P4

That’s the processor that has been powering me since almost 6.5 years now. :)

& I nearly lost it…

 

Let’s start from the start. Today was my PC clean-up day.

 

I have to do it regularly (every few months) because the CPU fan is actually more effective than a vacuum cleaner.

 

It collects all the dust found in my house…

 

Literally sucks them in – that’s dust collected next to air vent holes.

 

Not even the floppy drive is spared.

 

But imagine my horrification when I opened up the CPU heatsink to find this…

 

& this… 

 

& …

 

I think horrified is still not a strong enough word to describe what I felt.

 

That’s called living life on the edge. A few more days/months & my processor would have melted down.

 

After cleaning up the “mud,” there was still the thermal paste stuck to the core.

 

Luckily, the processor seems unblemished on the pins.

 

Pentium 4 Northwood 3.06Ghz HT – you’re a legend! Few processors could last being run at 73ºC while its safe max temperature is 69ºC.

 

After added a semi-drop of thermal paste, I reassembled everything & now the PC is all fine. CPU temp is around 48ºC, with the max temp at 55ºC (20ºC drop!). Although it makes twice more noise than before!? o_O

PS. The better looking pics are from my camera, while the less better ones are from E72 (with the LED flash messing up the colour).