Thermal paste question regarding CRYORIG H5 Universal

[gosubuilder]

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CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.66 @ OutletPC)
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Motherboard: Asus STRIX Z270-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($186.89 @ OutletPC)
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Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-04 10:01 EDT-0400

Originally I was planning on using Artic Silver 5 on the CPU and the CRYORIG H5 Universal. But, I found out that the CRYORIG H5 Universal comes with CP9 Cryopaste.

This is where I get a little nervous.

The arctic silver 5 has instructions on how to apply it at the artic silver website, which is the line method.

According to the CRYORIG FAQ page it suggest using the pea/rice on the middle of the CPU without spreading it. But, on the CRYO-PASTE page it shows it comes with a card/spreader to spread the thermal paste.

So, the CRYORIG is confusing... the FAQ says uses the pea method, but the CRYORIG thermal paste comes with a card/spreader to spread the thermal paste.

I'm not confident on how large is a pea size... cause i've seen youtube videos where depending on the person the size of the pea sized drop people use varies. So, I'm planning on approximating 2 rice grain size drop on the middle of the CPU and then using the headsink downward pressure to spread it.

Am I over thinking things?

TLDR: Using CP9 Cryopaste, should I use the line method? or the pea/rice method and then use a card to spread it? or the pea/rice method without using the card?

What temperature idle and load is ok?

 

[velocityg4]

How much you start with is not as important as what you end up with. Using too much just mean you will have wasted money as you will have more excess paste to throw out.

Ideally, you will spread it out and end up with a paper thin layer covering the CPU heat spreader. All you are trying to do is have enough the fill the minute scratches and voids left over from manufacturing.

http://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-properly-apply-thermal-paste-and-install-a-cpu/

Personally, I do the dot in the center. Then I spread it with a credit card. Finally I place the heatsink and work it a little as described in the article.

 

[Solandri]

Ideally, you will spread it out and end up with a paper thin layer covering the CPU heat spreader.

That's way too much. The only purpose of the paste is to fill microscopic air gaps between the flat faces of the CPU's heat spreader and the base of the heat sink when they sit against each other (without paste). Thermal paste is several hundred times worse at conducting heat than metal on metal contact, so having any "layer" of paste between the two is actually worse than having no paste at all.

You want to squeeze the two surfaces together until you feel metal grinding on metal. That tells you you've squeezed enough paste out that the two metal surfaces are contacting each other. I haven't found the method to be important, since if you squeeze until you feel metal grinding, they end up pretty much the same. The line and card spread method end up with more paste squeezed out the edges, so I usually just put a half-pea sized drop in the middle (about 2-3 mm across).

If you're unsure, you can apply it and squeeze down to where you'd clamp it. Then lift it off and see how much the paste has spread. Once you're confident you're covering most of the surface with the paste (it's ok to miss the corners), clean it off and do it again for real. The standard small syringe you get should be good for a dozen or two dozen applications. Plenty for doing test runs. Just make sure you don't get any dirt or dust stuck in the paste (that will raise the heatsink off the CPU at a tilt, eliminating metal on metal contact). So clean it thoroughly before reapplying.

 

[g-unit1111]

You're definitely overthinking things. You don't want to use too much paste as that could potentially be dangerous to your motherboard. But using too little paste and you'll get overheating issues. I think Arctic Silver is very unnecessary when most CPU cooler manufacturers include thermal compound that's better than Arctic Silver to begin with. But when you start looking at conflicting instructions, you can tear your hair out trying to keep everything straight.

 

[gosubuilder]

Thanks