On Jul 27, 9:19 am, Maccountant <[email protected]> wrote: > Has anyone done this before? I purchased a Sonnet G4 1.8gz MDX for my > G4 single 1.25 MDD. It works fine but generates too much heat, even > with the built-in fan. I want to remove the heatsink and replace it > with an Apple copper one from a 1.45 G4 that I have but the Sonnet is > screwed in in a proprietary way. I contacted Sonnet but the guy just > said they attached it in such a way so customers won’t remove it. Big > help. Has anyone done such a thing and can tell me what kind of tool I > need?
i second the suggestion from pete. just add another fan to the heatsink. you can get them at radioshack fairly cheap, or online. but you will also want to have a way to power it, so you'll need MOLEX plug adapter or a splitter. if there are unused MOLEX plugs in your computer (eg, for unused HD bays), an adapter will allow the leads from the fan to connect to the MOLEX to get 12v for the fan. if all your MOLEX connectors are in use, the there are "splitter" type adapters that will allow you to keep all your devices powered and tap into one of them to connect the power leads to the fan. as for removing the heatsink and replacing it, geke is correct that there needs to be thermal paste, but i caution you about doing that, especially about applying thermal paste. virtually everyone gets this wrong and uses WAY TOO MUCH paste. it is a silicone compound, and like all covalently bonded compounds, it is NOT a good thermal conductor. NOTHING is as effective as direct contact between the chip and the heatsink. the function of the paste is to fill in microscopic gaps that are present when any two "flat" surfaces are pressed together. invariably, everyone applies too much paste and it ends up preventing direct contact between the chip surface and the heatsink. if the proper amount of thermal paste is used, it will be almost invisible over most of the surface of the chip. i have seen apple computers shipped from the factory with egregiously excessive amounts of thermal paste, particularly the G4 PB's, and they were notorious for processor failure for exactly that reason. so rather than trying to shoehorn the copper Apple heatsink onto the Sonnet processor, you might want to remove the Sonnet heatsink just to see if someone has already gooped it up with an excessive amount of thermal paste, and if so, remove the excess. however, DO NOT use acetone to clean the CPU chip. that's just plain crazy. acetone is a powerful solvent, and while it will not attack the plastic of the CPU chip itself, it could damage any adjacent CB components with which it comes into contact. wipe the heatsink and CPU chip thoroughly with a clean soft cotton cloth or a cotton Q-tip moistened with a little isopropyl rubbing alcohol. apply fresh (NON-METALLIC) thermal paste judiciously and SPARINGLY then press the heatsink and CPU together firmly. if any paste squeezes out, you've used too much. wipe it from the edges and press them together firmly again. when you pull them apart, the surface of the chip and the heatsink that are in contact should appear virtually "clean," ie, barely a "haze" of thermal paste in a few spots only. THAT is the PROPER amount of thermal paste. if yours has too much paste on it, removing the excess will make it run MUCH cooler. -- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
