Silicone strips that come with your heatsink?

888rkw888 · Post by **888rkw888** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:20 pm

Can anyone help me out? I recently installed a passive heatsink on my cpu, but now am thinking that I want to install a fan on it. It's the thermaltake HR-01 plus. The only problem is that I have misplaced the two think silicone strips that came with the heatsink in order to dampen an installed fan. Does anyone know where I can get a pair, or how to go about making my own?

Thanks,
888rkw888

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:28 pm

Hello & welcome to SPCR,

I don't think that they are all that critical; unless the fan vibrates a lot. You could try cutting thin strips of duct tape, if needed?

888rkw888 · Post by **888rkw888** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:16 pm

Thanks for the advice. I installed the fan anyway, but did hear back from the company. They said I could use two rubberbands in replacement for the silicone strips. Just FYI for anyone out there in a similar situation.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:19 pm

rubber bands get funky when exposed to high heat.

How about a bead of silicone caulking on the fan?

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:22 pm

couldn't you use one of those silicon fan gaskets?

the silicon caulking is a good idea, but you'd have to puncture the tube really carefully to get a nice small bead.

Dark Rage · Post by **Dark Rage** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:22 pm

You mean you got the Thermalright HR-01 Plus, right? Thermaltake products aren't quiet

I just bought that heatsink myself. I taped it onto the indented side of the heatsink, it's like a squarish trough in the grills of the heatsink and after removing the wax paper, I sticked it onto the side to put between the heatsink and the fan.

oldabelincoln · Post by **oldabelincoln** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:25 am

xan_user wrote:rubber bands get funky when exposed to high heat.

True, but on my current build (not in the sig) the front of an HR01+ (with a fan on it) on top of a Q9300 never even hits 5 C above ambient according to an infra-red thermometer.

Even so, rubber bands don't age well at room temperature.

I suggest a silicone fan gasket to decouple the fan, and you might as well put it on the fan and not the heat sink - it's easier and just as effective for an HR01+. I use silicone fan gaskets and use superglue to secure them to the fan, just to make installation a bit easier. A few drops of glue here and there is all that the job requires.

whiic · Post by **whiic** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:39 am

Don't trust radiation thermometers when measuring unpainted surfaces! Unpainted, untreated metallic surfaces are extremely poor radiators. Sure, heatsinks are likely treated to radiate some but just a word of advice. I've seen quite silly reviews who say stuff like Prescott not warming up above room temperature without fan, without heatsink, because throttling stops heating. (If throttling did stop heating at near room temperature, wouldn't that actually be a problem even with a fan equipped heatsink?)

that Linux guy · Post by **that Linux guy** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:50 am

I was thinking of tri-folding a piece of electrical tape or something. Even folding it over 4 or 5 times, as long as it's thin enough to not block airflow, or see for that matter. If it stands out, you've just made your $50+ engineering marvel of a CPU cooler look like complete ghetto-ness. 5 food stamps for that.

Also, don't use an IR thermometer to measure PC temps. It won't work like you think. I use apps like Real Temp, Core Temp, Speedfan, and CPUz to get an idea of CPU temps. GPUz and CCC for temps of my 4870.

oldabelincoln · Post by **oldabelincoln** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:16 pm

whiic wrote:Don't trust radiation thermometers when measuring unpainted surfaces! Unpainted, untreated metallic surfaces are extremely poor radiators. Sure, heatsinks are likely treated to radiate some but just a word of advice. I've seen quite silly reviews who say stuff like Prescott not warming up above room temperature without fan, without heatsink, because throttling stops heating. (If throttling did stop heating at near room temperature, wouldn't that actually be a problem even with a fan equipped heatsink?)

Your point about IR thermometers and unpainted metal is well taken, but in this case, my finger applied to the HR01+ confirms that it's not at all warm to the touch. Remember, there is a fan on it, and it's got lots of surface area. The front edge of the horizontal fins, just next to a working fan, is simply not going to be all that hot on this or any similar heat sink with even modest air flow. A little searching of these forums will turn up a number of posts asking "why is my large CPU heatsink not warm to the touch?", which I've seen for Ninja and TRUE if I remember correctly.

We're not talking CPU temperature - just the temperature that a rubber band on the heat sink periphery might encounter.