Blogger Daniel Andrade (AKA Pastelero) claims that through a process called lapping, your CPU heatsink/cooler (or other cooler) can become more efficient, thereby adding to the lifespan and stability of your hardware. While not a simple process, the potential benefits to be gained from adding cooling efficiency to a critical system will be more than worth it for many detail conscious computer users.

Using several different abrasive levels of sand paper, along with metal polish and even scrubbing with various compounds (including alcohol and toothpaste), the do it yourself-er can turn the cheap coating used by the manufacturer (on the contact point of the cooler) into a smooth, shiny, mirror like surface.

Their are two main reasons for going through the trouble of polishing the contact points of your coolers. One reason is that the increased level of contact between the heat source and the cooler will allow the system to cool down faster, and cooler running components lead to computers that perform better and have fewer crashes.

A second reason is that the overall operational lifespan of the computer is increased in proportion with a lower operating temperature. The only things you'll need to get started are 500, 600, and 1200 sandpaper, polishing oil for metal, cleaning cloths, toothpaste, alcohol, and thermal paste.

Using a slow process of gradually increasing the level of abrasiveness in the sandpaper, topped off with some detail work done with some metal polish, elbow grease and a cloth you can turn a dull grey into a shiny mirror finish. The process can be done with a wide variety of cooling systems, including WaterBlocks and air coolers without fans.

With a little planning and an eye for detail you can have all your systems running with improved efficiency and lower temperatures in one work session.