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XPS 8930, thermal compound on Dell's upgraded cooler
Bought one of these from Dell and am ready to install it.
However, it came with a "square" of the house-blend already applied.
Should I scrape Dell's solution off and apply my own thermal paste, or just go with with the flow?
ivanmoe
54 Posts
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July 6th, 2019 15:00
Hah, the upgraded cooler and fan additions lowered my CPU temps under load by 35F and no more processor throttling!
I want to thank everyone who posted sensible solutions to the problems surrounding cooling with these XPS 89x0 desktops.
Were it not for you, I'd wouldn't have known about using the parts from Alienware cases and Dell's upgraded cooler.
Guess I'll close my own ticket. ;)
ivanmoe
54 Posts
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July 5th, 2019 17:00
Thank you RoHE.
The stuff is soft, so I'm certain that it's thermal goo.
About 25 years ago, I fried an AMD processor.
Didn't know that the paste on the heatsink base was covered with a sheet of plastic (to protect the goo).
Live and learn.
RoHe
10 Elder
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July 5th, 2019 17:00
Is that "square" actually a thermal pad?
IMHO, leave it alone. Don't risk scratching the surface by scraping it off. Just follow the instructions to install the heat sink...
FYI: No none, except you, can see any images you post until a moderator reviews them...
jlg11d
23 Posts
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July 6th, 2019 08:00
You could always use liquid metal. Since the base on that cooler is copper, it should only stain a little.
savvy2
2.5K Posts
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July 6th, 2019 08:00
uses SHin Etsu,
thermal compound If you damaged the plastic sheet covered grease, this Is what intel uses, SHIN.
no hype grease with words gold,silver ,arctic , nor liquid metal (and oxymoron if not mercury)
SHin is the best, and tested in US GOV labs proving this. not hype master labs are most are.
95watt CPU or GPU need this.
if you run 20watt CPUs any grease works heck even toothpaste works (won't last but works for 1 test 20watts.)
a top lab used toothpaste just to prove a point, (and a baseline on worst)
the problem with many CPU is the small landing pad, and those need a top preforming grease (TIM)
shin works best, and lasts and does not dry out or age and run out hot, nor eats the top of the CPU lid)
and the thermal ratings wow.
also , many top brands , are sold by gallons only. so we can't buy it , so the Shin is sold it tubes. cheap.
keeping the layer of grease thin as possible IS the BIG WIN. Shin x23 tied with Dow 5022 bottom line.
http://www.pcdied.com/intel-magic/Grease-is-the-word/realtest1.JPG
savvy2
2.5K Posts
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July 6th, 2019 09:00
if you buy a new fan from intel, the SHIN is there, on the sink and with shipping'/packing protection.
pads are useless on 100watt CPu or GPU, but they do work great on the "chipset say z270" or pads on m.2. ssd memories, or other low power chips in the upto 20watts max range. Some Laptops use pads on GPU ram.
the super thin grease work best on high powered chips that emit 100watts, (par) 80-140watt range.
some laptops only burn 24watts there so anything works, if not dry out or leak out (pump outs)
But learn to avoid hype, today it's endless this.
Anonymous
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July 6th, 2019 09:00
is that your blog?
Anonymous
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July 6th, 2019 09:00
My XPS 8930 came with that "upgraded" heatsink/blower fan, but also a 92 mm top exhaust fan. If you also have the 92 mm mini top exhaust fan, consider changing that out to a 120 mm fan while you are there.
ivanmoe
54 Posts
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July 6th, 2019 10:00
For future reference, here's what Dell sends you in terms of thermal compound on the heatsink upgrade, part# T57JF:
I realize that the pics won't be visible until they're approved by the moderators. :)
BTW, there was no sheet of plastic, or such, in direct contact with the layer of compound.
ivanmoe
54 Posts
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July 6th, 2019 10:00
On the 120mm exhaust fan, I found one on Ebay, although I was really just after the bracket. Replaced the Dell fan with a Noctua NF-F12. Also bought a bracket for the lower front intake, and put a Noctua fan down there. BTW, the Dell fan was REALLY loud if not plugged into one of the motherboard headers!
IMO, the 8930 that I purchased is a nice enough computer for $700. However, it's CPU performance is pretty much castrated by the cooling solution. Mine would have a core hit 212F in about 5 seconds under load, at which point it would down-throttle in self defense. I think that I understand why Dell would do this, in that they don't want to have a sub-zero system competing with their more expensive offerings.
My investment so far:
XPS 8930, Integrated Graphics & Sound, 1TB HDD, DVD/RW, 16GB RAM - $700 + Tx Tax
T57JF HS + KTDJC Fan - $36.98 + Tx Tax
Aurora Fan Brackets, Front Intake and Top Exhaust - $35
2 x Noctua NF-12 Fans - $26
WD Black 2 TB HDD - $76 + Tx Tax
EVGA GTX 1660 XC Ultra - $229 + Tx Tax
Intel 760P M.2 NVME PCI-E 256 GB - $45
Was thinking that I could keep this under a thousand bucks, but the drives and graphics card blew the price up.
One way or the other, it performs well for the investment:
Just gotta get the temps down a little!
RoHe
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July 6th, 2019 20:00
Glad that worked out for you. :Yes:
For the record, did you leave the square of thermal goo that came with the heat sink in place or did you remove it and apply some other thermal compound?
ivanmoe
54 Posts
1
July 6th, 2019 20:00
Left Dell’s thermal grease in place.
Cleaned the leftover compound off the top of the processor and fitted the heatsink.
The blower just screws into the HS.
BTW, people who do this upgrade need to think things through BEFORE placing and fastening on the parts.
The unit is quite large and covers up both the fan headers.
Should the HSF be put in place before the fans are attached, you’ll have to start all over again to get power to the cooler.
All in all, an easy upgrade, once I had all my ducks in a row.
Anonymous
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July 7th, 2019 14:00
The heatsink covers both fan headers AND the CPU power connector from the PSU.
Did you take any photos of your project you can share?
Anonymous
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July 7th, 2019 15:00
Thanks for sharing the information. Even though there are multiple threads covering the different aspects of cooling and improving performance for these PCs, everyone's take is a little different, and what each person thinks is important will vary. You focused on maximum performance for minimum cost, so anyone looking for that information can learn from your posts. Also, now no one will be surprised if they order the Dell heatsink/blower fan and it comes with applied thermal compound and a green wrapper.
ivanmoe
54 Posts
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July 7th, 2019 15:00
No on the pics, but my meanderings are really just a compilation of what I learned from reading other threads, here, many of which included images. Didn't think that anyone would be interested in my covering the same ground.
If I focused on costs above, it's because I thought some of the readers might be curious as to how much $$$ it would take to put a $700 machine into a state such that it was useful for something other than maintaining a FB page or running MS Office.
I should mention that I like the XPS 89x0 because they're small. I can appreciate the size, because my previous two cases were truly enormous "CM-Stackers." They were awesome for cooling, but were dust-bins and had a tendency to vibrate sort of like an old window air conditioner.
Took the drives, cables and fans out of them last week and turned them over to Goodwill for recycling. Was time to say goodbye to Win7 and Cooler Master. Adios, Amigo!