NOT

was wondering if anyone has tried to run a system with no AS5 on the HSF? since it is essentially used to "fill in the gaps", is it necesary to use it if the surfaces involved are good and flat? say for example you lap your CPU and HSF, would you need thermal paste? just curious.

eternaldj

You don't absolutely have to have any thermal paste, but you'd just have to watch your temps a lot more. The temps would be higher and yes you SHOULD use paste even if you lap since you might not have made it perfectly flat, although people here do run it without.

insulglass

I would never install a sink without some paste. However, with lapped surfaces, you can get by with very very little. With matched surfaces that have been lapped, I like to use the "wiped haze" method and AS5. But that's me. Others have had success with different materials and processes.

David

Murlocke

There is absolutely no possible way to fill the smallest gaps without thermal paste. Gaps that the human eye cannot see, and they can greatly decrease temps.

I wouldn't recommend it....

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The Pook

I used no thermalpaste with just my SI-128 lapped...about 58C idle. With some thermalpaste it was at 50C idle. (1.435v)

If both are lapped to a very high grit, you can not use any. If you don't, it might still be 1-3C higher, but you won't have to put up with thermal paste.

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alk

dunno what the big deal about not using thermal paste is tbh. Silver is a better conductor of heat than copper so technically it shouldn't interfere with heat transfer that much. Pockets of air between the Heatsink and IHS are going to cause a MUCH bigger problem.

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Shadowrunner340

yes. i use dynex.

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