Thermal paste isn't drying

[Swirlz]

I just glued my cpu cooler to my cpu ( with thermal paste ) and it's still not dry. When it put even the slightest force it moves. How long does it take to dry?

 

[USAFRet]

Thermal paste is not 'glue'.
Stop touching it and moving the cooler

If you have properly applied it...leave it alone until 2019, or you change the cooler or CPU, whichever comes first.

 

[mrmez]

Forever, hopefully.
It's thermal paste. Not thermal glue. It's not supposed to dry.

 

[Sakkura]

It's not glue, and it's not really supposed to dry out.

All it does is ensure that small irregularities in the surface of the heatsink and CPU are not filled with air, which impedes the transfer of heat. It's not there to hold the cooler in place.

 

[Mr5oh]

In fact you moving you has will likely have a negative affect on it's cooling.

Apply it and leave it alone. If you have messed with it much, I'd stress test it. If you temps are higher than what most people get, I'd clean it off, reapply, and don't mess with it. You'll probably find you have lower temps.

 

[sarwar_r87]

Why would u think its a glue. It's called paste. You can't use your tooth paste to glue things, nor does tooth paste dry you.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Yep, just gonna echo everyone else and confirm that it's definitely not SUPPOSED to be dry. It will, over a period of years, dry out, but that's a BAD thing, and that's when it should be reapplied.

 

[mjslakeridge]

My tooth "paste" is not allowing my upper and lower teeth to stick together! What am I doing wrong?

 

[sarwar_r87]

You need to wiggle it gently. Make sure not to bend the teeth.

Just like when a CPU gets stuck to a cooler.

Good luck !