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1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Hardware: is stacking multiple heatsinks beneficial?

I'm ordering a Raspberry Pi 4B with 8GB of RAM. Along with that I ordered the SD card, some kind of case, etc. (I will be running a Minecraft server on it, very CPU heavy stuff.) The case leaves ...
1 vote
0 answers
124 views

What is the name of these SSD M.2 heatsink copper sheets?

Would like to add a 2nd SSD in a Lenovo ThinkBook 16p G2 ACH laptop. According to the Hardware Maintenance Manual you have to wrap it in the following: (this then gets in contact with a silicon pad ...
0 votes
2 answers
2k views

Using liquid metal thermal paste on copper aluminum combination heat sink

I have this aluminum - copper combination heat sink for the processor of my desktop computer, can I use the liquid metal thermal paste on it? Specifically it is the thermal grizzly conductonaut ...
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

GPU Thermal paste melting off quickly?

I have recently bought a used XFX RX 580 8 GB GPU. It’s not older than 2 years. Cannot be sure if it has been used for mining or gaming, but I got it with the gaming BIOS, which is what I use it for. ...
2 votes
3 answers
4k views

Thermal Pad Size CPU/Heatsink

If using a 2mm thick thermal pad to connect the CPU to the heatsink, does the size of the pad matter? Should it be cut to the size of just the metal piece in the middle of the CPU (10mm x 10mm) or ...
1 vote
0 answers
3k views

Wildly fluctuating CPU package temperatures

I’ve used 3 different apps to monitor the CPU and GPU temperatures on my Windows laptop and I notice that the CPU temperature can be 80C one second and 50C the next, or 60C one second and 90C the next....
19 votes
4 answers
32k views

What's the proper way to remove thermal paste from a CPU?

I'm replacing the heatsink on my CPU, and want to clear the current thermal paste. What should I do?
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

Possibility of converting CPU heat to electrical energy

This was an idea brought up by a friend. Due to the CPU producing heat, one would think that it would be more energy-efficient to reuse that heat energy. Through what method could heat from the CPU ...
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

Is it ok to "over tighten" laptop heat sink screws? Is it ok for one screw being slightly less tight than the others?

I have the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-53. I have a screw that is tightened but may not be tightened ALL the way since the head is stripped, and I don't want to get a new one until I have to open my laptop ...
1 vote
1 answer
170 views

Orientation of PC during burn-in?

I heard a rumor that when you build a new PC, you are supposed to "burn" it in for about 24 hours so the thermal paste will correctly bond between the heatsink and the CPU. Assuming this is really ...
29 votes
4 answers
121k views

Can I remove and put back the heatsink of my processor without reapplying thermal paste?

If I remove the heatsink from my processor temporarily, then later put it back without changing the heatsink or CPU, do I need to reapply thermal paste?
0 votes
4 answers
14k views

Can't get Intel heatsink back on

I took off the CPU heat sink to blow out the dust. Now I can't get it back on. I've tried everything I read from Google: I pull up the black pins so they're inside the white part before putting the ...
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

NVMe SSD on mini ITX motherboard

I'm looking to get an NVMe SSD on my computer, but I have a mini ITX build. However, everything I've read online strongly suggests that NVMe SSD's should use heatsinks to avoid excessive heat and ...
0 votes
0 answers
1k views

Some parts of the heat pipes in my Asus N552vw laptop are black. Is it normal?

I watched a video on YouTube in which someone removes the cover of Asus N552 laptop. The color of the heat pipes in that video were all copper. The picture below shows how those of my laptop (Asus ...
user avatar
62 votes
8 answers
126k views

Is it OK to use toothpaste instead of thermal paste when fitting a CPU?

I was told many years ago to do this by someone who at the time knew more than I did. The CPU was a celeron in the Pentium 2 era. It ran cooler with the toothpaste between the chip and the heatsink ...

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