Gamecube whats the substance between the CPU and Heatsink ?

[s8n]

hi members , i got a Gamecube that ive built from parts i bought and between the CPU/GPU and Heatsink there is some sort of grey hardened paste substance that is there.


Is this the same sort of paste that is used for PC CPU's/Heatsink ?


Im not an expert in PC building i usually get a shop to build it for me , so yea i need some help identifying the paste and how to use it as ive never done it before.


chat soon

s8n

[Hobie-wan]

Yeah, it will be some sort of thermal paste or epoxy. If it is removable and loose, clean it off and put some new stuff in there when reassembling. Cheap stuff is white, pricier stuff usually has silver in it, so is greyish. But just be careful in case they used epoxy instead.

[s8n]

hi Hobie................

If it is removable and loose, clean it off and put some new stuff in there when reassembling

yes it is loose the heatsinnk and motherboard were seperate , so i have to reassemble it properly

pricier stuff usually has silver in it

its definitely silver/grey in color

But just be careful in case they used epoxy instead

can you tell me more ? ...............im unsure of the risks of epoxy

[Xevin]

The gray crusty stuff is thermal paste. You NEED to remove it completely and apply fresh paste after a certain amount of time passes (usually 3 months or so).

To remove the stuff I use Goo Gone to get most of the old thermal paste off then I get any remaining paste and the Goo Gone residue off with %90+ cleaning alcohol.

Then you need to replace the old thermal paste with new paste. A good general brand is Arctic Silver, but there are hundreds of brands and any of them will be more then suitable for this purpose. I wouldn't recommend any of the white colored stuff. It's not as good at heat conductivity and also tends to have a much shorter life span then the silver based products. You can buy thermal paste from most PC shops. (Best Buy, Fry's)

The epoxy stuff is mainly used for heatsinks that are not mounted. (its basically glue and thermal paste together) If there was not mounting hardware holding the heatsink to the CPU you will need to use this stuff. You will prolly need to order online.

[ApolloBoy]

The gray crusty stuff is thermal paste. You NEED to remove it completely and apply fresh paste after a certain amount of time passes (usually 3 months or so).

For a GameCube?

[Ziggy]

One thing to consider... It's been a while since I've been inside a Cube, so I don't have a visual of it in my head. I'm unsure how the heatsinks are mounted. Most likely though it is a thermal pad that glues the heatsink to the IC. This is were it can sometimes get tricky. Some times, the thickness of the thermal pads matters a great deal. I remember when I broke down my N64 to add RGB output, one of the thermal pads came loose. I was gonna replace it with Arctic Silver (what I keep on hand) but noticed that the thickness of the pad played a role in the way everything was mounted together (there's heatsinks and shields that all mount together). With out the pad, it would have thrown everything off and the headsink wouldn't be sitting on the IC correctly, so I just ended up reusing the old pad.

So, just take a look for this kind of scenario.

To remove the stuff I use Goo Gone to get most of the old thermal paste off then I get any remaining paste and the Goo Gone residue off with %90+ cleaning alcohol.

Here's a tip: Use an old drier sheet instead of Goo Gone. A used drier sheet expelled almost all of it's perfume and whatnot, and the way the fibers are make it perfect for wiping off old thermal paste. It basically comes right off. Just follow with some alcohol and you're good.

I love Goo Gone, it's great stuff, but I would never use it to clean the top of a CPU. It takes me a while to fully remove Goo Gone residue from stuff, and I wouldn't trust that on a CPU. Considering you hear things from Arctic Silver like how a dead skin cell could effect cooling, I'd rather not take any chances.

Seriously, give a used drier sheet a go next time you get the chance. I was surprised how well it worked my first time.

[Hobie-wan]

I only mentioned epoxy in case it had been glued from the factory. Since you said it wasn't, ignore my epoxy comments. Unless there is an extreme heat condition going on, thermal paste will last a lot longer than 3 months. As long as it is applied correctly and the GC isn't used in extreme conditions and the fan is working properly, it will be fine for years once it is set up with new paste. I haven't redone mine on my PC processor since it was set up 2 years ago and it is still just as cool as ever. I've never popped a cooler off of one of my PCs to see baked paste.

[Cronozilla]

It has a lot more to do with surface contact and air pockets than age.

If it is thermal pads, you can just guy replacement pads (and trying to replicate the same thing with paste probably isn't a good idea)

[s8n]

thanks for your input and tips guys , all has been noted



s8n

[theclaw]

Most notable location under that headsink is the US / Japan select points (on NTSC models).
Rarely any other reason to remove it.