The original post: /r/buildapc by /u/Marin4Trooth on 2025-02-19 00:26:55.
I am installing a Samsung 990 Pro NVME m.2 drive on an Asus Z790 ProArt motherboard in the primary m.2 slot. This will be my main OS drive.
This m.2 slot has a backplate (with a thermal pad) and a heatsink (with another thermal pad); so, thermal pads are on BOTH sides of the drive, and both have the thin blue plastic film/covering on the sticky surface of the thermal pads that say "Remove."
When I put the heatsink on top of the drive, I will of course be removing the thin blue plastic film/covering on the sticky surface of the heatsink thermal pad. So, the heatsink will stick to the top of the 990 Pro, as it should, and it should do its job.
But, since this is a "one sided" drive, the board includes a little rubber pad (for one-sided drives only) to support/elevate the middle of the drive slightly. So, the drive won't actually be touching the backplate's thermal pad at all. And so I am thinking I should NOT remove the blue plastic film/covering on the thermal pad on the backplate. Is this right?
To be clearer: The backplate has the Asus M.2 "Q-Slide," to hold down the 2280 drive, and the board comes with an extra little rubber pad to be used with one-sided NVME drives (like the 990 Pro) to support the middle of the drive - to keep the drive from bending when the heatsink is installed on top and pressing down on it. When I install this rubber pad underneath the middle of the drive, it elevates the drive enough that it will completely prevent the drive from touching the backplate's thermal pad (there is a gap). So, since there is a gap, and it's not even touching that backplate thermal pad, I am thinking I should just leave the thin blue plastic covering on the sticky surface of the backplate's thermal pad - even though it also says "Remove" :-). If I remove it, I'm just exposing a sticky surface that the drive won't even be touching. So, leave it, right?
Would love to hear input on this...
Thanks!
