We are a service company and have removed many heatsinks that had thermal pads and re-applied using thermal grease (of course this is after very carefully removing the thermal pad with plastic scraper and alcohol) and have never had one come back to us with a thermal issue again. Many times the system even runs cooler according to our clients than when they first got it - although that could just be perception.
Of course - it is your system - use your judgement and do what you feel best. Again we have done this many times and we warrant our work and have not had one come back yet. As to the type - I have not seen a tremendous difference in the "high" end vs. regular brands on the market. - Good Luck -----Original Message----- From: owner-m...@openbsd.org [mailto:owner-m...@openbsd.org] On Behalf Of Jussi Peltola Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 8:12 AM To: misc@openbsd.org Subject: Re: Opteron 250 Overheating On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 08:02:50AM -0400, Steve Shockley wrote: > If you do take it apart, make sure you have some heatsink grease > on-hand, as the factory stuff may look (and function) like dried > toothpaste. Don't spend extra on "special" grease, it doesn't really > make a difference. Laptops often have thermal pads, which can't be replaced with thermal paste. Better not remove it unless you know what you're doing. The pad is nearly impossible to re-use, dust will stick to it and it'll be unusable. Snake oil thermal pastes are just a rip-off, though.
