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Features Continued
Installation was a bit time consuming, and actually scary. It not
very often that a person has their doubts about something this cool.
Pondering for a few days we were faced with no other option but it go
ahead and fasten it down to see how good this LS is. One of the key
problems that anyone faces taking their processor to below ambient
temperatures is the problem of condensation. Asetek has taken this well
into consideration, and even their first Vapochill had superb
engineering to prevent moisture from hurting your hardware. Of course we
always try and one-up any manufacturer, and an article that is so
incredibly old but well proven is still the yardstick we go by when it
comes to condensation prevention. That article is located at OC Tools
and is simply named "Condensation Prevention"; A link to it is
here, although we must address that the silicon adhesive is overkill
and dielectric grease is a sufficient substitute, and secondly, the part
about pushing dielectric grease is an excellent procedure.
(click any image to enlarge)
The first thing you'll want to
do is gather up the parts that apply to your socket platform, and attach
the back plate heater to the back plate. This may look easy to do, but
the included instructions were memorized beforehand. We suggest you
study this guide as the very first thing. If you have any questions
about installation Asetek has a great forum and tech support, so you may
want to pause before taking apart your machine should you get in a bind.
(click any image to enlarge)
Of course we used up 90% of the paste for our socket,
which is why we advise that you use dielectric grease instead and use
the included paste for CPU to evap head. Asetek does give you enough
paste to do this once or twice, hence the phrase "everything included"
on the previous page. Dielectric grease is just not as messy. After this
procedure I had thermal paste all over me, since a hidden amount was on
my finger and I brushed up against almost everything making little white
smears.
(click any image to enlarge)
We're almost ready to attach the evaporator head.
(click any image to enlarge)
We also coated our naked 3500
since if you do get condensation its going to drip down onto the
capacitors on the processors PCB, which will in turn cause a short on
the CPU and kill it. You'll notice the closed-cell foam that Asetek
included in our kit that covers up the sides of the socket. The
evaporator head will cover this part for a nice seal.
(click any image to enlarge)
Probably one of the most
difficult parts of the assembly is putting together the 'clamshell'
which is basically three different parts of what appears to be more
foam. It took us a few tries to get it right, but we pulled it off
without damaging anything. Kudos to Asetek's durability as I was quite
certain that I had broken something after taking apart and reassembling
the clamshell five or six times. The problem was my own misunderstanding
of the instructions, and over-cautiousness about condensation. I finally
managed to pull off this part of assembly after accepting the fact that
perhaps Asetek knows more about condensation then myself. :)
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