[SOLVED] In Middle of Build - Thermal Paste

[Zich]

Hello,

First time builder here. I removed stock thermal paste from my wriath prism as it looked dried. I applied my own and locked the CPU cooler into placer, however when looking closely from the side I wanted to make sure the thermal paste was not applied too thickly. I noticed it is about half way down the side of the actually CPU. Is this going to be an issue? Thank you in advanced.

 

[Mrgr74]

Hello,

First time builder here. I removed stock thermal paste from my wriath prism as it looked dried. I applied my own and locked the CPU cooler into placer, however when looking closely from the side I wanted to make sure the thermal paste was not applied too thickly. I noticed it is about half way down the side of the actually CPU. Is this going to be an issue? Thank you in advanced.

Hi @Zich

You don't want it dripping over the edges. To be safe, I would advise you to remove the Prism and clean off all of the thermal paste, both from the CPU and the bottom of the heat sink itself and re-apply. Depending on the type and amount of thermal paste you used, some types are electrically conductive and can cause shorting on your mobo. (If too much is used and/or covers a circuit path on your mobo's PCB.)

A coffee filter is a great way to pre-clean the remaining paste off as it's both smooth & abrasive at the same time, if that makes any sense. It'll also not leave any "fiber dust" that TP or a papertowel may leave behind. Good old regular Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol to prep the surfaces for the new thermal paste is a plus to use. Dab a bit on top of a q-tip. Once cleaned, wipe once more with a coffee filter to remove any residue

A q-tip works great to remove the excess that dripped over and along the edge.

Everyone will have their own method in how they apply, but the general consensus is that a drop in the middle of the CPU between 1/2 to 2/3 the size of a pea should be used. Avoid smearing it yourself (as small air bubbles can occur and thus impact it's heat conducting abilities) and instead allow the bottom of your heat sink to spread it as you evenly install it on top of your CPU. Less is better than more in this instance.

What type of thermal paste did you use and which CPU do you have?

 

[Zich]

Hi @Zich

You don't want it dripping over the edges. To be safe, I would advise you to remove the Prism and clean off all of the thermal paste, both from the CPU and the bottom of the heat sink itself and re-apply. Depending on the type and amount of thermal paste you used, some types are electrically conductive and can cause shorting on your mobo. (If too much is used and/or covers a circuit path on your mobo's PCB.)

A q-tip works great to remove the excess that dripped over and along the edge.

Everyone will have their own method in how they apply, but the general consensus is that a drop in the middle of the CPU between 1/2 to 2/3 the size of a pea should be used. Avoid smearing it yourself (as small air bubbles can occur and thus impact it's heat conducting abilities) and instead allow the bottom of your heat sink to spread it as you evenly install it on top of your CPU. Less is better than more in this instance.

What type of thermal paste did you use and which CPU do you have?

I have a wraith prism and used the arctic 5 thermal paste on it. I've been advised in previous threads for my specific cooler to spread myself as the dot method is not efficient. Is this a for sure a problem leaving the paste on the side of the cpu?

 

[Furzumz]

I have a wraith prism and used the arctic 5 thermal paste on it. I've been advised in previous threads for my specific cooler to spread myself as the dot method is not efficient. Is this a for sure a problem leaving the paste on the side of the cpu?

How much has oozed over the sides?

And by sides do you mean the metal plate circled in red or is it settling more where the blue circle is? (see picture below)

If its a quite a large amount its possible it could work its way between the pins if it manages to ooze down far enough. When I over applied thermal paste once I had that happen, but its worth noting only a very tiny amount managed to actually get between the pins and it didn't cause any issues since it was such a small amount.

If this happens it won't fry anything as arctic silver is not electrically conductive but you don't want paste in your socket

 

[Zich]

How much has oozed over the sides?

And by sides do you mean the metal plate circled in red or is it settling more where the blue circle is? (see picture below)

If its a quite a large amount its possible it could work its way between the pins if it manages to ooze down far enough. When I over applied thermal paste once I had that happen, but its worth noting only a very tiny amount managed to actually get between the pins and it didn't cause any issues since it was such a small amount.

If this happens it won't fry anything as arctic silver is not electrically conductive but you don't want paste in your socket

It was down about half way the side of the red circle initially, I then thought about how much applied and really started to doubt myself that I did way too much. I looked again and it was almost to the green past. I ended up succesfully removing the CPU cooler (without the CPU lol) and was able to qtip swap the sides. Truthfully the paste on top was really even across the CPU so I just left it and added a little bit more. I remounted and looks fine now. Thank you!

 

[Mrgr74]

I have a wraith prism and used the arctic 5 thermal paste on it. I've been advised in previous threads for my specific cooler to spread myself as the dot method is not efficient. Is this a for sure a problem leaving the paste on the side of the cpu?

My apologies as I should have been a little more clear in my initial reply. For Ryzen 1k & 2k CPU's the pea method is absolutely fine as the CPU itself is directly under the middle of the IHS (metal cover on top of your CPU) but with the 3K series, things are a little "different" layout wise under the proverbial hood and so a greater coverage is preferred. (Remember how the Prism looked when you 1st installed it and the thermal was in an even square) Again, everyone will have their own preferred way to apply thermal paste and as long as you don't use gobs of it so it oozes over the edge like a sloppily made PB&J, you'll be fine. Some ways are better than others but takes a little more skill in their respective application.

I know you're done now, but still here is a nice quick video of the different ways to apply thermal paste and how it looks once pressure is applied. (Heat sink installed)
.

 

[grimfox]

Artic silver 5 is conductive. Not as conductive as a liquid metal or some other silver or copper based TIMs but they say, "Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads."

AS5 was good several years ago but there are modern TIMs that are better and fully non-conductive. It's not going to be a problem for you now that it sounds like you have the application sorted out. But I wouldn't go out and buy more unless you are in a pinch.

 

[Furzumz]

Artic silver 5 is conductive. Not as conductive as a liquid metal or some other silver or copper based TIMs but they say, "Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads."

AS5 was good several years ago but there are modern TIMs that are better and fully non-conductive. It's not going to be a problem for you now that it sounds like you have the application sorted out. But I wouldn't go out and buy more unless you are in a pinch.

Their website seems to be a contradiction

"Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)"

"Not Electrically Conductive"
"very slightly capacitive"

Unless there's a difference or are they being sneaky with their wording?

But for what its worth I've a bunch of times accidentally bridged CPU pins with the stuff and never had an issue, same with video card die with the it getting on the metal squares surrounding the die.

 

[madmatt30]

Their website seems to be a contradiction

"Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)"

"Not Electrically Conductive"
"very slightly capacitive"

Unless there's a difference or are they being sneaky with their wording?

But for what its worth I've a bunch of times accidentally bridged CPU pins with the stuff and never had an issue, same with video card die with the it getting on the metal squares surrounding the die.

Theyre simply covering themselves in case of user error.

That said you should never get any paste on the pins, conductive could short, non conductive could hinder connection between pin and board.

Any material thats not completelysolid has to be capacitive to some extent irregardless.

Sounds like your cpu is fine now, the thing with as5 is that as it gets warm it also gets runnier upto a point (for the first few days after application at least).
After that it will stabilise, just keep an eye for runs the next few days.