G
Guest
I replaced the processor in my IBM Thinkpad A31 today, going from
a 1.8Ghz to 2.4Ghz Pentium 4-M.
When I replaced it, I noticed a layer of thermal grease that had
been placed on the processor (I assume for a close contact with the
heatsink, which was placed just above it).
Unfortunately, I didn't have any of this grease on hand, so I smeared
what I could that was left over from the old chip to the new. I am
not certain that it was enough to form a good seal, or even breach
the gap between the chip and the heatsink.
I think used the computer for about an hour, before suddenly worrying
that I might be damaging the processor unknowingly.
My question is, how likely is it that I would have damaged my processor
if, at worst, there was NO contact between the heatsink and the
processor? How about if it was just metal-on-metal, without the
grease?
And how would I *know* that there was a problem? Sudden weird system-level
errors? (I was running a Windows install at the time I decided to shut
it down, so Windows itself wasn't yet running). Would the machine
simply shut down? Would I get any kind of beeping or warning? I suppose
that last part depends on the machine itself... but I wonder if this
model processor provides thermal information that the BIOS (or other
part of the machine) can use to shut itself down.
Anybody know these sorts of things out there? IBM's website has nothing
about it.
- Tim
--
a 1.8Ghz to 2.4Ghz Pentium 4-M.
When I replaced it, I noticed a layer of thermal grease that had
been placed on the processor (I assume for a close contact with the
heatsink, which was placed just above it).
Unfortunately, I didn't have any of this grease on hand, so I smeared
what I could that was left over from the old chip to the new. I am
not certain that it was enough to form a good seal, or even breach
the gap between the chip and the heatsink.
I think used the computer for about an hour, before suddenly worrying
that I might be damaging the processor unknowingly.
My question is, how likely is it that I would have damaged my processor
if, at worst, there was NO contact between the heatsink and the
processor? How about if it was just metal-on-metal, without the
grease?
And how would I *know* that there was a problem? Sudden weird system-level
errors? (I was running a Windows install at the time I decided to shut
it down, so Windows itself wasn't yet running). Would the machine
simply shut down? Would I get any kind of beeping or warning? I suppose
that last part depends on the machine itself... but I wonder if this
model processor provides thermal information that the BIOS (or other
part of the machine) can use to shut itself down.
Anybody know these sorts of things out there? IBM's website has nothing
about it.
- Tim
--