Urgent Help!!!

[comoballer1121]

I have begun to install my heatsink/cpu. While trying to mount the heatsink I accidentaly touched the pad. THere is a fingerprint and a few(very very small) places where I can see metal. Can I go on or what will I need to do? thanks

[Gizmo]

You may be able to get away with it and carry on. Are they really small holes that you really have to look closely to see, or are they noticeable just by looking into the whole computer?

[comoballer1121]

You may be able to get away with it and carry on. Are they really small holes that you really have to look closely to see, or are they noticeable just by looking into the whole computer?

you have to look pretty hard to see them

[Alfie]

If it's the gummy type pad,no harm,as the pad melts when the computer is turned on and it will run together.
If it's a paste type,it depends on how much was removed,if not much,you should be okay.
Is this the heatsink that came with the cpu or did you get it seperately?

[comoballer1121]

If it's the gummy type pad,no harm,as the pad melts when the computer is turned on and it will run together.
If it's a paste type,it depends on how much was removed,if not much,you should be okay.
Is this the heatsink that came with the cpu or did you get it seperately?

its the paste type, I hardly removed any. like a couple tine specks the size of periods (.....) it came w/ the cpu

[Alfie]

Follow the application of compound here.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm
Just follow how to put it on and it should be fine(using the existing compound on the heatsink).

[comoballer1121]

Follow the application of compound here.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm
Just follow how to put it on and it should be fine(using the existing compound on the heatsink).

so you want me to put arctic silver over the paste already on the heatsink?

ONLY Arctic Silver thermal compound should be between the processor core and the heatsink. Remove any thermal pads or other interface material from the heatsink before applying the Arctic Silver.

[Cricket]

No, remove the existing thermal compound from both the CPU and heatsink and then apply Arctic Silver. You can use alcohol and clean rags to clean off the old compound.

:) Cricket

[glc]

Alfie is suggesting you carefully respread the existing paste to smooth it out. However, you may have contaminated it with finger oils, I don't know how much effect this would have.

[Alfie]

If you don't plan to overclock,reusing the existing compound should be fine,if it's really smeared and a large fingerprint is in the middle of it,you may have to clean it off and reapply a new layer of compound.
If the cpu has a heatspreader on it,you are probably safe in reusing the existing compound and just respread it following the instructions at the link posted.