Loserdave

Well in preparation for my new AM3 build, I thought i would try to reuse my old Heat Sink , A Sunbeam Silent Whisper.
After doing some research the general theory is that a smooth polish surface will increase cooler efficiency.
At the expense of my wrist and elbow i was able to improve it somewhat.

Do you think it will been worth the effort??
Note before and after pics:
Factory finish


After Polishing

Attached Thumbnails

 

jackeyjoe

there's no after polishing pics, if i'm wrong i blame my satellite internet

When you check the idle and load temps from before and after the lapping and you will see if it is worth it

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T3h_Ch33z_Muncha

FYI, the polishing isn't a big deal, flatness is the key.

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Mygaffer

Where is the after? Anyway, I have found lapping to almost never be worth it. That is what the TIM is for. Make sure that you keep checking the surface with a straight edge though and looking for light bleed through. Flat is better than shiny.

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Loserdave

Unfortunately i was so eager ,, i didn't wait to try it stock on my new AM3 system.
I'm still waiting on the processor to arrive
However i can say on my old Athlon 4000+ on A8N32-SLI deluxe. it seamed to not to great with temps averaging 45 degrees .

aksthem1

Polishing will hardly do anything. 1C drop max I would think. Flatness is what you want and some of the polishes create dents on the base, so while it may be shiny it won't perform as you might expect.

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Loserdave

Good point!
I checked the surface flatness with a razor blade before and after i didn't see a loss in flatness,, except for the edges were slightly more rounded .
Hope i didn't do more damage than good.
I'll post temps after getting the system up and running.

Loserdave

The factory finish had little craters, debits, all over i think the lapping really helped bring everything down. Went through 2 sheets of 1000 grit sand paper and 3 sheets of 2000 grit sand paper and 1 polishing sheet. each sheet was lightly spray glued to a perfectly flat panel, then rolled smooth with a rolling pin.
Countless smooth circular orbits were done , really feel it in my wrist and arm probably for the next two days.

sLowEnd

You did a great job with the polishing

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LarsMarkusson

Yep seriously, there's got to be a faster way to do this!