Applying & Removing Thermal Paste

[Gareth Johnstone]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but what IS the preferred way to apply it?

When removing thermal paste from the CPU to fit another cooler, what is the best method?

 

[Ok Go]

there's alot of disscussion regarding the best way of applying one. but my perefered way is still the smal lentil ball (rice grain sized ball) in the middle of the cpu and press.
to remove thermal paste refer to your paste's manual if there's any. me personally, i stress test the cpu to heat up the current paste so it's easier to seperate the hsf from the cpu(most paste is like glue when cold). after seperated i clean it using acetone(nail polish remover) wich is 99% alcohol.

 

[synphul]

For removing thermal paste, either a coffee filter or some other lint free cloth. A paper towel will work if there's nothing else but it's not lint free and can leave little bits of material behind. Try to wipe off the bulk of whatever is still on the cpu then use a lint free cloth or even a q-tip moistened with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol. That will clear off any residue and it dries fast (evaporates).

As far as applying thermal compound, everyone has their own way. A small pea sized dab in the middle, a rice grain sized small line vertically down the middle or an 'X' shape. If using the 'X' shape just remember that you're adding two lines so they need to be a bit thinner than if using a single line down the middle so you don't apply too much. When the cooler gets pressed to the cpu it will squeeze the thermal paste between the two to make a thin coating which is all it needs.

This isn't the end all be all guide to application methods but an interesting look and some decent representation of how much is applied with various methods. It can be a reference point in any case. One odd thing, they did the single line horizontally rather than vertical.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Thermal-Paste-Application-Techniques-170/