Lapping is hard work...

Push it to the max but make sure that you keep it cool!
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zimmer-frame
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Lapping is hard work...

Post by zimmer-frame »

So, I finally built my new home storage server:

All this (and more) went in to one case. The blue modded case I did a few months ago could not accommodate all the drives, so I had to change it (but the case has a new loving home).

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With no real plans to overclock the X4-955, I did bother to buy a new Cooler Master TX3 heatsink, just to keep it cooler than stock. Unfortunately due to stupidity on my side (no surprise) I couldn't fit it. The first build of the machine went with the stock AMD cooler. Prime95 load was 51'C (at night), while idle temps were 33'C..probably going to be a lot hotter in summer.

When I eventually got around to looking at the TX3, the reviews weren't wrong. The base was shockingly uneven.. :shock: :shock: Considering it was R150, I thought I would try lapping it.

First, wife agreed I can use the only glass surface in the house (the coffee table). The kid wants to help:

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We're set to start with some 600grit paper:

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Even with my crappy Blackberry Curve camera, you can see how terrible the base is..

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And the hard work starts...this took a while:

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I do have captures of the before and after temperatures, just not with me right now, but I'll post them soon. I only went up to 1200grit, and it seems to have made a difference. Lapped cooler, 29'C idle, 47'C on Prime95 load..

...but I can honestly say, lapping is hard work :mrgreen:

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That's 7Tb of space in there, with another 1Tb external connecting to it..movies anyone? :lol:
Intel i-7 950 (4Ghz with HT on) / 3 X 2Gb Kingston Hyper-X (1600MHz) / MSI X58A-GD / 2 x EVGA Nvidia 1Gb 460GTX SuperClocked External Exhaust / 320gb Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid HDD + 2 x Seagate 1TB SATA 6Gb/s/ Corsair H70 Hydro Water Cooling / Corsair TX 850W PSU / CoolerMaster HAF-922 / 2 x 22" Fujitsu LCD Wide
Molean
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Re: Lapping is hard work...

Post by Molean »

Cool! I remember lapping one of my old Thermaltake Volcano cpu coolers like 7 years ago. Two of my friends joined me in the task, so it was fun for us. I think we spent 2 or 3 hours lapping, but it came out swimmingly with most of getting a good shine on our bases and temps dropping quite a few degrees. Fun Experience.
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THE_STIG
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Re: Lapping is hard work...

Post by THE_STIG »

Eish, and I was thinking of buying a TX3 :o .......I think I will rather go for something else now. Btw how can a heatsink with such an uneven surface even pass the QC checks, or does cooler-master not even have QC checks.

Nice server rig btw :D
IcePick88
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Re: Lapping is hard work...

Post by IcePick88 »

I have a TX3 and saw that the bottom was not nice and smooth. I filled the gaps with some heat paste and then stuck it on. Even in summer I don't have an issue. I don't have any figures atm, but I guess lapping might be a good excersize. :D :D

Thanks for the pics. :)

Edit: oh and the gaps are not HUGE. It's just not smooth. :lol:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 555 (OC'ed to 3.8Ghz)
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