[SOLVED] Applied too much of thermal paste on the GPU?

Jacob 51

Notable
Dec 31, 2020
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915
I repasted my GT 1030 a moment ago and I think I applied too much of thermal paste in there. After pressing the chip down with the heatsink (without putting in screws), i saw that the thermal paste is touching the other components aside the chip. Can this cause a short of any kind? The PC starts up and I get display.

Also, why does this GPU have springs on the screws? It makes a lot harder to screw as I have to apply pressure on the screws and the GPUs motherboard gets pressed too and I think it can probably break into two pieces.

The thermal paste is Deepcool Z3.

(I used pea method.)
 
Solution
Thermal paste isn't conductive unless you're using some really bad quality thermal paste. As for your question, there's only so much you can do with text where we need supporting info, such as a video or a couple of images. Please host your images on Imgur and then parse them here for us to see. The screws on the back of the GPU are to add tension and even pressure/mounting. Mind you, if you've applied too much thermal paste then the screws are going to have a tough time getting through the PCB holes, or worse, have uneven mounting/spread of thermal paste.

chaoyang

Reputable
Oct 24, 2019
384
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4,790
It does seems like you applied too much if it's getting onto other components. Make sure to thoroughly clean it before turning on the PC, however, what made you think it has short-circuited your your PC? Has there been any issue afterward?
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Thermal paste isn't conductive unless you're using some really bad quality thermal paste. As for your question, there's only so much you can do with text where we need supporting info, such as a video or a couple of images. Please host your images on Imgur and then parse them here for us to see. The screws on the back of the GPU are to add tension and even pressure/mounting. Mind you, if you've applied too much thermal paste then the screws are going to have a tough time getting through the PCB holes, or worse, have uneven mounting/spread of thermal paste.
 
Solution

Jmi20

Prominent
Jun 5, 2020
364
88
790
Just my take on thermal paste application. For bare dies like a gpu, i would rather have a bit too much than too little so long as the thermal paste is not conductive.

If there is any area on a bare die that is not fully covered in thermal paste, there may be hot spots in the die and may be detrimental to it’s life.

When applying too much thermal paste, so long as it is not conductive the worst that would happen is you are making a mess and are wasting thermal paste. Any excess would just squeeze out.

There are a lot of articles dispelling too much too little thermal paste myths, such as this. May be worth taking a quick look.