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CPU Lapping

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Lapped my CPU and heatsink yesterday!! Turned out to be a tough job!!
I used 1000-1500-2000 sandpaper!!
Used a glass shelf for my surface and taped my sandpaper down with duct tape!!
Added a little water and went to work!!
Heres after a few passes with the 1000 grit!!


As you can see its very concave!! When its concave the center is sunk down
and the heatsink doesnt make good contact with the center of the CPU
and the heat transfer to the heatsink isnt very good!!
So back to the sanding!!
Heres after alot of more passes and sandpaper changes (still on 1000 grit)


Its starting to get there but as you can see its still not hitting the center yet!!
Also its starting to get down to the copper!! Now for the 1500 grit!!
Heres after many passes with it!!


Do you see the copper starting to show up on the right?
Its getting more even but theres still a long way to go!!
Change my paper (still on 1500) and add some water and back to it!!
Oh dont forget to change your paper often cause it wears down fast!!


Ok as you can see its down to the copper except for a little bit in the center!!
Time for the 2000 grit!!
Now change my paper and add a little water and back to it!!
(Almost there)


AH there we have it...Smooth and level...(Gosh im tired)
Took about 2 hours to complete this job but as concave as it was it did need it!!
Dropped my temps about 6c at load and should go down a few more when the thermal paste sets in!!
 
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wow, great job on the lapping!
 

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It looks nice and shiny.

I really think I should do mine at some point, in just scared that I'll bend some pins while I'm trying to sand it.
How easy is it to do the HS? Keeping a big thing like that flat must be a struggle.

Try macro mode on the camera.
 
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I like the vase. Very pretty.
 
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It looks nice and shiny.

I really think I should do mine at some point, in just scared that I'll bend some pins while I'm trying to sand it.
How easy is it to do the HS? Keeping a big thing like that flat must be a struggle.

Try macro mode on the camera.

The heatsink wasnt that bad it was pretty level...but it tries to skip across the sandpaper...thats why i use water it helps alot...The CPU was the hard part cause it was so concave!!
 

nafets

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You can speed up the process and make it easier by starting with a coarser grit sandpaper, say 200-400. As you get down to the copper you can move to the finer grit sandpaper, and finish up with the 1000-1500 grit. Any higher than that and you're just (over)lapping it. The final objective is flat and level, not shiny and mirror-like...
 
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Thats all i went for was the flat and level...as you can see its not a mirror finish!!
 

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Wow, never knew you could lap a cpu O_O Good Job!

What kind of temperature differences are you seeing?
 
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You can speed up the process and make it easier by starting with a coarser grit sandpaper, say 200-400. As you get down to the copper you can move to the finer grit sandpaper, and finish up with the 1000-1500 grit. Any higher than that and you're just (over)lapping it. The final objective is flat and level, not shiny and mirror-like...

Thats all true about overlapping, the thermal paste will have no room to go . ;)
My compliments on your thinking.
Also true the 1200 is the best grid , to do correct lapping .

But about speed , nothing can fight like the real tools . :cool:

But its for the starting only , the last rounds are always made by the the hand.
 

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Overlapping

 

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Yowza that's shiny!

Is there a disadvantage to overlapping?
 
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In an ideal world you'd not need any thermal paste if the surfaces were "nanoscopically" perfectly flat. you'd just have two layers that pressed upon each other. the thermal layer (as we all know) is there to fill in the gaps between the IHS and heatsink. i assume a mirror-like finish means the surface is so flat that it's able to reflect light hence it's close to absolute flatness and therefore without need of thermal paste. i don't think there's a distinct disadvantage to having it mirror-like, although you won't see any more benefit than having it lapped to 1200 grit.
 

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I've only ever lapped Heatsinks, never knew you could lap the CPU aswell.

Very interesting!
 

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Nice lapping job Asylum ;) Now lets see what that HSF looks like!
 
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I'd love to lap my TRUE, but I don't know what paper to use.
What kind did you use Asylum? Any special type?
 
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I used 3M 1000-1500-2000 you can pick it up in a automotive store!!
 
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I used 3M 1000-1500-2000 you can pick it up in a automotive store!!

Thanks. I've got some made for use on repairing cars, was hoping it'd be enough!
Tried it out, but it gets worn WAY too quick! Perhaps it's just a bad quality one.
 
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Yowza that's shiny!

Is there a disadvantage to overlapping?

NO! Well, don't lap down past the copper (obvious). And some heatsinks are intentionally made convex since a lot of IHS on the CPU are concave. If both are lapped to a mirror finish you should be able to place one on top of the other (outside of the case) and be able to pick up the cpu with just the heatsink (no water, thermal paste, etc. needed). Just the nice vacuum effect of two almost perfectly flat surfaces and the atmospheric pressure that's around us always, you just don't usually notice it (go into space and have your eyes bulge out of your head and you'd notice the lack of it very quickly).
 
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that's what i thought also. although i have seen pics of someone lapping their IHS past the copper revealing the chips inside; it looked like he had dremelled a square through it.
and the effect goggles is talking about can also be achieved using two small pianes of glass: there's no pressure between the panes and with atmospheric pressure all around it it seems to stick together. *Physics 101 is now dismissed*
 
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