What is Thermal Tape?
Thermal tape is probably the simplest form of thermal interface for computer components. It is typically used when it is necessary to adhere a heatsink to a computer chip without any form of mounting clip or bracket. It looks very similar to many double-sided tapes that are found on the market for general consumer use except that it has been engineered to be more efficient at transferring heat. It still has the poorest thermonic resistance out of all the compounds with a rating of .5 Cin^2/W.
Thermal tape is one type of adhesive that can be used between a computer chip and heatsink, typically chosen when the heatsink does not have a retention system to stay in place. Thermal tape acts as a coupler to hold the heatsink while it fills small gaps between the two surfaces to more efficiently transfer heat away from the chip. The problem with thermal tape is that it isn’t a very efficient conductor of heat. Luckily there are other options available that do a better job. There was a time when computer processing units (CPUs) did not require heatsinks, but as the chips became more powerful, they generated more heat. When heatsinks first became available, they were added as an aftermarket option and did not have retention systems. Thermal tape provided a satisfactory solution for solving two problems: getting the sink to stay in place, and filling microscopic gaps that slowed heat transference in the surface of the chip and heatsink. As technology advanced and heatsinks became mand
Often, Thermal pads are mistakenly referred to as “thermal tape”. Since thermal tape is no longer used on modern CPUs (i486 and later), it’s critical to understand the difference between thermal pads and thermal tape. “Thermal Tape” is the name for double-sided adhesive tape. Double-sided thermal tape is a very useful, non-permanent alternative to thermal adhesive epoxy. It’s commonly used to attach heatsinks to northbridge and southbridge chips, ramsinks to memory chips, and heatspreaders to ram sticks. Since many computer outlets use the terms “pads” and “tape” interchangeably, be sure to read the product description carefully so you know exactly what you’re buying. Note: Thermal Grease goes through a break-in period during which the grease has to “cure” before it reaches its maximum performance. Depending on the thermal grease ingredients, the break-in period can be anywhere from 24 to 200 hours, and several thermal cycles. This break-in will occur during the normal use of the compu
> >Most computer manufacturers use thermal tape as a heat conductor between the >chip and the fan heatsink(looks like a dry piece of colored masking tape). >Thermal tape has the advantage of being extremely cheap and easy for them to >apply, but is not a very good heat conductor. I don’t think I’ve ever seen thermal tape on our computers. >The older system was to use >thermal paste (that white nasty stuff you see on older processors) which >worked better but was more difficult to apply. I recommend thermal grease >(especially Arctic Silver III). It has excellent cooling properties, >although it does take a bit more care in application. You can easily shave >five degrees of heat by switching from tape to grease and the investment in >time and money is minimal. Arctic Silver! Great stuff! But it gets everywhere. And smears really bad. My home office desk (where I do computer maintenance at home) is badly stained with the stuff. You can’t get it off! I had some stains on my fingers too, a
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