[dhill1984]

How would yall recommend cleaning off the thermal grease that came pre-applied to my cpu cooler? I have an Arctic Freeze pro 7- should i just use some rubbing alcohol and a tissue or should I use something else? Everywhere I looked said to use Artic silver thermal grease, which is what I am goign to replace the stuff that came pre applied. Also, any tips on applying the artic silver?

[coastie65]

A drop about the size of a pearl should be enough on the processor. charlie65

[mphenterprises]

Hi DHill. Okay, I use Arctic Silver 5 but the principle is still the same. I am going to stress this point, use no more than half the size of a long grain rice. I am sure you can image how small a long grain of rice is so cut that in half and you should use no more AR7 than that.

As to removing the old thermal grease, I would gentle use rubbing alcohol and a tissue or use one of those disposal alcohol wipes. If you use anything rougher than a tissue, you run the risk of damaging the processor.

Also, when you are going to do this, make sure you are not on a carpeted floor and make sure you do not drop the processor. Additionally, do not touch any part of the underside of the processor, in any way. Hold the processor between the fingers of one hand and wipe gently with the other.

[dhill1984]

So you're saying I should use an alcohol wipe to clean the heat sink, then i should gently wipe down the top side of the processor as well before i apply the thermal grease? also, should I apply the thermal grease to the processor or the heat sink? and what is the best way to evenly spread out the thermal grease? Thanks all so far- lots of useful help.

[mphenterprises]

Yes....the alcohol will clean the heatsink and the processor. From what I have seen, the generic thermal paste will be on the underside of the heatsink. Once you wipe the thermal paste from the heatsink, wipe both surfaces with the alcohol pad.

I would advise you to apply the AR7 to the processor and then allow the heatsink's weight to naturall spread the thermal grease over the surface of the processor. Some people use a cotton swab to spread the thermal grease but in my opion, that runs the risk of leaving cotton fibers in between the processor and heatsink that could heat up, catch fire, and damage your processor.

[coastie65]

Hi mph, I think I might have gotten a little carried away with the Artic silver 5. :^0 With the price of that stuff ( $9.95 for 3.5 grams) no point in getting carried away and besides, too much is not necessarily a good thing. coastie65

[mphenterprises]

LOL We all learn from experience. When I first used Arctic Silver 5, I used as much as I normally used with the generic thermal paste. LOL :D I turned my computer on and my CPU temperature spiked to over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. LOL

I quickly stripped everything down and followed the directions... LOL worked like a charm.

[coastie65]

LOL yeah, in addition to helping cool the cpu, it makes a very good insulator in too great of quantity. coastie65

[dhill1984]

will installing plastic standoffs v the metal ones that came in the case make that big of a difference? i just started, got the psu installed, and am getting ready to pre the case to install the mobo. should i wait and go pick up plastic standoffs?

[mphenterprises]

LOL I can tell this is your first build. :D I know you feel like a child on Christmas morning but I would advise you to wait until tomorrow when the rest of your components arrive. This way, you have everything in front of you and ready to go. Call me overly cautious but the less time you spend building the system is the less time there is for something to go wrong. I guess that is the business man coming out of me. :-)

As to your question, MJD is a proponent of using plastic versus metal, for good reason. Obviously metal is a conductor of electricity and plastic is not. However, I personally have never had an issue using metal standoffs in any custom build I have made. Now, this is not to say that it couldn't happen. So my advice, follow MJDs suggestion and use the plastic standoffs.

[dhill1984]

i got the rest of my components today :D and right now i am working on preping the case. i remembered reading his post, plus it looks like the case came short 1 brass standoff. so i might go get some plastic ones. smooth sailing so far- working on getting the plastic drive bay holders installed right now.

[coastie65]

Um, this is just a thought, but wouldn't it be better to install the mobo, before the psu and drive racks, thus giving you a clear field for installing the mobo? I've never built one of these things, and I think my inclination to do so is quickly fading. LOL coastie65

[mphenterprises]

Hi Coastie. Well, once you put the motherboard in the case, that basically limits the maneuverability one has. I normally prep the case and then install the motherboard. Once the motherboard is installed, I simply connect all applicable components.

Now, this could be a case of "six of one, half dozen of another." It may all depend on preference. Some people may put the motherboard in the case first; some may put it in after the case has been prepped.

[coastie65]

Yeah probably so. I do know that this mini tower I have doesn't give you a lot room after you put in the racks and PSU. Probably better with a standard tower. I saw a nice MOBO that was perfect for this with a much bigger bus and C2D compatible. I would have to rip this apart in order to change out the MOBO. coastie65

[dhill1984]

so far so good- psu, dvd burner, fan controller and hdd installed. starting to work on preping the cpu fan, cpu and mobo. wont know anything till i plug it in and flip the switch though.

[mphenterprises]

I hope you have your anti-static wrist guard on and ready...or at the very least have been continuously releasing static from your hands by touching some part of the metal case....

[dhill1984]

yup- took a break for dinner, and I have my wrist guard on, as well as some nitrile gloves medical gloves. bout to put the mobo together then drop it into the case. wish me luck!

[dhill1984]

how will i know if the processor was installed correctly? i followed the instructions in the box, checked, double checked, checked again, then closed down the latch. i guess it went it right, but is there any way i can tell for sure, or do i just find out when i turn it on?

[rgreen4]

If you are unsure, stop. Go back and take another look. Your processor should have come with a small instruction book which was pretty basic, but has some good diagrams. I went and retrived mine, as I could not remember the exact details of the layout. It shows two small notches on the top and bottom edges on the left hand side. There are two matching ribs in the socket that key the processor.

If you have not mounted the heat excanger/fan assembly, then you can simply unlatch the top cover and look at the top of the CPU you should see the two small notches in the edges that align with the ribs in the socket. I am confident that if you had it aligned 90 degrees to either side or reversed, you would have recalled having to use a good amount of pressure to force it in wrong.

[mphenterprises]

Hi DHill. To add to what RGreen has said, the processor only goes in one direction. As long as you were able close the housing latch easily, it went in the right way.