I tend to stay behind the curve and yesterday took
delivery of an AMD Barton 2500+ Retail boxed version.

I read all the instructions and the WARRANTY...
At the time they made "that" chip, AMD was still
saying to use the phase change material (looks like
tape or bubblegum) -- and the warranty stated that
if I did not use that and the exact fan it came with
that there would be no warranty... (YMMV with your
OEM type warranty, if any)

In the past, I have been to the AMD site and downloaded
the videos showing how all the above is done.
At that time, (05/02/03), they were recommending
paste or tape only be used in an experimental temporary
environment (such as where the fans/cpus are changed a lot).

The following is quoted from their site at that time:

Recommended Thermal Interface Material

    When installing a heatsink on a Socket A AMD AthlonT
    or AMD DuronT processor, thermal interface material
    must be used. Thermal interface material helps conduct
    heat from the processor to the heatsink, where it can be
    effectively dissipated. Phase Change Material (PCM) is
    the recommended interface material for Socket A AMD
    Athlon and AMD Duron processors. Many heatsinks are
    sold with a pre-applied phase change material interface.

    Phase change material is different from Thermal Tape or
    Thermal Grease, neither of which is recommended by AMD
    for use with AMD Athlon or AMD Duron processors. Care
    should be taken so as not to confuse thermal greases or
    tapes with PCM. Phase change material is similar in color
    to bubble gum or silly putty, and will initially be covered by
    a plastic film to protect it until use. Once heated, it will change
    state and adhere to the processor. Once the material changes
    state, the heatsink should not be removed. If the heatsink is
    removed, any remaining phase change material will need to
    be removed and a new thermal interface applied before
    re-installing the heatsink.

    A list of suggested materials evaluated by AMD is provided
    in the table below. For purchasing information, contact the
    manufacturer for a list of their distributors/vendors.

    Manufacturer + Product
    Bergquist HF225UT
    Chomerics T725
    Honeywell PCM45
    Power Devices Powerfilm
    ShinEtsu PCS-TC-11T-13
    Thermagon T-pcm905C

Even given all the above, I am currently running 2 machines
at 1700+ with "paste" from "Archer", the former Radio Shack
company name... (Yes it is old...)

                   Good luck,     Rick Glazier


From: "Adam Favre" <[log in to unmask]>
> Is there a good place to go that shows some pictures
of what a CPU should look like w/ thermal paste applied?
*clipped*
> I am recieving my bundle of goodies from NEWEGG.COM
today with my cpu, ABIT AN7 Mobo, and Athlon XP3200+ cpu
with aftermarket heatsink and fan.  Any advice would be greatly
appreciated.

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