Athlon 64 thermal interface material

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Grumble

Hello everybody,

According to several websites, boxed Athlon 64 CPUs come with a thermal
pad (A.K.A. phase-change material) pre-applied on the heatsink.

e.g. http://www.madshrimps.be/printart.php?articID=135

"Also interesting to know, this heatsink has some sort of thermal pad
pre-applied. Mostly this looks and behaves like bubble gum, but this
one's different."

If you've bought a boxed Athlon 64, can you confirm that the HSF is the
Ajigo MF043-044A and that it comes with a pre-applied thermal pad?

I'm thoroughly confused because the following document warns: "Do not
use a thermal pad for AMD Athlon 64 or AMD Opteron processors!"

Thermal Interface Material Comparison: Thermal Pads vs. Thermal Grease
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/26951.pdf

Did AMD change their mind since April 2004?
 
Hello everybody,

According to several websites, boxed Athlon 64 CPUs come with a thermal
pad (A.K.A. phase-change material) pre-applied on the heatsink.

e.g. http://www.madshrimps.be/printart.php?articID=135

"Also interesting to know, this heatsink has some sort of thermal pad
pre-applied. Mostly this looks and behaves like bubble gum, but this
one's different."
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call the TIM on my boxed A64 3500+(90nm) a "thermal pad" - it
was very thinly applied and definitely had a pastey consistency to it
before use (I scratched just the edge of it with a finger nail) and I
haven't dismounted it so don't know what it's turned into with heat &
pressure. It looked & felt nothing like the pads I've seen on the Athlon
XPs, which are thicker and do have a bubblegum feel to them.
If you've bought a boxed Athlon 64, can you confirm that the HSF is the
Ajigo MF043-044A and that it comes with a pre-applied thermal pad?
Click to expand...

I've no idea who made it - it's not obvious and I did not examine it in
detail beyond looking at the TIM. Where is it marked who made it?
I'm thoroughly confused because the following document warns: "Do not
use a thermal pad for AMD Athlon 64 or AMD Opteron processors!"

Thermal Interface Material Comparison: Thermal Pads vs. Thermal Grease
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/26951.pdf

Did AMD change their mind since April 2004?
Click to expand...

I don't think so.
 
Hello everybody,

According to several websites, boxed Athlon 64 CPUs come with a thermal
pad (A.K.A. phase-change material) pre-applied on the heatsink.

e.g. http://www.madshrimps.be/printart.php?articID=135

"Also interesting to know, this heatsink has some sort of thermal pad
pre-applied. Mostly this looks and behaves like bubble gum, but this
one's different."
Click to expand...

I disagree with their characterization of the material that's on the
heat sink bottom. It's a grayish paste-like material that if you tried
removing before it's been used, i.e., heated up by the CPU, would
break up easily, unlike a thermal pad.
If you've bought a boxed Athlon 64, can you confirm that the HSF is the
Ajigo MF043-044A and that it comes with a pre-applied thermal pad?
Click to expand...

The material that's on the heat sink bottom is not a pad.
I'm thoroughly confused because the following document warns: "Do not
use a thermal pad for AMD Athlon 64 or AMD Opteron processors!"

Thermal Interface Material Comparison: Thermal Pads vs. Thermal Grease
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/26951.pdf

Did AMD change their mind since April 2004?
Click to expand...

No. For heat sinks that rest directly on the microprocessor die, they
recommend using a pad. For microprocessors that have a heat spreader,
they do not recommend using a pad.
 
Andy said:
The material that's on the heat sink bottom is not a pad.
Click to expand...

I'm completely new to this game, but it seems to me that it qualifies as
a thermal pad, or phase-change material, according to the definition
given by AMD. Am I mistaken?
No. For heat sinks that rest directly on the microprocessor die, they
recommend using a pad. For microprocessors that have a heat spreader,
they do not recommend using a pad.
Click to expand...

The document states: "High-performance thermal greases and pastes are
the recommended solution for lidded processors, such as the AMD Athlon
64 and AMD Opteron processors." Would you consider the pre-applied
material on the heatsink some kind of thermal paste?

Did you just use what came in the box, or did you have to purchase
additional thermal paste?
 
Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful

Because they are (somewhat justifiably) paranoid about Joe Blow screwing
up paste/grease application, and because they don't want/expect the
general public to be changing the HS, or CPU.
The document states: "High-performance thermal greases and pastes are
the recommended solution for lidded processors, such as the AMD Athlon
64 and AMD Opteron processors." Would you consider the pre-applied
material on the heatsink some kind of thermal paste?
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd consider it paste which happens to be pre-applied to the HS.
This obviously only works with pastes which have very high viscosity
(approaching 'solid') at room temperature - not a problem, just mix your
Zinc Oxide (or whatever) with something at the 'waxy' end of 'oil'.
 
I'm completely new to this game, but it seems to me that it qualifies as
a thermal pad, or phase-change material, according to the definition
given by AMD. Am I mistaken?


The document states: "High-performance thermal greases and pastes are
the recommended solution for lidded processors, such as the AMD Athlon
64 and AMD Opteron processors." Would you consider the pre-applied
material on the heatsink some kind of thermal paste?

Did you just use what came in the box, or did you have to purchase
additional thermal paste?
Click to expand...

FWIW, I have a boxed 3200+ Newcastle and the HS had pre-applied thermal
paste. I've tried Artic Silver 3 on it and don't see any difference at
all, Maybe 1C lower at idle, probably just room temp changed. ;p.

Ed
 
George said:
I wouldn't call the TIM on my boxed A64 3500+(90nm) a "thermal pad" - it
was very thinly applied and definitely had a pastey consistency to it
before use (I scratched just the edge of it with a finger nail) and I
haven't dismounted it so don't know what it's turned into with heat &
pressure. It looked & felt nothing like the pads I've seen on the Athlon
XPs, which are thicker and do have a bubblegum feel to them.
Click to expand...

If I understand correctly, you didn't add any extra thermal paste? The
pre-applied TIM is enough. Right?
 
If I understand correctly, you didn't add any extra thermal paste? The
pre-applied TIM is enough. Right?
Click to expand...

You only want to apply one thermal interface.

Chapter 4 (Builder’s Guide)....
The heatsink has a thermal interface material pre-applied on the bottom.
This material is protected by a plastic cover.

Do not use the thermal interface material if it has scratches or gaps.
If replacement thermal interface material is needed, contact AMD
technical support for assistance at http://ask.amd.com or (408)
749-3060. In EMEA, please contact AMD technical support for assistance
at http://www.amd.com/support.

If a heatsink is removed for any reason, clean the processor and
heatsink surface and re-apply an AMD approved thermal interface material
before re-installing the processor.

Builder’s Guide for AMD Opteron™ Processor-Based Servers and
Workstations
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/30925.pdf

hth,
Ed
 
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