Thermal Paste

[throdgrain]

Blob or spread?

( I didn't know how to do a poll )

 

[ECA]

Small pea ish amount in the middle, a bit less than you'd put on a toothbrush.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rn0BqMyXBM

 

[caLLous]

Pea-ish is probably the maximum you should use, I've always read to do a bit more than a grain of rice. Too much or too little and you risk affecting the capability to transfer heat from the CPU up to the heatsink. Just put a little blob in the middle and put the heatsink on and wiggle it around a bit before fastening it.

 

[throdgrain]

When you buy a new Arctic freezer it's already spread out though!

 

[caLLous]

Well I have no idea about that. The only cooler I know of where you don't have to apply any is the Intel stock cooler that comes with a retail CPU. If yours says that you don't have to apply any then do what they say.

 

[throdgrain]

I knocked mine last night and now I'm refitting the cooler. Last night I fitted it with a pea sized blob but the cpu ran hot, I wasn't satisfied. Thing is though, I was using really old paste (it's all I had) so today I've got some new stuff and I'm going to do it again tonight. Went on YouTube etc where the spread/blob opinions seem to be about 50/50, so thought I'd ask here too.

It's certainly more than a grain of rice ....

 

[ECA]

The spread option is just way outdated and bad advice from the early days.

 

[caLLous]

And also be sure to put the paste on top of the CPU... :\

 

[ECA]

Oh
My
God.

 

[throdgrain]

LMFAO

 

[Trem]

A really little bit throd and spread it thin because it can conduct and short out if it seeps over the edge of the CPU. I put a tiny bit in the middle and gently spread it with a bit of plastic or something then if it needs more I put a little more on. I just make sure all the CPU has a really thin film of the paste over it. That's what I have always done anyway and I have never had any problems/over heating/shorting/AIDS.

 

[throdgrain]

There you are see, two different opinions in a few posts

 

[caLLous]

Yeah but one of the opinions comes from @Trem, so...

I *have* spread it in the (distant) past but I remember making a mess and not being satisfied with the job I'd done. The thing with just putting a blob in the middle, you are guaranteed to not have any inconsistencies or air bubbles or whatever because the heatsink is pushing it all out from the middle when you tighten the screws. As soon as you introduce something to spread it with, you're risking contaminating the paste. And you know it's going to be an nice even layer for the same reason. You put the heatsink on and tighten the screws and it takes care of the spreading bit all by itself.

 

[ECA]

The pressure of placing the cooler on the cpu spreads the thermal paste and minimises air gaps, spreading is the old numpty way when we didn't know better.

I mean the worst things thats gonna happen is your cpu will run 3C hotter because you were daft, so it isn't the end of the world, but there's a clear right answer and a clear trem answer.

 

[Trem]

Yeah Trem who did it professionally and never had one back due to thermal paste issues actually I never had a PC come back ever apart from PICNIC errors (in this case Cally/ECA errors)

The pressure of placing the cooler on the cpu spreads the thermal paste and minimises air gaps, spreading is the old numpty way when we didn't know better.

I mean the worst things thats gonna happen is your cpu will run 3C hotter because you were daft, so it isn't the end of the world, but there's a clear right answer and a clear trem answer.

*sigh* yes the massive pressure squeezes out all the air gaps :/ a thin film of paste leaves less for there to be air gaps then the pressure removes what is left, plus you have more control to avoid the stuff potentially seeping over the edges in the future. Blobs can cause seeping and seeping = shorting. It isn't about temps it is about shorting. By the way I am saying this from memory and not from Toms Hardware website

 

[caLLous]

*sigh* yes the massive pressure squeezes out all the air gaps :/ a thin film of paste leaves less for there to be air gaps then the pressure removes what is left

Oh no you're actually so wrong. By spreading it first you've made higher bits and lower bits. Imagine you spread it and ended up with something like a volcano of paste on the CPU. Then you add the heatsink and apply pressure and you've actually trapped the air there. You're not squeezing out the air gaps, you're increasing the chance of air gaps. If you start with just a blob in the middle, the only direction it can go is outwards when you squeeze it.

plus you have more control to avoid the stuff potentially seeping over the edges in the future.

