Navigate: Advice Beginners BIOS Guide CPUs Links Mainboards Memory Network Storage Video/Sound Cards Contact Forum SiteMap Sponsors WebNews Home	.	.
Prices: Mainboards ABIT ASUS Chaintech Shuttle Soyo Tyan CPU Intel P4 2.4C-800 P4 2.6C-800 P4 2.8C-800 P4 3.0-800 P4 3.2-800 AMD AthlonXP XP 1700+ XP 2000+ XP 2400+ XP 2500+ XP 2700+ XP 3000+ XP 3200+ Athlon64 Athlon64 3200+ Athlon64 FX-51 Opteron Opteron 240 Opteron 242 Opteron 244 Opteron 246 Memory Corsair Crucial Kingston Mushkin OCZ Search Prices:

The Speed-Strip itself, as already shown on the last page, is a small strip of plastic with a few pre-drilled holes and a metal mask connecting two of the holes in the back. The result is that the two pins going through these "vias" will be electrically connected or "shorted", as current parlance goes.

       

Left to right: Front view, back view with the metal mask connecting the two vias, Speed-Strip mounted on CPU. Click for larger images

So far so good, it couldn't be any easier than that. There is, however, one problem, that is already apparent when looking at the picture showing the front. The Speed Strip is a solid piece of plastic, which is 0.4 mm thick. A thickness of 0.4 mm does not appear that much, however, keep in mind that it only applies to one corner of the CPU, meaning that the processor will be raised 0.4 mm over the INNER edge of the SocketA.

Installation

Installation is probably as easy as it gets, all it takes is identifying the proper corner of the CPU as indicated on the instructions. When turning around the CPU in order to insert it into the socket, it is best to do it slowly, this way, the Speed Strip will slightly tilt and get stuck on the pins. The rest is business as usual, insert the CPU into the socket, press it down to make sure that it is all the way in and close the lever.

Unfortunately, there is no way of leveling the CPU properly with the Speed Strip in place. As shown below, the processor is always going to be mounted more or less slanted in the socket. If more presssure is applied to the die, the OGPA package gets deformed but the CPU still won't be seated properly.

           

Left, center: Two different angle shots of the Athlon XP2800+ in the SocketA after "low pressure" mounting. Right: After applying more pressure on the CPU, a noticeable distortion of the package occurs.

One thing is for certain, the mounting shown above is a clear violation of AMD's mounting specifications for their CPUs with exactly defined pressure points and values. The question is, though whether it does matter or not. In other words, if the heatsink / fan adapts to the slanted mounting, there is a good chance that everything will be ok, as long as the pressure gradient along the diagonal of the die is not too great and causes mechanical damage. Keep in mind that the pressure excerted onto the CPU by the heatsink is much greater than what we put on using the thumb to press the CPU into the socket.

There are some other issues to factor into the equation, like a single-tab vs 3-tab mounting mechanism. Most high quality heatsinks are using a 3-tab mechanism and this is where our focus will with respect to proper seating of the cooler.

next page:    => the Light-Slit test =>