Today I applied thermal paste on my xbox 360 cpu's please critique the applying

[UbuntuFTW]

I have pics here. I am asking for critique of how well I did it since I want to know if I am ready to do it by myself on my pc, cause that one is more critical to do correctly.

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/...a/DSCN0233.jpg

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/...a/DSCN0230.jpg

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/...a/DSCN0225.jpg

[masta121]

It's better to just put an extremely small dot in the center of each chip. You used a bit too much. With that said, it will still work, just not be optimal. Spreading manually can cause air bubbles.

[sfade]

Yeah, would have put small dabs or lines in the center of each chip and let the sink spread it, but yours will get the job done fine, it doesn't have to be flawless to function well enough to keep it cooled.

[UbuntuFTW]

Originally Posted by sfade

Yeah, would have put small dabs or lines in the center of each chip and let the sink spread it, but yours will get the job done fine, it doesn't have to be flawless to function well enough to keep it cooled.

How can I calculate the exact optimal amount of paste for a small dot or a line? That is something you cannot shotgun because you can't really eye ball the spread method, cause you might get too little to spread, also it is arctic silver 5 so I it actually requires more material to spread than ceramic ones do.

[UbuntuFTW]

Also, the only reason I used spread is because I've seen no documentation on how much arctic silver 5 you need on 1 cmish by 1 cm ish cpu's

Man, someone needs to create an equation for this stuff!

[sfade]

Originally Posted by UbuntuFTW

How can I calculate the exact optimal amount of paste for a small dot or a line? That is something you cannot shotgun because you can't really eye ball the spread method, cause you might get too little to spread, also it is arctic silver 5 so I it actually requires more material to spread than ceramic ones do.

Truthfully, experience, which is why I say it isn't a big deal.

You can practice using small pieces of lexan or plexiglass with something that spreads similarly (close approximation of viscosity) or the real thing if you don't mind the waste, which is what I've had a few friends do. It can give you an idea of what sort of coverage you get.

[UbuntuFTW]

Originally Posted by sfade

Truthfully, experience, which is why I say it isn't a big deal.

You can practice using small pieces of lexan or plexiglass with something that spreads similarly (close approximation of viscosity) or the real thing if you don't mind the waste, which is what I've had a few friends do. It can give you an idea of what sort of coverage you get.

kk, looks like I have to spend another 15 bucks for arctic silver 5 from radio shack but it's worth it, thanks mate

[joemtnbike]

I am also not a proponent of manually spreading the paste as it has more potential to create air bubbles.

What heatsink are you using?
This will determine how much to use.
If it is a smooth surface heatsink about 2/3 the size of a pea.
If a direct heatpipe surface about the size of a pea as some of the paste will fill in the gaps along the edges of the heatpipes.

As for the small 1cm x 1 cm chips a drop about the size of a bb should do it.
as others have stated your 360 will be fine as is..

[fred0000]

I've been using the spread method for 7 years now on my PC components and PS3 never had any issues. When I show people how to do it, I show them the spread method, even when I started working in computer service and repair I continued using the spread method.
I think it's more of a personal preference. Your application on your 360 is perfect.

[lazy6pyro]

Yea, the method is more of a preference, though with spread technique you have a greater chance of excess that is expelled and gathers outside the heatsink. With a pricey paste like Artic Silver, I'll save every bit I can get.

But other than that, there's no real..."provable" difference in results.

[UbuntuFTW]

I thank everyone for your contributions

I will most likely survive my next thermal paste applying challenges without my house being burned down

[seseorang]

Originally Posted by lazy6pyro

But other than that, there's no real..."provable" difference in results.

There are. If you use a search engine, you can see someone apply some paste/grease and watch how it spreads with a transparent piece of plastic or whatever. You can clearly see the spread method harbours more bubbles.

There is another where the temperatures are higher on average.

The idea of the paste is to eliminate the gaps between the processor and heatsink. You may as well not bother as it would probably be the same result.

I've had problems on one of my computers once where I applied a fresh amount of paste/grease and this brought my temperatures down by about 5 degrees celsius.

I think it's well worth doing some research on this if you're curious. But I would never encourage the spread method

[UbuntuFTW]

does anyone know if arctic silver 5 needs ''curing'' to work the best?

[seseorang]

Should be good to use straight away. It's designed for temperatures that processors give out