Lapping Question

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Hello everyone,
ok i know what lapping is and am aware of the advantages but i really dont like intefering with the processor.
anyway my question concerns the Cocage True spirit, ive read things on the internet about having to lap it otherwise it doesnt work properly.
is this true(no this is not a joke i mean true as in correct :p) and will it mean i have to lap my cpu too as i really dont want to do that and will have to look for another cooler in that price range.
Thanks a lot in advance :)
 
What you need to do is to check both the base of the cooler and the IHS of the cpu for flatness. Using a straight edge check flatness in both directions. If they are flat then there is nothing to be gained in lapping.

Matt
 
That won't really tell you much, you're talking about tiny differences in the surface, you won't really know it's not flat until you try to lap it and see that it has high and low points.

I havn't done mine though, maxs out at 50C on the current clock, so I never saw the point. :P
 
The tiny differences are negated by using tim. A straight edge is all you need.

If a straight edge is good enough for precision engineering then its good enough to see if your base and IHS are flat.

Matt
 
Best way to test how flat they are is to use a razor blade, if u can see lots of light coming through then yes lap it.

If barely any light, or no light comes through then its as flat as ur likely to get it.

But lapping as soon as u lap either the warranty is gone, so to me its not worth it really untill they go out of warranty.
 
Losing a warranty on a cpu cooler isn't exactly the end of the world, there's rather little to go wrong with one.

I would lap the cooler and put serious thought into lapping the processor, but only if you're thermally limited at the moment. I lapped an e8400 because it was running too hot without it, but didn't bother lapping a q9550 because it was voltage limited, not temperature.

The attitude of "fairly flat, tim will deal with the differences" is perhaps valid, but it doesn't change that lapped and using less tim will improve temperatures. For a start it removes the porous nickel plating, and that can only be a good thing for heat transfer.
 
thanks for all the advise everyone
its much appreciated :)
i guess ill have to wait to see the heatsink and then decide
 
If a straight edge is good enough for precision engineering then its good enough to see if your base and IHS are flat.

Well it isn't, not by a long shot! a straight edge is OK for most fabrication, but nothing like accurate enough for precision stuff, like what this is. :P

The whole point of lapping is to make it properly flat, and you couldn't possibly tell with a simple straight edge.
 
Well my years in aerospace engineering tell me otherwise. A straight edge and a good light source is all you need if you have the experience.

Other than that some engineers blue and a surface table will do a better job if you have access to both.

Matt
 
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