Odroid H3+, trying indium thermal pads

[domih]

I'm trying using indium thermal pads with an Odroid H3+.

After disassembling the heat sink, I found out that the contact between the two CPU dies and the heat sink goes through a copper plate with thermal paste between the dies and the copper plate and then between the copper plate and the heat sink. See attached images.

Indium and copper can interact so I need to avoid using the copper plate (see https://www.indium.com/blog/indium-copp ... dering.php)

QUESTION: what do you think about removing the gray soft shim spacer on the heat sink, not use the copper plate and have a direct layer of indium between the dies and the heat sink, and being careful not to break the dies by screwing the heat sink too hard?

[domih]

If you remove the soft thermal film that cushions the impact and replace it with a hard plate, the chances of damage to the CPU will likely increase.

[domih]

If you remove the soft thermal film that cushions the impact and replace it with a hard plate, the chances of damage to the CPU will likely increase.

Mmm... I'm chickening out. In addition, if I remove the spacer it means the heat sink might in fact no reach the dies because it will be stopped by the fixed stand-offs on the board.

I'm going to try the indium thermal pads on a XU4 instead, direct contact, no spacer, no shim.

I'll continue this discussion in the XU4 section.

By the way this testing is to confirm or infirm a statement I read on a Tom's hardware comment post: "...indium thermal pads are as good as liquid metal without the annoyances of liquid metal." Because you cannot trust what you read on the Internet, I'd like to test it

[rooted]

By the way this testing is to confirm or infirm a statement I read on a Tom's hardware comment post: "...indium thermal pads are as good as liquid metal without the annoyances of liquid metal." Because you cannot trust what you read on the Internet, I'd like to test it

I don't believe this for a second, if it were Sony would have used indium instead of gallium on the PS5.