This is why you find out how much to put on beforehand. You have NO IDEA how thin the paste will be squished by applying the pressure when you tighten up the heatsink. Certainly thinner than you can spread it so it's no way to guage how much to apply.

 

[throdgrain]

Yeah but one of the opinions comes from @Trem, so...

I *have* spread it in the (distant) past but I remember making a mess and not being satisfied with the job I'd done. The thing with just putting a blob in the middle, you are guaranteed to not have any inconsistencies or air bubbles or whatever because the heatsink is pushing it all out from the middle when you tighten the screws. As soon as you introduce something to spread it with, you're risking contaminating the paste. And you know it's going to be an nice even layer for the same reason. You put the heatsink on and tighten the screws and it takes care of the spreading bit all by itself.

I did the blob thing last night, and the i7 idled at about 50 deg and under pressure went to 98 deg ... and got turned off.

When I removed the heatsink this morning there was a big ol circle of paste, but it hadn't reached all the corners, possibly in the region of 80% of the total coverage.

Now, this could have caused the heating (not convinced) or it could be, as I said, the fact that the last time I used that tube of paste I was fitting a 3.2 Barton core. Dunno

 

[caLLous]

I would put that down to the age of the paste tbh, did you get the cleaning stuff when you got the paste today so you can get the old stuff off properly?

 

[throdgrain]

I would put that down to the age of the paste tbh, did you get the cleaning stuff when you got the paste today so you can get the old stuff off properly?

Yep, but I used nail polish remover last night, which has done me proud for many a year

 

[caLLous]

I got some fancy 2 step thing from Arctic Silver when I had to but there's all sorts of stuff that will do it.

 

[Trem]

Oh no you're actually so wrong. By spreading it first you've made higher bits and lower bits. Imagine you spread it and ended up with something like a volcano of paste on the CPU. Then you add the heatsink and apply pressure and you've actually trapped the air there. You're not squeezing out the air gaps, you're increasing the chance of air gaps. If you start with just a blob in the middle, the only direction it can go is outwards when you squeeze it.

This is why you find out how much to put on beforehand. You have NO IDEA how thin the paste will be squished by applying the pressure when you tighten up the heatsink. Certainly thinner than you can spread it so it's no way to guage how much to apply.

But YOU are SO wrong because by starting with a blob in the middle you have no idea if the paste reaches to the edges of the CPU (as proved in this case with throddys), you can't say that a blob goes all smooth with the pressure and the air gets removed but a thin film won't, that doesn't make sense you silly Frenchy Obviously if there is a temperature problem then there is a problem but I would rather have that and sort that than the alternative so ner.

 

[Syri]

I normally put a blob in the centre, but not a huge blob, and then put a ring roughly halfway between the blob and the edge; no spreading. It's always done fine for me, my i5 is usually around 35c.

 

[Embattle]

Spread or blob or 5 peas although generally it won't matter as long as the cooler is properly fitted as it'll squeeze it to where it is needed.

 

[Edmond]

I've always used the pads, easy

 

[BloodOmen]

pea sized blob.

 

[Jupitus]

Well quite clearly people are forgetting that Trem is a) a mod and b) closely linked to God himself, so to doubt him is to your own detriment!!!! ***



***That means very cute, thin, even spread will work.... fuck the peas!

 

[BloodOmen]

Well quite clearly people are forgetting that Trem is a) a mod and b) closely linked to God himself, so to doubt him is to your own detriment!!!! ***



***That means very cute, thin, even spread will work.... fuck the peas!

PEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS

 

[Moriath]

Is that a mange tout, petite pois, or garden pea size of a blob? Lol. Even a marrow fat pea.

 

[old.Osy]

I'm a spread with a credit card guy, it has never failed me since i got very proficient at it.

There must be 100+ computers assembled by my hands - overheating was never a problem.

 

[Gwadien]

Sweetcorn sized blobs.