Artic Silver Epoxy - spodesabode.com archive

When you get the epoxy, you are given two 3.5 gram tubes (so thats 7grams of use in total..). If you haven't used an epoxy before, the basic idea is that you mix the two parts together and it chemically reacts. You then have a certain amount of time to apply it before it sets. You then have to leave it for a certain amount of time to cure. If you want some really detailed instructions, goto their site.

Before I did anything with the epoxy, I had to prepare the surface I was mounting to. In the case of my chipset, I took the old heatsink off and cleaned it with methylated sprits. I then masked off the areas around the chip just incase it sqweezed out and fryed my board!

I then had to decide what I was going to put ontop of my KT133a chiipset! I took an oversized socket 7 cooler and lapped the base to get rid of the anodizing and make it as flat as possible. I then used my multi took to take the top left corner off, just incase it was going to interfere with the heatsink installation...

Here I am using a zip tie to mix the epoxy. I don't know why I am using a zip tie, but it was handy! After mixing for 30 seconds of so it was ready to apply to the surface of the chipset.

I applied a thinish layer over the top of the chip, and a good thing I masked it up, cos I got quite a bit on the tape. I then took the lovely new heatsink and placed it into place and pushed down hard!! I then took a trusty jam jar filled with bits and bobs (weighing quite a bit) and placed it on top of the heatsink.

Pretty chunky heatsink!! I left it with pressure on for 15 minutes, before removing the tape around it (after 15 minutes it was still quite soft, so I could just pull the tape away) then I left it for another 15 minutes with pressure to finish curing.

I am very impressed with this product. I am used to using epoxy so this was no different, but at last it transfers heat! The bond is VERY strong when used in an undiluted form but It is possible to weaken this bond by diluting the mixture with Arctic Silver (instructions here). I used this product for my GPU cooler as well with no problems.

One problem I had (which is not really a problem, cos it's not designed for it) is that it didn't like submersion under water, it went soft very quickly and could be pulled off the surface very easily.

Overall an excellent product. I'd like to thank the guys over at Arctic Silver for sending me this sample. As far as availability, you can find a list of dealers and distributers HERE so take your pick!