit above 50C. Now a few months later it seems to be idling at about 50C, and under load its going up to about 60C.

My room temperature when the CPU temps were cool was hot because it was summer. Now its winter, 20 degrees outside and like an ice box in my room but the CPU temp is higher. The tower is not by a heater and isn't being cause by anything like that. Why after a few months would the cooling effects wear off like this?

I observed the fan, its the same number of RPM's when I first got it. I cleaned all the dust off of it. Its also securely on the processor. Should I apply a new layer Arctic Silver? If so, how do I go about doing that. Must I completely clean off the old layer or can I just add a little more to what already exists there?

[saphalline]

All P4's and PD's above 3GHz have major cooling issues. The heat dissipation just skyrockets - it's unreal! And it's a PITA to keep those things cool.

I'd suggest re-doing the AS5 on the Zalman. Clean off all the old Arctic Silver first, as it will be much older than the new stuff. Use 97% Isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth. Make sure your wipes are horizontal, then vertical, then in circles - repeat as necessary. Let it dry. Apply a very thin layer (about 0.5mm) of new AS5 to the CPU using a clean plastic sandwich bag. Wipe the rest into the surface of the Zalman, covering an area slightly bigger than the CPU core. Align and install the Zalman onto the CPU, keeping it as flat as possible.

That should do the trick. Just keep in mind that you may have to re-do this quite often as you have an extremely hot CPU.

[OrbitzXT]

Is there any harm in using 70% alcohol? Thats all I have in my house.

[Whyzman]

My suggestion would be to get the higher test stuff. If you ask the pharmacist at most drug stores, or stores that have pharmacies located within them, you should be able to get the 99% alcohol.

The stuff is cheap, and the good stuff works for cleaning VHS heads and other electronics where you need a quick evaporation. The lesser proof alcohol I believe is thinned with water...not such a good thing...

[jlreich]

The lesser grade alcohol will leave a residue. You don't want anything in the way of thermal transfer. Particularly with your situation. ;)

[OrbitzXT]

The highest I could find in stores was 91%, is that acceptable?

[Whyzman]

I think that's still "off the shelf" stuff...did you try asking the pharmacist?

[OrbitzXT]

Yeah she said the highest was 91% in that store. Can I go ahead and do it with this or should I really wait until I can find something better?

[Whyzman]

Personally, I'd let my fingers do the walking and make a few calls to see if I could locate...it's gotta be around...

[mjc]

We used to use 91% at the recording studio I worked at...

[jlreich]

All I can find is the 91%, so that's what I use. Seems to work well enough. :)

[saphalline]

I can usually find 97% off-the-shelf at either Walmart or Target in my area. 91% is OK, but higher is better.

[mjc]

For some reason, I think there may be state regulations involved...because I can't get anything higher than 91% around here...anywhere. (Well, that's not quite true, a few good ol' boys I know can get me 99% 'white lightnin'..but that is another story ;))

[OrbitzXT]

One last question...my computer has been on since this morning. If I attempt to do this now will I burn myself working with the paste or does it cool off quickly after shutdown? I remember seeing somewhere that it shouldn't be too settled in or I might have difficulty getting the heatsink off the processor? Also should the processor be taken out of the motherboard while getting cleaned or leave it seated?

[Whyzman]

Processors cool quickly...just give it a little time. We're talking thermal "paste" not thermal "adhesive." The adhesive is sometimes used to connect fans to chipsets. Thermal pads can get a little embedded, but I've never heard of anyone not being able to get them apart.

If you put this together, do you have the CPU case it came in? If so, you might want to set it back in there where the pins will be protected. If you are using a Q-tip you can control the amount of alcohol pretty well...along with a paper towel or napkin.

I take is that it would be best to remove the CPU from the motherboard...but only if you can protect the pins... Otherwise, you might just want to take your time with it installed...

[OrbitzXT]

Well I went ahead and did it...prior to doing this I was idling at about 48 and hit 55 under load. Now I'm idling at 42 but it still goes up to 53/54 under load. But it takes awhile to set in and get the full effect doesn't it? What temps do you think I'll have when it settles in just based on an educated guess?

[Whyzman]

I'm suprised none of us jumped on this earlier, but.......you might want to consider lapping the heatsink.

Typically, you can figure on between 3-5C drop...

http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/heatsinklappingguide.php

We've discussions regarding this on the Guide Forums with a bit more detail...if you do a search