| Easy PC Kits Premium Heatsink Lapping Kit | ||
|
Product: Easy PC Kits Premium Heatsink Lapping Kit The overclocker is a picky brand of person. On one end of the spectrum, we want the hottest stuff, like brand new CPUs and Video Cards. On the other end of the spectrum, we want to keep those new toys super cool. An emerging line of products is conditioned for keeping CPUs cool; the lapping kit. While many ‘hardcore’ hardware tweakers have been lapping their heatsinks for a long time, finding proper materials isn’t always easy in your area. Ultra high grit sand paper, more importantly Wet/Dry sandpaper is a hard thing to find. Now online retailers will send you the sand paper you need to lap your heatsink. But, what is lapping you might ask? Lapping is what considering to be the finishing of the heatsink surface where the CPU’s hottest part, the die, will transfer heat to. The more flat the surface is, the better heat transfer you will get. With better heat transfer, the CPU remains cooler, allowing for more stability and possibly higher overclocks. Suddenly, lapping seems like a great idea, doesn’t it? Well, Easy PC Kits is one such online retailer selling lapping kits. They even have coarse and fine refill kits and premium kits where a sheet of glass is included. An option to include thermal compound, which is Artic Cermanique, is also available. Today, we’ll be reviewing the Premium Lapping Kit from http://www.easypckits.com/ Included in this kit were the following items: 9 Quarter Sheets of sandpaper, in one of each of the following grits:
Instructions The first thing I did after opening the kit was to read the instructions. They seemed a bit wordy at points, but were clear enough to get the point across. The instructions were very clear about one thing though, that little pieces of copper or aluminum, depending on your heatsink, will end up everywhere. They weren’t kidding. When they say to lay down newspaper and wear an old shirt, you better follow their advice. The sandpaper included in this premium kit is even great stuff. This quote is directly from EasyPCKits.com ” The premium paper is literally some of the finest sandpaper that can be bought at any price. The abrasive is roller coated to the paper, resulting in a remarkably improved uniform distribution of the abrasive grit. This means that the depth of the scratches are smaller, without a resulting loss of efficiency and cutting power. The backing is a poly-composite that will not curl when wet and is thinner yet stronger than conventional paper backings.” The sandpaper sure was some good stuff. Just as they say, the scratches were beyond anything I’ve ever seen before when lapping heatsinks. However, the fact remains that the paper still curls when wet. Now, for the test rig:
The CPU cooler I’m going to try this lapping kit on will be the Volcano 9 from Thermaltake. I’ve always been a big fan of the Volcano 9 since my first Athlon XP rig. It’s a great heatsink and fan combo package, and it has a lot of marks on it. It sat in a box full of other various items, and marks are very visible on the bottom of the surface. Hopefully the lapping kit will clean this marks up and make my beloved Volcano 9 a great heatsink once again. As per the instructions, I started using the lowest grit sandpaper. I’ll just post some pictures at the end of each grit paper. The instructions, however, didn’t say how much to use the sandpaper, but only to use the low grit paper the least as it removes the highest amount of material. They did refer to 5 to 10 minutes per each level, but not really how much needs to be done. Perhaps new instructions exsist already, as mine were clearly labeled with a version number. (A great idea, you automatically can tell the service rep on the phone or in a e-mail what instructions you have, and they can help easier in certain situations.) Another great thing about this kit is they encourage you to rinse the sandpaper and glass often. Not only does this help you in the lapping process, but if done right, you’re sandpaper will also last longer. Maybe you can even squeeze a second lapping out of one kit? A company giving away tips on how to not have to order from them again is a top-rate thing in my book. Here come the pictures. Start
Finish
My Volcano 9 is only used on high speeds, and has been a great cooler over the years. Averaging a mere 42C (load) at overclocked settings and about 38C (load) at stock settings with my Athlon XP2500+, the heatsink was great to begin. After lapping the heatsink and allowing the thermal compound to fully set in, the CPU temperature dropped to roughly 39C, although it sometimes went up to 40C at overclocked and full load settings. Should this heatsink have been better and the fan different, perhaps the results would have been more significant. I still believe this kit is great thing. How can anyone argue with a mirror finish? I’m going to do my video card and northbridge heatsinks next. Note: I would have included screenshots proving these temperature drops, but my motherboard sensor is malfunctioning and a laser temp gun was used instead. As for the conclusion, this lapping kit is a great buy for only $13.00. I’d gladly recommend this product to anyone who’s looking for the ultimate in CPU cooling. Don’t forgot that this lapping kit can also be used on water coolers, peltiers, and video card and northbridge heatsinks, not only the CPU. I’m happy to say that this product gets five out of five stars. Pros: + Lot of products for a small price Cons: |
||
