Ic Diamond does scratch dye (EVGA 780Ti Classified buzz fix)

[MrPanda]

im using 24crt Ic diamond. Just use tape tap off the fins that are lose, you are able to feel them right away

[mrogicom]

I think, when the paste scratches in the dye, it make a better contact=better cooling

 

just like the Coollaboratory Liquid where you have to sandpaper the CPU

[felixbearpig]

I think, when the paste scratches in the dye, it make a better contact=better cooling

 

just like the Coollaboratory Liquid where you have to sandpaper the CPU

scratching the die isn't good, the scratching is intended for the IHS.  

[harrynowl]

scratching the die isn't good, the scratching is intended for the IHS.  

Yeah I'd probably use something like MX-4 on a die and save the stuff with solids in for IHS's.

[ChrisxIxCross]

Yea Ic diamond isnt meant for gpus... Youre supposed to buy special gpu TIM for that.

[Leonard]

I think, when the paste scratches in the dye, it make a better contact=better cooling

 

just like the Coollaboratory Liquid where you have to sandpaper the CPU

:huh: Sandpaper the CPU?!?!?!?! :huh:  Firstly, the only difference between IC Diamond 7ct and 24ct is the amount of TIM in the syringe and the scratches that appears on your cooler's cold plate comes from the nano diamond particulate in the TIM that is used to transfer heat from the IHS to the cold plate. It scratches because the diamond is much harder that the metal use for the cooler's cold plate and CPU or GPU die or IHS.

 

I have had IC Diamond 7ct on my GPU for over a year now and have never had to change it yet and it worked better than the stock that came with my GPU.

[IC DIAMOND]

Of course one could always use the product as directed by the manufacturer.

 

Removal

 

 

Conclusion

With no polishing  to a 100 to 200 atom thick soft copper oxide  coating , representing  approximately 1-2 % the thickness of the serial markings of  a copper IHS, this photo shows that, properly handled, 50 to 100+ installations and removals with no polishing  is easily attainable by just following good shop practices

 

 

Of course one could always use the product as directed by the manufacturer.

Removal

 

Conclusion
With no polishing  to a 100 to 200 atom thick soft copper oxide  coating , representing  approximately 1-2 % the thickness of the serial markings of Copper IHS, this photo shows that, properly handled, 50 to 100+ installations and removals with no polishing  is easily attainable by just following good shop practices

It is not necessarily a done deal that IC Diamond caused your scratches. I would note that in the following 1-1 comparison with IC Diamond and Shin Etsu and in point of fact our experience is that there is no intrinsic reason for it to have done so. Scratches can occur due to a number of factors outside our control.


In the polishing test set up below IC Diamond is compared to ShinEtsu. Copper plate was prepped with .001 steel wool to establish a uniform texture grain from left to right, paste in then rubbed top to bottom against the texture grain.




Application pressure was approx 8-10 PSI measured on a shipping scale with about about a ¼  of an inch contact area this works out to be 30-40 PSI. This is 10 times the pressure you would use if you were lapping a CPU and 200 times our recommended removal pressures and so is a fairly extreme test.



Final result after 10 to 15 seconds application rubbing. The result shows no appreciable difference between the two, obviously all thermal compounds are polishing compounds. Shil Etsu contains aluminum oxide (same as most compounds MX4, Arctic Silver etc.) which is the most commonly used abrasive and is the main component in most sand papers



Below note the highlighted area which was enlarged and pasted in the upper left. These scratches were incurred with a plain soft paper shop towel purchased from Lowes hardware. Paper towels contain wood fibers and Numasists recommend not using paper envelopes as just removing and replacing coins the paper will scratch them. The soft paper towel scratches are deeper and more prominent than either of the compounds.




You do not have to be aluminum oxide or diamond hard to make scratches on many surfaces as textured surfaces are often weaker than the underlying material. The ugly scratches below were made with just a fingernail (Fingernail MOHS 2.75, Copper MOHS 3).




Misconceptions Regarding Diamond Hardness

In the nomenclature of the abrasion trade when they say “diamond cuts better than anything else” what is really meant is that it lasts longer. In the abrasion literature nearly all specifications relate to movement, RPM, tool feed, heat the particle material can endure under friction etc. So the assertion that diamond cuts better than anything else in what is essentially a static non cutting application one would be attributing characteristics that do not apply to the application and removal of thermal compound.

Example

Take two sheets of sand paper, one aluminum oxide the other diamond each with a 800 grit, approx the particle size of most compounds. Now scuff a couple CPU's with the sandpaper and you note no difference between the two and the result would be the same as our example above, Why? Because they are the same particle size and density as well as both being appreciably harder than the material the material being abraded.
The only time that hardness comes into play is after some number of cycles the aluminum oxide(MOHS 9) will begin to wear sooner that the diamond (MOHS 10) and that's it, the only advantage is that diamond has a longer life due to hardness, there is no “magic” to hardness as implied, no increased probability of it scratching a component over another compound, simple.