Thermal paste, How much?

onform

onform

Messages
2,860
Name
matt
Edit My Images
Yes
A stupid question I know but after removing the stock cooler I'm now left with the task of replacing the pre applied thermal paste with after market paste. I remember reading somewhere that it is pretty important to apply the paste correctly or problems with over heating will occur.

It's an i7 920 and stock cooler... and yes I will dabble with very light over clocking.

so yeah, how much paste and how do I apply it for optimum results, a quick reply needed as I was about to fit the cooler??

Cheers guy's :thumbs:

Matt
 
This is the problem! the pre installed paste looked quite thick??

I looked elsewhere on the interweb and the opinion varies..

just looked and it's antec silver 5??
 
on my i7 i used a garden pea sized amount and it's working great.
 
Thermal paste is a compound used between a cpu and a cooler to aid the transfer of heat.

Basically you need the thinnest amount possible to cover the entire core. The thick stuff you have seen is a pad, rather than paste.
 
its always important to follow the instructions as per your brand of paste, they all vary.

for example arctic silver you run a thin line down the middle of the head spreader (which way depends on the no of cores) and then twist the heatsink to spread.
 
neil_g said:
its always important to follow the instructions as per your brand of paste, they all vary.

for example arctic silver you run a thin line down the middle of the head spreader (which way depends on the no of cores) and then twist the heatsink to spread.
Click to expand...

just looked at the web site too.. Thin line it is then, but it refers to just placing the heat sink as normal and it then spreads to form an oval thus covering all four cores...what do you think??
 
I blew the fan up on my dual core AMD, the radiator still works fine, massive thing. 10 minutes and it shuts down. Currently have a desk fan blowing through the case and it works fine :D (dust is an issue though)

As for thermal paste, all these fancy suggestions for applying them makes no odds, you ideally just need a very thin layer.

I normally but a small blob on the CPU, use my finger to spread it over the top and then use razor blade to skim the top. Worked on every PC and 360 I've ever had to do.

I had a friend that actually sanded the top of a CPU once to prove they they weren't perfectly flat, and he was right :D
 
Your going to overclock your 920 on a stock cooler?
Sorry but are you mad? :D

I have overclocked my 920 and im running it with the fenrir to keep it cool.
If you are going that route make sure you lap it for a better connection.
 
evilonion said:
Your going to overclock your 920 on a stock cooler?
Sorry but are you mad? :D

I have overclocked my 920 and im running it with the fenrir to keep it cool.
If you are going that route make sure you lap it for a better connection.
Click to expand...

i have to agree - running the same cooler myself at a modest 3.4ghz and it sits at idle at 32c
 
Harvey_nikon said:
I blew the fan up on my dual core AMD, the radiator still works fine, massive thing. 10 minutes and it shuts down. Currently have a desk fan blowing through the case and it works fine :D (dust is an issue though)
Click to expand...

dont talk to me about fans and dust, one of my colleges had a mac pro next to his desk so the rear of it was facing me. it started making a nice buzzy noice and then the next thing it spits a big grey dust cloud out the rear fan at me.

i was coughing for the rest of the day lol :gag:
 
neil_g said:
dont talk to me about fans and dust, one of my colleges had a mac pro next to his desk so the rear of it was facing me. it started making a nice buzzy noice and then the next thing it spits a big grey dust cloud out the rear fan at me.

i was coughing for the rest of the day lol :gag:
Click to expand...

mmmm Mac Pro dust, don't breath this :D


seriously though answer to the O/P question, you don't need lots of Thermal paste, a pea sized dot in the centre of the CPU will suffice

quick tip: when placing the heatsink, give it a little twist left and right before clamping it down to get the air bubbles out :)
 
neil_g said:
dont talk to me about fans and dust, one of my colleges had a mac pro next to his desk so the rear of it was facing me. it started making a nice buzzy noice and then the next thing it spits a big grey dust cloud out the rear fan at me.

i was coughing for the rest of the day lol :gag:
Click to expand...

yeah my mum invited me up just after new year for a meal, I agreed. Next day she phones and was like "oh yeah, and can you bring your tools as the laptop is making an odd noise"

Turns out it was full of dust and it had clogged all the fans up. took me 3 hours to take it apart, clean it and put it back together again :(
 
i have always been told and used a bit about the size of a grain of rice.

Doesn't lapping void all warranty
 
What I've always done is put a very small amount on and spread it with an old credit card so it is very evenly distributed. Then when you put the cooler on give it a couple of little gentle wiggles before you clamp it down to make sure you have no air bubbles trapped and that any thick patches are smoothed out. I've not had to re-seat one yet using this technique.

The only exception to this is when I mounted the cooler on my current i920. It was one of those direct contact heat-pipe types and looking at the contact plate of the heat-sink where the heat pipes were embedded there were small channels. This lead me to apply the paste to the cooler instead and spread it about to make sure it had filled any unevenness in the contact plate. (I read of this technique on the OC-UK forum). It seemed to work anyway. I can get stable over-clocks to 4GHz (if I want them) with very respectable temperatures.

General rule of thumb with the paste is less is more, but ensure a good even coating.
 
joker2006 said:
i have always been told and used a bit about the size of a grain of rice.
Click to expand...

That's the amount I've always used ( and my quad 2.4 @ 3.2 likes it )

Apply blob of compound

cover finger in cling film then smear compound over area of CPU with fingertip

place heat sink on CPU

rotate heatsink into correct position


job done :)
 
Don't bother with the paste - I once had a problem with a laptop overheating, the factory applied paste had broken down, my mate who works in IT came along and applied a heat compound 'plaster' - its a similar thing except it comes in the correct thicknesses and is self adhesive. Problem went away and never came back. I don't know where it came from but I'm pretty sure it's easily available, and it made the job so easy. I asked him how much I owed him and he told me it hardly cost anything.
 
Ste Manns said:
Don't bother with the paste - I once had a problem with a laptop overheating, the factory applied paste had broken down, my mate who works in IT came along and applied a heat compound 'plaster' - its a similar thing except it comes in the correct thicknesses and is self adhesive. Problem went away and never came back. I don't know where it came from but I'm pretty sure it's easily available, and it made the job so easy. I asked him how much I owed him and he told me it hardly cost anything.
Click to expand...

good quality paste should not breakdown. but the thermal pad you describe is essentially the same difference.
 
Ste Manns said:
Don't bother with the paste - I once had a problem with a laptop overheating, the factory applied paste had broken down, my mate who works in IT came along and applied a heat compound 'plaster' - its a similar thing except it comes in the correct thicknesses and is self adhesive. Problem went away and never came back. I don't know where it came from but I'm pretty sure it's easily available, and it made the job so easy. I asked him how much I owed him and he told me it hardly cost anything.
Click to expand...

The hours I've spent removing those 'plasters' :(

Why? Because they give significantly inferior results compared to a properly applied quality thermal paste.
 
neil_g said:
actually theyre significantly thicker and poorer performing
Click to expand...

Indeed, but used my manufacturers of things like laptops as they are quicker and easier to apply during production.

For anyone who is interested, this stuff here is some of the best I've used, tried it all really: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190354916254

mrgubby said:
Apply blob of compound
cover finger in cling film then smear compound over area of CPU with fingertip
Click to expand...

I personally wouldn't recommend doing it that way, these days a rice sized blob in the middle of the CPU and allowing the pressure from the Heatsink to spread it out is the recommended way.

Sometimes however manufacturers of paste do recommend you apply some paste in the way you describe to the heatsink base, then remove it with a lint free cloth and apply it the standard way I described above.

But as previously mentioned, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the paste.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top