Applying thermal paste?

[empspectrum]

Hello, I just recently ordered thermal paste because for some reason I thought it'd be a good idea to take off my heatsink, forgetting the problem of thermal paste. So I just removed the old paste and put in some new paste. The way I found online I should do it is to apply a pea-sized ball of the paste onto the CPU, and then simply put on the sink and tighten it down. I've done this, and properly, and I feel as though something could have gone wrong and my CPU will fry or something crazy. So I must know: Was this the proper way of reinstalling my Heatsink? I don't know if it spread completely or not even though I followed the process correctly.

 

[kira70591]

The correct way to apply thermal paste is the pea method or the grain of rice method. You can place a pea sized dollop on the middle of the CPU or you can put a line of thermal paste on the middle of the CPU about the size of a grain of rice. Once the cooler has been properly installed, and the CPU heats up, the paste will spread to the correct surface area. Make sure to properly clean the CPU before new application by using rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab / paper towel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2p6Hk4IfqI

Here is a techquickie to help you out.

You can download realtemp or HWmonitor to check out your temps. What CPU are you using and what cooler? A CPU will normally also power the system down or freeze the system if temperatures become to much to handle which will in the end save its life.

 

[HardwareDude83]

kepp an eye on y our CPU temp to see if it is getting hotter than usual, but yes it only takes a tiny dot of paste.

 

[empspectrum]

The correct way to apply thermal paste is the pea method or the grain of rice method. You can place a pea sized dollop on the middle of the CPU or you can put a line of thermal paste on the middle of the CPU about the size of a grain of rice. Once the cooler has been properly installed, and the CPU heats up, the paste will spread to the correct surface area. Make sure to properly clean the CPU before new application by using rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab / paper towel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2p6Hk4IfqI

Here is a techquickie to help you out.

You can download realtemp or HWmonitor to check out your temps. What CPU are you using and what cooler? A CPU will normally also power the system down or freeze the system if temperatures become to much to handle which will in the end save its life.

My CPU temp is averaging around 55 C during normal use, and 70 C while gaming, which I am kind of concerned about. I have an AMD A10-5700. I never monitored my temps previous to this happening so I have no clue whether those are normal temps or not.

 

[kira70591]

Those do not sound horrible; however, they are a bit high. Are you using a stock cooler? Also, do you have decent case airflow?

 

[photonboy]

1) YES. It sounds like you installed it correctly.

2) YES. Your temperatures appear perfectly fine though you didn't tell us the actual cooler. Regardless, it's not hot enough to be overheating so I wouldn't worry.

My guess is you either have the STOCK cooler or a slightly better one but I wouldn't worry about it from a temperature point of view.

 

[empspectrum]

Those do not sound horrible; however, they are a bit high. Are you using a stock cooler? Also, do you have decent case airflow?

Yeah, I have a souped up HP pavilion that I've been modifying, but the cooler is stock, yes. My airflow is pretty good also

 

[kira70591]

I would not worry about the temperatures then. If you are worried about the temperature then I would definitely clean the CPU, reapply the thermal paste correctly (if you did not before), install the cooler and check your temps. If they stay right around the same then you are golden.