(originally posted by waltlove_99)
With the help of Hallowen we wanted to share one of the easiest methods for prepping your motherboard for extreme cooling since I'm in the middle of building a phase changed system using an EVGA Classified board, I thought it would be a good time to share this formally with the group. I'll be Illustrating with a 775 board and then a 1366 classified.
OK here is an example of my motherboard insulation from condensation... inspired by Hallowen (thanks for the help man).
The first part is a 775 installation. I decided to use my Asus P5k Deluxe motherboard and a E8500 (I've had for around 6-7 months).
Here is everything I used for the Insulation
Vaseline Original (un-scented)
Masking tape or Electrical tape
Hair dryer (variable speed)
Plastic Dip (you can find it at Homedepo near the paint isle)
Paint brush
Insulation sheets (supplied with most extreme cooling solutions) but just in case
http://kingpincooling.com/semi-deluxe-cooling-fan/ The Candy was for me... but very necessary.
The first thing you want to do is put down some paper tape around the socket to help make cleanup easier in the future... Painters tape will do.
After that I decided to tackle the back side of the board first... I figured the easiest way to handle the back side of the board was to coat it with Plastic dip so I wouldn’t have to ever worry about it again... LOL another reason I chose Plastic dip is its ease of removal... If applied in thick layers it will peel off in large sections leaving no residue. Here is my first coat.
After letting dry for around 30 min. I applied a second coat
I did apply a 3rd coat after another 30 minutes for added thickness but I didn't take a picture sorry.
Ok now back to the top side. It was time to start applying the P/J at this point. I started around the socket first to get used to how it would spread and see if it would be hard to work with... it wasn't but it did have a tendency to clump-up so you will have to be sure to spread evenly as possible... this will help with getting it to flow evenly once we start to heat it with the hair dryer (hold dryer about 3-4 inches from board on Low heat and low fan, take your time).
And then apply to the socket
Getting the P/J in the socket was the trickiest part since as I said it wanted to clump up and stick to my finger more than the board I had to be very careful with the socket... didn't want to bend any pins. As you can also see I pre-heated the P/J around the socket so I could get an idea of what Hallowen ment by getting it to flow... and it will flow if you get it to hot, trust me.
Here is the socket after I heated it up with the hair dryer.
Applied more P/j to socket and heated again.
As you can see the socket looks pretty much full of P/J so were ready for the CPU...
I spread a little P/J on the back of the CPU also
And in the socket it goes with a fresh top coat of P/J
Now once again we will heat it up till the P/J starts to flow and fill in all the little cracks and spaces. This is key to insure proper condensation prevention.
Now that we are done with the top side it's time to finish up by applying the Anti-dew pads supplied with the Phase change system... they will have to be cut to fit your board layout and socket pattern. First few must lay flat on the board around any caps (made sure it was squishy in my P/J).
Next there is 3 more layers of Anti-Dew pads.
Next step... mount the block and Sub-Zero Temps here we come.
Next we will start prepping the 1366 socket Classy board. Using the same materials and steps the Classy is a little easier since I could remove the CPU clamping hosing.
Once removing the Clamping system you can put down some masking tape as above or since this is a classy I decided to use some red Electrical tape... this is only to make removal and clean up easier in the long run of the P/J around the socket.
The above step will also help keep the P/J from running all over the board once we heat it up. Next we move to the back of the board were we have to prep the socket hold down plate with a layer of P/J and then we will coat over the back with Plastic Dip.
I usually do about 2-4 coats of Plastic dip on the back of the board. The thicker it is the easier it will be to peal off.
With the classy I decided to only apply plastic dip in the area of the socket to save time but as above it's just as easy to cover the entire back of the board.
After this you can mount the supplied back mounting bracket for the phase change head. Some people also add a layer of insulation padding here but with the Plastic dip sealing the board off it's not needed.
Once we replace the Socket clamp down system it's time to move on.
Here is a side shot so you can see how the backplate stands off from the board.
Now we are ready to start applying the P/J to the board. Keep in mind you want to use the P/J to create a barrier between the board and any condensation that might form from your extreme cooling method. So don't be shy... Kingpin made a comment during his EVGA chat that Shamino uses tons of this stuff.
I usually try and fill the socket so when I put the CPU in it over flows.
After each layer I heat the P/J with a hair dryer on Medium heat and low/medium fan till it starts to flow.
Here is a shot if how the socket should look after the P/J has been heated and ready to go.
Now it is time to install the CPU.
Now it is time to add more P/J to cover the the hole socket clamp down system and get the P/J in all the little areas around the CPU. Be sure to heat the P/J really good at this point so it will flow down into the socket really good.
Once it's heated and ready it should look like this.
Now we can start to add the Insulation around the socket. One of the hardest thing when adding the insulation is to properly cut the first few layers to fit flush around the socket to the board.
It won't be perfect but do the best you can. I try and sink the insulation down into the P/J to help seal the bottom layer. After 2 layers of cut insulation it's time to build the insulation up to around CPU height. This will insure a tight air free seal around the CPU and also help cut down condensation.
At this point we are all done and the board is ready to go sub Zero. Depending on your method of cooling the rest of the mounting process is simply either fitting the Phase change head or mounting the Pot for Dice.
Here is an example of fitting the phase change head.
There are also tons of other methods I've found out in the wild, here is an example of using Kneaded eraser from my Buddy Buckeye over at 411overkill
http://www.411overkill.co...ic.php?f=80&t=5552 Well I hope this helps some people out there... it's been fun for me and a true learning experience.
Thanks again to any and everyone who has helped me with this process and getting it Colder.
