Do i really Need a Thermal Paste on my GPU ?

[Abhraneel Roy]

I have a GTX 650 , which i opened the whole thing and cleaned it,..I also cleaned the Thermal Paste .
So Do i really need to use Thermal Paste on them ?
And What Does thermal Paste Do ?
NEED HELP ON THIS 2 QUESTIONS !

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Yes you do. Thermal paste is conductive material that absorbs the heat from the processor. From there, that heat is transferred to the fins of the heatsink, which have a large surface area, so they have a good amount of contact with air, resulting in proper cooling of the fins > paste > CPU. A generalization at least. Without paste, you can damage your GPU from excessive heat.

 

[InvalidError]

Thermal paste fills in the microscopic air gaps between the heatsink and chip/heat-spreader to provide heat transfer.

While factory surfaces may seem flat, they are nowhere near perfect and if you put them together dry, heat transfer will be poor since trapped air is a good thermal insulator, sometimes to the point of being worse than omitting the heatsink altogether.

So yes, the paste is very much necessary. Without adequate paste, the heatsink becomes mostly pointless.

 

[Abhraneel Roy]

How Long does the Thermal Paste lasts ?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

How Long does the Thermal Paste lasts ?

It should last years. Just think of any prebuilt computer - those people aren't replacing their thermal paste at all. Enthusiasts may replace it yearly, but unless temperatures get out of hand, there'd be no need. Just monitor temperatures, and you'll know when, but dust buildup is more likely to cause heat than thermal paste degrading.

 

[madmatt30]

Silver based 5-10 years
Generic grease/putty - anything between 2-5 years before it dries out completely - will still work but at a compromise on temps.

 

[Abhraneel Roy]

Ok thank you !

 

[Abhraneel Roy]

And what is the temperature Difference if i do not use Thermal Paste ?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

And what is the temperature Difference if i do not use Thermal Paste ?

It's not even a question, it's a necessity. Your temps will be probably 115C on like low load unless the processor seriously downclocks itself and even then the temps will be ridiculously high and dangerous. It could kill your GPU.

 

[madmatt30]

If you don't put thermal paste on there don't expect the GPU to last more than a few days !!

 

[Abhraneel Roy]

Ok thanks

 

[Abhraneel Roy]

AND Last Question , Can you tell me where can i buy a cheap Thermal Paste Online ?
I live in India.....

 

[Abhraneel Roy]

Will this Thermal Paste work good ?
This one-http://www.shopclues.com/5pcs-lot-cpu-fan-heatsink-thermal-grease-paste-compound-silicon-pouch-heat-sink.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAmNW2BRDL4KqS3vmqgUESJABiiwDT59Ph3w_dQai73qrpr1lQniiN9ZrJtt2yUSlr7-0R4BoCjQfw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[InvalidError]

Silver based 5-10 years
Generic grease/putty - anything between 2-5 years before it dries out completely - will still work but at a compromise on temps.

Not sure why people keep obsessing over "drying out" when the solid part of the paste is the main "active ingredient" in it: filler materials have thermal conductivity typically well over 20W/m/K while the carrier grease is under 1W/m/K, 20X more resistive. For the best thermal performance, you want to pack the particles as tightly as possible to squeeze the most grease possible out of the interface. That's why Intel's stock paste has a clay-like consistency.

The silicon grease or other carrier lubricant is only there to keep the fine dust together to facilitate application and prevent it from becoming an aerosol - you don't want to breathe 1-20 microns ZnO, AlN, graphite, diamond, etc. dust. "Drying out" has negligible effect on particulate-based pastes' effectiveness but it does make them "unable to heal" after being disturbed, such as a knock on the heatsink breaking vacuum in the dried paste joint.

Most joints will last indefinitely if left mechanically undisturbed.