Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?

Well, here's one... I recently upgraded to a FuturePower KT133+ mobo with an 850MHz Duron. When installing the heatsink, I followed your excellent directions on applying heatsink compound to the CPU die and all went well. However, the heatsink also had a thermal pad on the bottom, so that I now have both a thermal pad and heatsink compound on the Duron. Is this a problem? I've since read that you should use one or the other of these solutions, but not both as I've done.
The mobo booted up nicely first time and has been running fine since (four days now). At idle, it's running around 70-75 F and hasn't gone over an indicated 90 F according to the VIA Hardware Monitor.
My question: Do I need to replace or reinstall the heatsink or should I just leave well enough alone?
Thanx!

1. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
deerslayer Jul-11-01 03:24 PM
In response to message 0

If you are going to use thermal paste you need to remove thermal pad and clean the bottom of the HSF with rubbing alcohol. I would remove it and start over.
Pentium 3 1000 @ 1195, Abit bx-133, 256 Mb Mushkin Rev.3 cas 2-2-2, Leadtek GeForce 3 Air Cooled.

2. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
lbyard Jul-11-01 05:02 PM
In response to message 0

Interesting... Running quite cool... suggest simply checking on it once and a while. That is, if you are sure you removed any protective film on the pad. Larry

3. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
PaulH Jul-11-01 05:18 PM
In response to message 2

Well, the low temps are at idle; I do see jumps whenever processor-intensive ops are under way. I'm planning to give it a good shakedown this evening with the hardware monitor running.
And yes, I did remove the protective film from the pad. That was right after carefully dabbing on the heatsink compound according to your *very* clear instructions. BTW, although this was a mobo upgrade rather than a complete build from scratch, the series on building a Socket A box was invaluable in making this a smooth upgrade.

4. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
PaulH Jul-16-01 02:08 PM
In response to message 3

Well, as a sensible solution, I followed deerslayer's advice--took out the mobo, removed the HSF and scraped off the termal pad (which had melted nicely as it was supposed to do), then cleaned it and the CPU with alcohol. Reapplied the heatsink compound to the CPU, reinstalled the HSF and reinstalled the mobo. All went smoothly; it took maybe half an hour.
All seems well. As expected, the VIA hardware monitor is reporting higher temps (around 80-85 F at idle and up in the 90s to around 102 when running system burn-in tests). I'm more comfortable with this situation; I suspect that the pad/compound combination was giving inaccurate temp. readings. In any case, it was strange enough that I feel better using the correct solution.
Thanx again for your assistance, both with this specific issue and with your instructions on AMD setup. I'd almost certainly be staring at a fried CPU now without them.
Paul

5. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
lbyard Jul-16-01 03:20 PM
In response to message 4

I don't see how the pad, etc. could produce an inaccurate temperature reading. The sensor on most motherboards is in the center of the CPU socket and should touch the bottom of the processor. However, these sensors do not measure the temperature as AMD recommends and can be somewhat inaccurate. From what have I read grease is a more effective thermal compound then the kind that melts, and that could account for the difference. However, I would not remove the pad and apply grease because removing the pad would probably reduce the spring tension on the heatsink. I think I would do the same as you did if it were my computer only because I tend to be a perfectionist (somewhat mellowed with age). On the other hand, I would still recommend that others not try to fix something that ain’t broke. Larry

6. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
PaulH Jul-16-01 03:43 PM
In response to message 5

>I don't see how the pad,
>etc. could produce an inaccurate
>temperature reading. The sensor
>on most motherboards is in
>the center of the CPU
>socket and should touch the
>bottom of the processor.
Oooh yeah... now that you mention this, I did intend somewhere along the line to pull the CPU and check whether this sensor was positioned right. Forgot, of course.
>From what have
>I read grease is a
>more effective thermal compound then
>the kind that melts, and
>that could account for the
>difference.
I've read the same, and expected the results described.
>However, I would
>not remove the pad and
>apply grease because removing the
>pad would probably reduce the
>spring tension on the heatsink.
That may have happened; it was somewhat easier to rinstall the heatsink this time around, although I could just as easily ascribe that to experience this time around. OTOH, I now have CPU readings that are more within the expected range and it has't fried, so...
> I think I would
>do the same as you
>did if it were my
>computer only because I tend
>to be a perfectionist (somewhat
>mellowed with age).
Well, I'm on the wrong side of 50 myself, but basically just wanted to resolve this with finality.
>On
>the other hand, I would
>still recommend that others not
>try to fix something that
>ain’t broke. Larry
Good point. IMHO, heatsink installation was the hardest part of this upgrade and is undoubtedly the most problematic aspect of AMD processor usage, so I'd agree with you on this. I would certainly have left well enough alone if I hadn't felt confident that I could do this without making matters worse.
PH

7. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
lbyard Jul-17-01 03:19 PM
In response to message 6

>Oooh yeah... now that you mention this, I did intend somewhere along the line to pull the CPU and check whether this sensor was positioned right. Forgot, of course.
I wouldn't worry anymore about it and would not pull it again. Larry

8. RE: Thermal pad AND heatsink compound on 850MHz Duron?
PaulH Jul-17-01 04:28 PM
In response to message 7

>I wouldn't worry anymore about it
>and would not pull it
>again. Larry
Sounds like a plan. 8-)
PH