Hello, i'm about to build myself a computer for the first time. Now, the operation that stresses me the most, is making sure i've put the good amount of thermal paste between the cpu and heatsink. How do you know? Any tips welcomed. Thanks!

Do not put excess amounts of grease on... it only squeezes out and makes a mess. The grease is to fill in microscopic imperfections in the mating surfaces so there are no air spaces...nothing more. A thin uniform layer on both surfaces prior to mating will do just fine.

http://www.neoseeker.com/Hardware/faqs/kb/5,61.html

The 'right' amount' is pretty small, indeed. You need to apply just enough to fill in the microscopic holes and scratches in the two metal surfaces. In that vein, apply it only to the actual metal of the top surface of the CPU chip. It does not cover the entire heatsink. This paste is composed of, usually, a silicone grease with fine metal partcles (usually zink, sometimes silver) dispersed through out. The metal is what does the trick for heat transfer, not the grease. Grease is a heat insulator. I have seen it globbed on so thick there was no way for the heat to get through. What you want is a very thin layer, evenly applied. Aside from that, I think you are on your own. If it's necessary to take the heatsink apart, use alcohol to remove the old layer and reapply when reassembling it. It is very easy to get too much, but too little would be not be as bad. If there is coverage, you should be ok. Over time, according to AMD, the heating and cooling cycles will cause it to migrate away from the header. They recommend the stick-on patches, for that reason. These are easy to use but messy to get off, and also must be changed if you take it apart. I hope this answers your question. And good luck. Bob :) After all is said and done, there's a whole lot more said than done.

The size of the dab of paste needed is usually described as the size of a BB or a grain of rice...as PC Bob put it, "The 'right' amount' is pretty small, indeed" Regardless of the type of paste used, you won't find better instructions than these: http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm ASUS A7N8X-X Athlon XP 1800+ 8.5 x 200MHz 1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7 Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB WinME/WinXP Pro SP2

""The metal is what does the trick for heat transfer, not the grease. Grease is a heat insulator."" That is absolutely NOT true. In older electronics devices, for years, before all this "Arctic Silver" and whatever came along, thermal transfer goo was used FOR YEARS precisely BECAUSE IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL INSULATOR. In my mind, having a thermanl transfer medium which is a conductor is not very good engineering. With the actual size of today's processor chip exposed, the amount of goo is about 1/2 of a drop of water--or less.

Hi name, Well, I was willing to let it pass, but. I believe that grease is used to conduct the heat. Silicone is used because it's a high temp grease. Most greases are not great electrical conductors. No high voltage in a PC. In a high power radar the PFN [pulse forming network] is usually filled with oil for insulation. Typically ~ 100KV. Same goes for the cathode of the RF amp. If at first you don't succeed, you're about average. M2