Arctic Alpine 11 Plus and Thermal Paste

[gacsibeni]

Hey!

I recently bought an Arctic Alpine 11 Plus budget CPU cooler so that I can replace my stock cooler on my i5-2400.
Now, my question is that this cooler has pre-applied thermal paste on it, but I have additional thermal paste to use up, so am I right to apply additional paste on my CPU? Will it increase / decrease the cooling performance?

Thanks in advance!

 

[clutchc]

No. Never mix or add thermal paste. More is never better when it comes to TIM (Thermal Interface Material). Too much TIM will lower thermal transfer and degrade cooling. Just use the TIM that is applied on the cooler.
(You're not trying to put a layer between the surfaces, you are just trying to fill in the microscopic pores of the metal.)

But before you install the new cooler, be sure to thoroughly remove any old TIM from the CPU. I use: http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Arcticlean-Material-ACN-60ML/dp/B0087X738E
But you can use isopropyl alcohol too. Use something like a lens cloth or coffee filter that is lint free. You want to keep the surface as pure as possible.