ocz_freeze_application_instructions_by_ocz

OCZ Freeze Thermal Compound application Instructions

OCZ Freeze is one of the most sophisticated new thermal compounds on the market. The manner in which it is applied is
important and differs depending on the kind of processor you are using. Before starting please ensure the following safety
instructions are followed:

- Although OCZ Freeze is non-toxic, avoid contact with eyes and mouth. If contact should occur, wash thoroughly with water and
seek medical attention if irritation should follow.

- Never turn on your PC without a cooler installed, even for a second

- Never install a cooler without thermal paste

Installation using Intel LGA 775, Socket 478 or AMD Athlon 64, Opteron or Phenom processor:

The presence of an Integrated Heatspreader (IHS) on the CPU greatly facilitates the application of the thermal compound. Place
a small amount of Freeze (roughly the size of a grain of rice) on the center of the IHS. Lower the CPU cooler directly down onto
the CPU to minimize smearing, and push it gently into place. It may appear that only a fraction of the heat spreader has paste
installed, the cooler will squeeze the paste out to the appropriate width over time. If necessary, the CPU cooler can be wiggled
slightly to facilitate the initial spreading of the thermal compound.

This method minimizes the chances of air bubbles and eliminates insufficient contact in the die area because of unwanted build-
up in the periphery. Spreading compound over the entire heat spreader will simply result in a less even, thicker spread, leading
to less heat transfer.

Legacy Applications - Installation using an AMD Athlon XP, Thunderbird or Pentium III style processor:

Thermal paste is designed purely to optimize surface area contact by filling microscopic holes and scratches rather than
establishing an additional interface layer. The thicker the paste is, the less effective the contact will be. An exception is when
using a cooler with a very coarse surface, achieving proper contact may require a slightly higher amount of thermal paste.

Clean the CPU core and cooler with isopropyl alcohol, acetone or charcoal lighter fluid using a cloth that leaves no material
residue. If a thermal pad was previously used, make sure it has been completely removed. Charcoal lighter fluid will dissolve
most thermal pads completely, and eliminates the need for mechanical scraping of the CPU surface. Clean the underside of the
cooler until it is free of any residue of previous paste or thermal pad.

Place a small amount of thermal compound on the die (core) of your processor, and spread it until it is completely even using a
straight edge such as a credit card or the blunt side of a knife. The layer of thermal compound applied to the core of the CPU
should be as thin as possible while remaining completely opaque. Carefully install the cooler to minimize the amount the cooler
slides around on the core. If you smear too much paste off the chip, remove it and re-apply thermal paste to retain a smooth
finish.

Notes:
Unlike silver-based compounds, OCZ Freeze requires no curing time. Optimal results will be achieved after application.

What do review sites have to say about OCZ Freeze?

Overclocker Cafe
"The OCZ paste is like other top tier products in this category and is not electrically conductive. The OCZ FreeZe has shown
itself to compete neck and neck with other performance oriented thermal interface materials. The OCZ FreeZe is an excellent
cooling product well worth consideration and use by the end user. High end thermal paste for the no holds barred rig is a must
and OCZ has something to fit the bill."

Mikhailtech
"Since Freeze is not metallic based, there is no chance of electrical conductivity. The no curing time feature is a nice one to
have when testing heat sinks as waiting 48+ hours for the thermal paste to cure is just not realistic. The results are quite
impressive. This is incredible considering that Freeze is completely silver free. OCZ made a bold statement and delivered with
Freeze. It is a great step up from Arctic Silver 5 not only in terms of cooling prowess, but also in terms of ease of spreading and
clean up. Plus Freeze gives you the peace of mind of not being metallic based."

OverClock Intelligence Agency
"The once-reigning king of thermal compounds seems to be getting bested at every turn. OCZ firmly establishes itself as a
leader in the thermal compound arena with their Freeze paste. The OCZ Freeze is most definitely a great choice for
overclockers and those seeking the most cooling performance possible from a thermal interface material."

TweakTown
"OCZ has brought to the table a thermal material that beats the silver goops hands down, requires no curing time, and is not
electrically conductive. It performs right in line with similar products being offered and is also cheaper than Arctic Silver. I have
no qualms at all in recommending a tube of OCZ Freeze for your next (or current) build. It works well and will last a long time
after applying, so you just cannot go wrong."

Hardware Canucks
"When we overclock the CPU to 3.6GHz, thus generating more heat, OCZ Freeze keeps its performance levels at the same
heights. What makes the OCZ Freeze stand out from alot of the competition is its ease of installation and how easy it is to
remove. Not only is it the absolute perfect consistency for speading acoss your CPU but it solidifies to just the right texture for it
not to become an unholy mess when it comes time to clean the bottom of your heatsink. OCZ brought a great thermal compound
to the market."

Benchmark Reviews
"OCZ Technology is best know for their amazingly diverse system memory product line. Very recently though, they have
expanded into high-performance system building with the acquisition of Hypersonic. This puts them in a perfect position to offer
full-spectrum performance on every level.The OCZ Freeze compound appeared to be identical to all other grey silicon-based
carbon-enriched TIM's, yet somehow the lab coats managed to dope this product with all the right ingredients. I presume that
this will be the most popular product of the bunch, since it can be purchased from a myriad of online stores."

Hardware Logic
"Looking back over the results, relative newcomer OCZ FreeZe stand out, while some of the more generic entries lag behind as
the temperatures scale upward. While most of the solutions performed very well, there were a few that stood out in the crowd.
The handful of thermal compounds that outperformed are all excellent choices, offering zero cure time, non-electrical
conductivity, and easy application."

Driver Heaven
"OCZ win the battle of thermal compounds. The Freeze paste outperformed the MX-2 and did so straight out of the box, as
claimed by OCZ. A very impressive achievement."

Overclockers Pulse
"Overall, it’d be easier to get good contact with the OCZ Freeze the first time around because it’s so easy to spread. The OCZ
Freeze beat the Noctua NT-H1 by a whole 3ºC under load. At idle, the OCZ Freeze was again superior with a 2ºC advantage. To
make sure a bad mount wasn’t the cause of this, I remounted the block again with each paste and found similar results. The
OCZ Freeze yet again took the lead with the lowest temps for both idle and load."