mtl777

I just bought a Xigmatek Nepartak and it's on the way. Before it arrives I thought to prepare myself with a few questions:

1. Do I need to lap this thing? Will I get much better performance if I lap it?

2. The instruction says to apply the thermal paste on the heatsink. Should I also put thermal paste on the CPU or the heatsink only? If only one of them, which one is better - heatsink or CPU?

3. The instruction also says to attach the fan at the last step. Why not attach the fan first before installing the heatsink?

4. Are the heat pipes solid copper or hollow?

I would really appreciate any tips on how best to install this. Thanks in advance!

Afrodisiac

1- You should not lap it, it is an HDT cooler and you may damage the hollow heatpipes.
4- The heatpipes are hollow.
3- You will need to manhandle the cooler to get it installed, and having the fan attached will make it harder to grip, and while you are installing it and you require some force to push on the cooler, the fan may break.
2- Applying thermal paste is usually a matter of placing a rice-sized grain onto the CPU, plonking the cooler onto it, mounting the cooler and allowing the mounting pressure to spread the paste. However, there are other methods you can try with HDT, listed here.

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LoneWolf3574

1. That would really be up to you. Personally, I got an extra 3C out of it and given where my case is located (very poor air circulation), so the 2 hours was worth it and every little bit helps. The HDT here have relatively thick walls, but with lapping, the whole idea is to remove a little bit, so if you do go this route, take your time and follow the directions that usually come with a lapping kit.

2. Apply the thermal paste only to the heatsink, to much will actually inhibit heat transfer. BenchmarkReviews.com actually has a very good guide on the best way to apply thermal paste to any type of heatsink.

3. Again, personally, I attached the fan first since it was a pain to attach with it already on the cpu, in the case, and the rubber isolators are a pain to pull through the fan mount holes. With AMD cpu's it is a lot easier to install the fan first since all you have is a little latch to flip versus the 4 spring loaded push pins of the current Intel cpu's.

4. The heat pipes (HDT technology) are hollow filled with a fluid that evaporates and condenses for better heat transfer to the aluminum fins.

I hope this helps you out some and that you aren't disappointed in your choice (gah sounded like a sales rep there ). I've got the HDT-S1283 and have been pleased with it ever since I lapped it .

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What's your ambient temperature? Your "to hot" cpu may not be the fault of your heatsink.
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Fossil

I personally would not recommend the rice-grain size TP application for an HDT cooler. It just will NOT spread enough to provide sufficient mating. When you first get the cooler do a few test mounts with that HDT application guide that Afro linked to so the paste can work its way into all the grooves between the pipes.

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LoneWolf3574

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, get something besides the thermal paste that comes with your new Xiggy. I personally like and use AS5 and have for several years, then again many people like OCZ or MX2. It's hard for me to say exactly which is better, a Google of recent (the last year) gets you around 3820 hits. I recommend reading a few and making your choice from there. BenchmarkReviews.com has an extensive 80-way review that you may want to check out.

__________________
What's your ambient temperature? Your "to hot" cpu may not be the fault of your heatsink.
Quotes are great, taken in context and not distorted.
I'm convinced, check out 80-Way TIM Performance Review and see why
The Barracuda Validated

We Are The Red Tide

sLowEnd

1. No + No

2. Apply it to the base only. Use spreading or 2 line method as suggested above.

3. That makes the process harder if you're doing it in a case

4. Hollow with working fluid inside. Do not puncture or else the cooler is ruined.

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sLowEnd

I have yet to see the corrosion effect it has on copper (I've had it on another system for about 3 months now) but it's the crappiest TIM I have ever seen (Only good thing about it is it spreads really really well), so replace it anyway.

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Lord Xeb

The thing installs like a s1283. Get the bracket and install it. Then once it is mounted. Go and put the fan on it. Easy enough.

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mtl777

This makes me want to try it. I think I'm gonna lap my Xiggy but just a little. I'll be very careful this time. I've learned my lesson. Due to my ignorance I damaged my Reeven heatsink trying to lap it. I didn't know the heat pipes were hollow. I kept on lapping and it came to a point that some liquid was oozing, which really puzzled me. Where the heck did that come from?! That was the beginning of the end for my Reeven. At that point further lapping only produced the opposite result -- scratces and more scratches -- as the metal had become so thin. Finally, realizing the damage I had done, I buried my fingernail on the surface of the heatsink and out it went to tear-dom come. LOL Well I guess it was a blessing in disguise because the Xiggy I bought to replace it is a better heatsink as the reviews I've read say.



At one point the author of that guide said his personal preference for non-HDT is to spread a thin layer of thermal paste on the heat sink. That made me wonder. For HDT, what if I do that on the CPU instead of the heatsink? Wouldn't that work better? I don't know. I just feel more confident seeing it already spread and looking good than to hope for it to spread well but be unable to see it if I use the small bead method.



I'll do a trial install to see what's easier for me.



Now I know, and too late for my poor Reeven!



After reading the reviews I have high hopes for my Xiggy. And I like the fact that it's small but not too far behind its much bigger brother.

Thank you and everyone so very much for all your help!! I really appreciate it.

mtl777

More questions...

On lapping: Is it better to lap with the sandpaper wet or with it dry? Is it really a good idea to rinse the sandpaper with water from time to time?

On spreading vs bead method of applying thermal paste: For a non-HDT heat sink, which method is better? Can you post a link to any test comparing these methods and providing temp results?

Thanks!