my KingpinCooling.com F1EE insulation & prep

[3oh6]

don't consider this the bible of insulation guides, it is just a few photos of my insulation & prep of an EVGA X58 Classified and a new F1EE CPU pot. i'll let the photos do most of the talking so just look at those if you know what you are doing then read the crap i type for a little clarification if needed. first up is motherboard prep.



before prepping around the socket, i insulate with kneaded rubber eraser under the socket hold down. take the socket hold-down off, pack eraser around the socket, then muscle the socket hold down back into place over top of the eraser. this should fill every nook and cranny around the socket.





then just fill in the area around the socket ensuring to work the kneaded eraser into all of the small gaps to eliminate potential air pockets. warming up the eraser for a few seconds in the microwave or simply kneading it in your hands helps soften it up to make it easier to work with. a small poking device can also help work the eraser into small gaps but be careful not to put too much pressure on the wrong spot or to scratch the motherboard PCB.

notice, i don't use dielectric grease or vaseline in the socket. i don't use nail polish, liquid electrical tape, or conformal coating on the motherboard. the kneaded rubber eraser goes on dry, comes off dry, and i haven't seen a drop of moisture in or around the socket since i started using it. i get a perfect seal every time and have left CPU's in the socket for months at a time with daily phase and LN2 use showing no signs of moisture anywhere. your location may not allow for that kind of prep, but i also live in the humidity capital of Canada. it isn't quite Georgia but i bet those down south would feel right at home here all summer long



with the eraser in place, i use a layer of 'shop towel' paper towel which will pick up any moisture coming down from the pot and absorb any sweat from the kneaded rubber eraser. keep in mind, the eraser doesn't insulate, it just prevents air from touching the cold board and condensing. i also stuff the paper towel into the first DIMM slot as it can sometimes condense if you are running cold enough in a humid environment. then on top of that goes two layers of armacell insulation, the stuff Vince packs with the F1EE. these are two 1/2" sheets cut to accommodate the F1 base but i think a 1/2" and 1/4" sheet will work better based on my insulation of the pot, which is next.





first up is a layer of painter's low tack tape so that my layer of armaflex insulation tape doesn't stick to the F1EE and make the pot as ugly as your momma. i don't overlap the tape, just a single layer all around the pot where the insulation will go careful not to leave any gaps.





as mentioned, i then put a single layer of armaflex insulation tape around the entire pot except the base and very top where the hold down will go. as with the painter's tape, no overlap is the goal but no gaps is also important. after that i mount the thermal probe in the hole i had to drill myself (), and secure it with painters tape. BTW, painters tape is a benchers best friend.





the pot is then ready for the insulation tube that Vince supplies. the insulation tube works fine on it's own, but with the layer of armaflex tape, the seal around the pot is better and the extra layer of insulation doesn't hurt. this is basically the same method i have been using with my MMouse Rev3/k|ngp|n Tek9's forever, and it works great. with the insulation on, the pot is ready for mounting. just drop it in the formed holes of the armacell sheets - again two 1/2" sheets are a bit too much - and secure the hold down.



after mounting i start the system at ambient temps to make sure i have a good mount. with i7's i basically set it to 1.000v at default clocks and disable HT and 2 cores. if it holds temp at 35C'ish, i should have a good mount. it is just a matter of setting up the BIOS and pulling down temps from here.

like i said, this isn't very comprehensive, just a show of how i insulate as seeing other peoples insulation can always give you ideas on how to improve yours. HTH