Ditch the factory heatspreader?

[_G_]

Got a pair of pc2700 sticks back from rma (centon). one has a heat spreader that gets warm
during use, the other stick is bare and stays cool. Should ditch the heat spreader on the 1 stick?

 

[(cf)Eclipse]

probably differences in airflow. use a fan

 

[firebyyrd]

why would you ditch the heatspreader.

it "spreads" heat.

 

[(cf)Eclipse]

why would you ditch the heatspreader.

it "spreads" heat.

actually heatspreaders do tend to keep the chips slightly warmer from my experience, but it's really not worth the trouble to remove em if you've got em.

 

[Redbeard]

actually heatspreaders do tend to keep the chips slightly warmer from my experience, but it's really not worth the trouble to remove em if you've got em.

This is highly dependent on what type of adhesive they use. It's true that back in the day, some companies used thicker, "padding" type adhesives, and those could sometimes act as an insulator. However, there are super-thin thermal adhesive strips being used by at least Corsair right now, and I'm sure some others, that provide excellent contact between the metal of the heatspreader and the IC package.

We've tested this in controlled environments, and heatspreaders DO actually cool the ICs on the chips by spreading the heat out over a larger area.

 

[_G_]

the tape is pretty thin so i guess it stays for now.
I guess centon was out of there normal pc2700 when they processed my rma