AS5: I tint, you tint, do we all tint?

manveruppd

manveruppd

manveruppd

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I've been reading the instructions for applying AS5 to Sandybridge processors, and I was surprised to see that they recommend that you "tint" the base of the heatsink by spreading a bit of AS5 around with a credit card!

I don't remember ever having to do this before for any other cpu I installed, and it seems to go counter to the basic philosophy of applying as little thermal compound as possible. I tried to spread it as thin as possible, but it still feels like a lot and I'm uneasy.

Do other people do this?
 
Just a pea size in the centre and then put the heatsink on. The pressure will spread it out and not let any air inbetween. You only need the centre covered really.

If you've got a tube of paste then try it out. Even though AS5 or any other thermal paste tubes come in small amounts they last for quite a long time! That is if you apply it in small amounts like recommended.
 
AS5 works best if you spread it thinly with a credit card, if both the CPU and HS are flat. I've found that it will usually out perform Diamond by about 1C if you do this. This only applies though if you can spread it as thinly as possible and that both surfaces make full contact.
 
That's not what it says on their website, it suggests you spread a little bit out with a credit card on the heatsink and use the "line" method on the CPU.
 
manveruppd said:
That's not what it says on their website, it suggests you spread a little bit out with a credit card on the heatsink and use the "line" method on the CPU.
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Yeah, just ignore what they say though. All that harks back to when C2Q were horrendously concave and the credit card method meant that the CPU and HS didn't come into contact in the middle.

The primary benefit of AS5 is that it spreads perfectly with a credit card, very few top end TIMs do this. If both CPU and HS are flat getting as thin a layer as possible of AS5 is pretty much unbeatable. In my experience only liquid metal type TIMs beat it under these conditions.

Other TIMs only come into there own when you have to use them as a filler because the CPU or HS is non-flat.
 
Oops... I confess I've already done it using their method, was only asking out of academic curiosity! :p Guess I better reseat it now cause it'll be a massive hassle once it's in the case...

So do you spread it on just the CPU or do you also tint the base of the heatsink as well?
 
All I will say is test it yourself as your mileage may vary.

Personally, I just put a tiny drop on, and spread it out with a credit card only on the CPU. I've always found that with other TIMs they don't spread and putting a pea sized lump in the middle results in a thicker layer than you would get with AS5 and the credit card. You want as thin a layer as possible, as anything else will worsen temperatures.

Edit: "Tinting" is something I've seen recommended with Liquid Metal Pro, so I assume it's related to pastes with ultra thin layers.
 
Bah, it's too late in the night for do-overs! :p My TRUE120 has seen 3 years of use and has a few scratches on its base, so I suspect the tinting is a good idea. As for the CPU, well, already used the line method, didn't use too much and I'm sure it'll spread fairly evenly with the weight of all that aluminium on top of it!
 
Fairly easy to get a TRUE off and redo it :p

Just read up and spreading AS5 thinly does seem to be the best way for AS5 as it's more viscous and doesn't spread as easily under pressure than other pastes.
 
It's up to you..

Or leave it and wait for the paste to break in and see the temps, let it eat at you for days wondering if they could have been better then redo it the way Jokester said and then report back your findings :p

Then you'll have your own way of doing it. Even though everyone recommends their own way it's best you try it for yourself to see who's right.

I've tried the paste spreading very thinly and I never got lower temps. However I made the mistake of not checking load temps as that's where the difference may be if the idle temps have gotten as low as they can.

PS - If you haven't got a CPU hole cut in your motherboard tray then it might be a bit of a pain in the bum to do.
 
Wow, it comes off so much more easily when it's fresh than when it's had 3 years to bake itself into the heatsink! :p

I've used A LOT of Aeropress filters tonight!
 
moogle said:
Or leave it and wait for the paste to break in and see the temps, let it eat at you for days wondering if they could have been better then redo it the way Jokester said and then report back your findings :p
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Yeah, that was my line of thinking when I decided to bite the bullet and reseat it, I knew that even if I got decent temps I would have still been consumed with the thought that it might've been a little bit lower! :D

My case is an old Antec P110 (I think... some such model number at any rate), and nope, it hasn't got a hole in the mobo tray, and there isn't even any room to run power cables round the back of the tray either, so I have to wrestle past a thousand cables and other stuff in the way whenever I need to unscrew something or take a computer apart. It's a pain, I'm now thinking I should've chucked it and gotten a new case, but it's too late now: once I've set this rig up, it's STAYING in that case until something dies or needs upgrading! :p
 
manveruppd said:
My case is an old Antec P110 (I think... some such model number at any rate), and nope, it hasn't got a hole in the mobo tray, and there isn't even any room to run power cables round the back of the tray either, so I have to wrestle past a thousand cables and other stuff in the way whenever I need to unscrew something or take a computer apart.
Click to expand...

Oh my, I salute your bravery and courage :D
I remember those dark days when I had such a case, the cuts and scratches from frustration of the cables getting the way.
 
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