Walk Through : Lapping Your HSF

[_jM]

Hey Dave, Great post bro. Should be a sticky. I was just talking about lapping and wanting someone to make a post just like this one. Its perfect, just like theJesus said.. im bookmarking this!

 

[Hayder_Master]

nice work , and where you got this block

 

[Skywalker12345]

could i do t5his to my CPU cooler? or is it pointless?

 

[silkstone]

Nice post. I would also recommend only wet sanding for 2 reasons. 1) you avoid getting metal dust blowing everywhere 2) It stops particles from the sandpaper becoming embedded in the hs/ihs which is detrimental to thermal conductivity.
I would also say it's pretty safe to start with a higher grit sandpaper (I used 400) and you should "lap" for 2wice the amount of time for each grit change to full remove the previous scratches.
Anyway, this is my advice even if i didn't follow it. i dry sanded the first run with 400, then i used beer as a lubricant for the final 400grit lap and the prior 'laps' up to 1000grit.
You might also want to check it's flat with a razors edge before you finish.

 

[silkstone]

could i do t5his to my CPU cooler? or is it pointless?

Check if your hsf is flat or not first, if it's pretty flat then it's pointless, if it's convex it's pointless (as the ihs on your chip will be concave) if it's convex then you should lap it

 

[Skywalker12345]

so which picture would i want to do it to?

 

[theJesus]

Bottom, I believe. Actually, I think bottom would be preferable to top. (that's what she said).

-Cooler: --___--
----IHS: __----__

^ That way, there is contact in the middle for sure.

-Cooler: __----__
----IHS: __----__

^ That way, you can't be sure how much contact there is, because one surface will probably be a little more convex or concave than the other. That would probably introduce air pockets.

Conclusion: I would leave it alone if it's like my first example, unless the surface is scratched a lot. My second example, you would probably want to lap. Of course, there's a chance the cooler was designed to "fit" the curve of an IHS, although I would think that not all IHS are exactly the same.

 

[silkstone]

so which picture would i want to do it to?

If it looked like either you would want to do it

But the picture on top is concave - Would need lapping.
The one below is convex, you wouldn;t need to lapp a convex hsf unless you also lapped your CPU.

 

[silkstone]

Bottom, I believe.

No the bottom is convex, some hsf manufacturers make the HS's slightly convex for a better fit with the CPU which is always slightly concave.

(Man, too many con's in here)

 

[theJesus]

Yeah, I just edited my post, I was thinking backwards.

 

[d44ve]

wow... this post is still going!!

 

[intel igent]

wow... this post is still going!!

WOW! you're still hiding!

 

[Thermopylae_480]

Stickied.

 

[crtecha]

Great Job dude. I think I may try it on a old cooler first to get some practice. Awesome sticky

 

[d44ve]

Thanks for the sticky.....

If you guys want this done for ya and can afford a few days down time... I will be more than happy to do it for you.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Thanks for the sticky.....

If you guys want this done for ya and can afford a few days down time... I will be more than happy to do it for you.

OMG...your alive!

Where the hell have you been man? I remember your return then you just disappeared again.

 

[d44ve]

OMG...your alive!

Where the hell have you been man? I remember your return then you just disappeared again.

Been around... still watching the boards, just stop being a post whore! LOL

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

So your the reason that smell went away.

Just kidding man.

 

[silkstone]

Thanks for the sticky.....

If you guys want this done for ya and can afford a few days down time... I will be more than happy to do it for you.

Nice of you to offer to do it for other members, but i would advise you to let them do it themselves. Too many things to worry about e.g. getting lost or damaged in post and other stuff you wouldn;t want to be responsible for.

If anyone is thinking of doing this but nervous about doing so i would advise them to practise either on an old cpu first or try it with their heatsink. once they are comfortable give the cpu a go.

I't really quite safe, just don't drop it (like i did, lol) and to wipe it down after to get rid of any metallic dust or water and greese (from fingers or wet-sanding)

If anyone is feeling more confident then alternately you could remove the IHS altogether, just not on an i7 as they are soldered on! However this is a lot more risky for obvious reasons.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Nice of you to offer to do it for other members, but i would advise you to let them do it themselves. Too many things to worry about e.g. getting lost or damaged in post and other stuff you wouldn;t want to be responsible for.

It has the same dangers as buying from another member really. Not any different.

 

[spearman914]

Good job, keep up the good work!!

 

[d44ve]

Nice of you to offer to do it for other members, but i would advise you to let them do it themselves. Too many things to worry about e.g. getting lost or damaged in post and other stuff you wouldn;t want to be responsible for.

If anyone is thinking of doing this but nervous about doing so i would advise them to practise either on an old cpu first or try it with their heatsink. once they are comfortable give the cpu a go.

I't really quite safe, just don't drop it (like i did, lol) and to wipe it down after to get rid of any metallic dust or water and greese (from fingers or wet-sanding)

If anyone is feeling more confident then alternately you could remove the IHS altogether, just not on an i7 as they are soldered on! However this is a lot more risky for obvious reasons.

I am only offering a service.... people dont want to take the risk or are scared they might drop it ect ect. I have done a ton of these and just letting people know that I am willing to do it for them if they dont want to do it

 

[Haytch]

Patience is the key.

 

[silkstone]

I am only offering a service.... people dont want to take the risk or are scared they might drop it ect ect. I have done a ton of these and just letting people know that I am willing to do it for them if they dont want to do it

I'm not warning anyone off it. thought you were offereing it free, so is a risk to you, is all. I was trying to say it's overly nice of you to offer to do it for other forum members seeing as you have nothing to gain

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

Very nice guide. I follow a very similar process.