Thermal Paste needed for Slot 1 CPU?

[Deisel Weisel]

I?ve ordered a Pentium 3 550mhz (SL3F7), minus heatsink. I already have a 600mhz (SL3JM) version siting around, that never worked properly, that has attached a large passive heatsink. I had to modify this h/s, cutting off the ends, so that CPU could be seated in the slot (it still only mounted adequately, not 100% securely). Anyway, question is: if I swap that h/s onto the 550, do I need then to use any thermal paste between CPU and sink? There?s a white plastic looking patch on the h/s where it mounts to the CPU.

[Trajik 2600]

Most of the people on this board are probably not old enough to remember the P3 :-p

The white plastic thermal pad should be cleaned off and new thermal paste applied between the CPU and the heat sink. I would probably recommend using a fan, as I'm not sure a passive HS is adequate for a P3 550. I had a room with two P3 1 GHz PCs and an Athlon 733 MHz at one point and remember it being quite a hot room.

Sounds like cotton swabs and alcohol is the ideal way to clean the old paste off:

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/335074-b...-paste-off.html

Hope this helps!

[Deisel Weisel]

Very helpful, cheers! I drew a blank from a local hardware store and chemist, for those cleaners mentioned in that link. I removed the white pad from the h/s using my thumbnail and Auto Glym Engine & Machine Cleaner ?basically a ?powerful water-based biodegradable degreaser?. I?m reluctant to try that on the CPU. I?ll try again for something more appropriate tomorrow, unless you think I can get away with the Auto Glym cleaner?

I?ve got some Arctic Ceramic, that would be okay to use as thermal paste?

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Perhaps the 600MHz CPU never worked well because it was using just a passive heat sink.

Incidentally, back in the P3 days, I typically just used contact without any fancy thermal pastes to attach and active heat sink/fan to a slot1 P3.

These days, the thermal paste may cost more than the CPU.

[Deisel Weisel]

The 600 booted up fine, and I could use various programmes, but FireFox crashed if you visited various web pages. FF had to be used as the browser, so I dumped the 600.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

The 600 booted up fine, and I could use various programmes, but FireFox crashed if you visited various web pages. FF had to be used as the browser, so I dumped the 600.

That just sounds to me like it needs a proper heatsink/fan combo. It's designed to be 600/100 but how well does it run at 400MHz (400/66). It should be locked at 6x.

[redvamp128]

I seem to remember using on that CPU -- The original Arctic Silver-

http://www.arcticsilver.com/#

Though probably what would do you just fine is found at Radio Shack-

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp...mpound&sr=1

[_neutrino Veteran]

yeah im the same with the P3 i never used any thermal anything just plugged it in and had the fan on the side.

[hdood]

Very helpful, cheers! I drew a blank from a local hardware store and chemist, for those cleaners mentioned in that link. I removed the white pad from the h/s using my thumbnail and Auto Glym Engine & Machine Cleaner ?basically a ?powerful water-based biodegradable degreaser?. I?m reluctant to try that on the CPU. I?ll try again for something more appropriate tomorrow, unless you think I can get away with the Auto Glym cleaner?

Honestly, I would avoid things like that altogether. You want something that is completely pure and that won't leave behind any sort of residue. Ideally something like isopropyl alcohol (but not things like nail-polish remover, because that has additives), although acetone will also work extremely well provided the surfaces are metal. Heat spreaders and sinks usually are, but going from memory I think most of the slot 1 boards expose the processor directly and don't have a heat spreader, and so could potentially be damaged by acetone. Go with isopropyl alcohol, and give the heat sink a going over as well, in case the automotive cleaner left anything behind.

Provided the heat sink and processor physically touch, any HTC compound should be fine. I don't know what that particular Arctic product is, but it'll probably be fine.

[Deisel Weisel]

Thanks for everyones advice.

That just sounds to me like it needs a proper heatsink/fan combo. It's designed to be 600/100 but how well does it run at 400MHz (400/66). It should be locked at 6x.

But why didn't the whole system crash, if you're suggesting the CPU thermally shut down? It was just FF that crashed and only on certain web pages, always the same pages. I'll see if it runs at 400.

[Deisel Weisel]

Well the 550 isn?t working either. Just like the 600, it boots fine, and no problem with other programs, and no problem with most sites FireFox visits, apart from a few where ?Doctor Watson for Windows NT? interrupts things with: ?an application error has occurred and an application error log is being generated. FireFox exe.?

It?s not overheating, I aimed a fan at it.

According to this site, these CPU's should work with my P2B rev 1.10:

http://homepage.hispeed.ch/rscheidegger/p2...pgrade_faq.html

I was thinking maybe one last chance and get the 400 version of the Celeron 333, that it?s already running.

Edited November 24, 2009 by Deisel Weisel

[Ambroos]

If you want something good to clean off the thermal paste, try a paper coffee filter! Works best in my opinion :p

[Fish]

Two different processors, but the same problem.... Sounds to me like you're barking up the wrong tree. I would re-think my diagnosis if I were you.

[hjf288]

Isopropyl Alcohol works well to clean

Arctic MX-2/3 is great paste.. Its like Arctic silver 5 but without the set in time

Two different processors, but the same problem.... Sounds to me like you're barking up the wrong tree. I would re-think my diagnosis if I were you.

I'm thinking he should run Memtest and test his memory for defects.

[lars77]

Two different processors, but the same problem.... Sounds to me like you're barking up the wrong tree. I would re-think my diagnosis if I were you.

+1

If the only issue you're seeing is Firefox crashing on certain webpages, that would not suggest a processor issue. Sounds more like a software issue, but it's hard to say without getting the full picture (system specs, OS, Firefox version, etc).

[Deisel Weisel]

I'm thinking he should run Memtest and test his memory for defects.

The current Celeron 333 works fine. Maybe Pentium uses the memory slightly differently. Maybe I'll try that Memtest when I have time. Thanks.

+1

If the only issue you're seeing is Firefox crashing on certain webpages, that would not suggest a processor issue. Sounds more like a software issue, but it's hard to say without getting the full picture (system specs, OS, Firefox version, etc).

Okay, I'll list the spec later.

[lars77]

I'm thinking he should run Memtest and test his memory for defects.

Memtest is a good idea, you should aim for 10 rounds without any errors.

I built a PIII 667 based computer & found that the processor + motherboard + RAM is finicky & originally led to many strange program crashes, etc. In that particular case I figured out that I had to clock down the bus from 133mhz to something like 119mhz in order to not get any memtest errors, which itself was sneaky b/c the memtest errors would only come up on the 6th or 7th round of memtest. System runs stable now.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Aiming a fan at a heatsink isn't the same as a proper heatsink/fan combination. Celeron 333s didn't really need active fan combos but the 550 and 600MHz P3 were designed to use an active heatsink/fan combination.

[Deisel Weisel]

This has got slightly off-topic, maybe I should start another thread, but re potential RAM probs: Not had a chance to use Memtest yet, but I did try each of the 3 RAM sticks individually and they all got Doc Watson coming up, on those web pages. 2 x Kingston 128mb and 1 x Crucial 64mb. My test makes it far less likely memory probs are the cause of Doc Watson, right? Unless all 3 sticks are faulty.

Aiming a fan at a heatsink isn't the same as a proper heatsink/fan combination. Celeron 333s didn't really need active fan combos but the 550 and 600MHz P3 were designed to use an active heatsink/fan combination.

Okay Fred, thanks.