Installation

The mating surface of the Super Orb consists of machined aluminium, and sports your standard everyday locking clip. A circular contact area is recessed very slightly to allow the unit to sit snuggly on the Atlon/Duron's little rubber supporting feet. One tip here, when you need to apply pressure to locate the clip, apply pressure to the clip itself, NOT to the Orb, as this will almost certainly damage your processor.

 

The next step simply involves removing your old heatsink and fan. Once off, give the top surface of the chip a good wipe to remove any of the old grease or tape (if any was used), and if it proves stubborn, try a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton bud.

Once the chip is clean, you need to apply the thermal interface material (or grease). This acts as a cushion between the base of the orb and the surface of the chip, filling in any small gaps or irregularities, aswell as providing a thermal bridge to allow the heat to pass efficiently from the chip to the aluminium base of the Orb. There are probably a million and one ways to apply the grease, but personally I apply a small blob to the chip's surface and spread it with a match stick.

So far so good, it just remains to fit the thing now. When you come to clip the fixed end in, hold the Orb over at a good angle to avoid the base brushing the chip and smudging the grease everywhere. This is not only messy, but may leave a poor contact surface. Once the fixed end is in, lower the whole thing gently into place, and clip the sprung end onto the opposite lug using downward pressure (on the clip, not on the Orb remember).

Mission accomplished! Now to see if it works.

 

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