Hi,

An old saying that I have learned to live by.  " If it ain't broke don't
fix it. "

That said, AMD processors are very fragile compared to INTEL.  1) they
can be easily damaged when the CPU Fan is placed on it.  If you can
check the glass silicon area in the center, you want to make sure all
edges are not chipped or cracked in any way.  The slightest chip means
the processor is NG.   2) they do burn out very quickly if the fan is
not installed or is installed in correctly.  They do not have thermal
limiting as the Intel chips do.  What is quickly?  How about 1 second.

As far as thermal paste goes.  You usually only use the paste if the new
fan you are putting on does not have an "adhevesive" pad on it already.
Usually you remove a film and there is a pad that is exposed.  Thermal
compound would not usualy be used for that type fan, initally.

If the fan is removed and to be reused, then the thermal compound would
be used because the original pad has been heated and when removed from
the cpu there are going to be gaps, as if the pad is tearing.
Remounting it without the compound will leave air gaps and poor contact


Thanks and have a Great Day!

Joe Lore


Thanks for the reply, I was pretty sure about the thermal paste issue.
The shame about this is, he says he replaced the motherboard and
processor recently. (Not sure how long ago recently is though). I asked
him why he replaced it, as he said it was all working fine, and he said
it was because he had sent the computer away to be tested for faults.
(apparently, he has a clause in his guarantee which allows free testing,
the system is 3 or 4 years old. However, he is not entitled to free
repairs, just a diagnosis) When the computer was returned to him, he was
told the motherboard was warped, so to save money (?), he changed the
motherboard himself, and went on to install a compatible processor. (Am
I right in thinking heat could be a possibility in causing a warped
m/b?)

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