Getting closer! I figured that since I'm in the middle of having nothing to do but NaNoWriMo (which I did not do yesterday, shame on me), I should look into lapping the CPU heatsink I bought a few weeks ago. I decided to get all the stuff that's not at NewEgg early so I could just place one giant order and be ready to go. Those orders consisted of my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Computer Speakers that I got off eBay since the retail stores were all out of stock (and as soon as I started using them, they were back in stock... I knew that'd happen) and a really nice (arguably the best) air cooler for the processor: the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme Black. (Oh my gosh, racist!) I decided to go ahead and get the slightly more expensive black version because even though its performance is identical to the older shiny nickel one, it came with a few extra stuff that lets you install two fans on it. Alright... So those, in addition to my new LCD, which I absolutely adore, mark the first steps I've taken to build my new computer.

But I'll bet you're stuck up there on a word you can't find the definition for: Lapping. I have no idea why they call it lapping, and Dictionary.com doesn't seem to define it anywhere remotely close to what it entails, but it's the act of sanding down the base of the heatsink... The part that comes in contact with the CPU (the top of which also gets sanded down). The goal is to take two not-quite flat surfaces, make them flat, and stick them together to increase the amount of heat that is transferred, so the CPU runs cooler (and thus allows you to overclock faster). The idea is to get a sort of vacuum effect so that if you put the lapped surfaces, they stick... Air is a huge heat resistor. To help keep the air out, it's generally accepted that you squeeze a bit of thermal paste between the two surfaces and squish them together (and hope you don't get air bubbles, or you're back where you started). But the best thing to have is as little amount of space between the CPU and the heatsink as possible... Thus the sanding/lapping!

There's my little workspace... After trying the whole sanding bit without wet sandpaper, I ran into a problem with a very uneven and very un-mirror-like surface. So a word of warning to you folks looking into trying your hand at lapping... USE WET SANDPAPER. It seriously works wonders. It cuts down on chattering and tired hands. At first, I did the typical "30 strokes in one direction, rotate 90 degress, 30 strokes in same direction" idea and it worked for chewing through to the copper, but to get the final touches, I read that a figure 8 pattern was a nice method... And I happen to agree. I went from 220 grit to 400, to 800, to 1200 and finished with 2000 (since the shop I got these from didn't go higher, or I would have finished at 3000 for that extra mirror finish) and it was still fuzzy and scratchy. As soon as I did figure 8 on wet 2000-grit paper, it suddenly got a whole lot easier and better looking!

It took about 3 hours, I think... The last two segments of Rush Limbaugh and the first segment of Peter Heck. So yeah! 3 hours! The last 30 minutes was spent on the figure 8 on wet 2000 and I think it's good enough... Had a razor blade to check for flatness and to my professional, highly observant Myst-trained eyes, there was no wobble and no light shining beneath it. In other words: As flat as humanly possible! Check it out:

This is a close up of the not-so-mirror-like-but-good-enough surface that will come in contact with the CPU. I wish I took a picture of the thing before I started and maybe a few while I was going through the stages, but it started out with the black finish even down there... You sand a while and you some to a silvery nickel plating. I thought maybe that was my goal, but I kept on going and the copper started showing through, so make sure you chew on it until the copper starts poking out! But yeah... My first lapping procedure and I'm very pleased with it. Part of me wanted to install it without lapping to see how much cooler it runs afterwards, but I decided to just go ahead and lap it before I put it together, because I'm absolutely positive that once I get the thing together, I won't want to rip it apart for another few hours... I'll want to put it together somewhat to make sure the CPU works before I lap it (and subsequently void the warranty, which I wouldn't ever use unless it was DoA), but that won't be so bad.

Okay, so Peter Heck is done now... Time for NaNoWriMo!