Thermal Paste Removal/Installation Guide

[amuffin]

They mean the stock coolers only have 1 application of thermal paste, so that means there's only 1 install. Once you take the cooler off, you'll have to use thermal paste/compound again for the next install.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in the stock cooler install guide.

 

[amantes]

They mean the stock coolers only have 1 application of thermal paste, so that means there's only 1 install. Once you take the cooler off, you'll have to use thermal paste/compound again for the next install.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in the stock cooler install guide.

Thanks! I was confused because it sounded like the cooler can only work with one type of compound once it's been "set in motion" and I would mess something up if I buy the wrong one.

 

[Proximon]

Always check the date of the articles That one is 6 years old.

Gabriel Torres writes great articles, but some of the older ones miss the mark with the English. If you look at the pictures in the article, you will get a clue. He's referring to the pre-applied thermal "wax" that you can see there. They are "inconvenient" because they are very thick and harder to remove than thermal paste.

So, the factory paste (waxy) is hard to clean and cannot be replaced. You can buy thermal "pads" that are often used for cooling mosfets and memory and such, and this is similar to the "wax"... but it is not appropriate for CPU cooling.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9420/thr-64/Thermal_Pads_-_30mm_x_30mm_-_5_Pack_HSFPHASECM.html

 

[amantes]

Ah, thanks Proximon I have an old Pentium 4 that's never had its cooler removed. The fan runs at about 1400 rpm (according to HWMonitor) so I was wondering if I should just change the paste or the whole cooler. I'll also be adding 4 case fans.

 

[Proximon]

Ooops I forgot what thread I was in. Let's just take that to PMs

 

[mazasrb]

Why heatsink doesn't cover the whole CPU, but only about the 85%? It would be better if it does though.

 

[Proximon]

The CPU is a smaller part UNDER what you are thinking is the CPU. Most of the heat is in the center of the CPU case.

 

[amuffin]

It's the thing under the metal cap (IHS).

 

[TamLin]

Hello,

Recently I had a problem with my Phenom II X4 965 BE as it was going to 65 C under full load and Arctic Cooler Freezer 7. Today I removed paste ( just using tissues no liquids ) and re-applied new paste. At the moment after 2hrs stress test temp was peaking to 47 C ( 18 C difference ! ).

What i did was as it was mentioned placed green pea size of paste in the middle and used weight of the sink to distribute it.
I think that is the best option, thanks.

 

[boyang02]

what If i dont have isopropyl alcohol, are there any other alternatives?

 

[amuffin]

what If i dont have isopropyl alcohol, are there any other alternatives?

It should be like $1-2 at any local pharmacy/grocery store.

 

[socialfox]

what If i dont have isopropyl alcohol, are there any other alternatives?

Nice sticky you got amuffin 😀
Anyways I used hand sanitizer and Q-tips once when I didn't have any isopropyl around...make sure its alcohol based hand sanitizer. I also hear people used acetone and umm mineral spirits. Though I haven't tried any of those except hand sanitizer and isopropyl alcohol. You could also use coffee filters rather than Q-tips.

 

[Proximon]

You want to use stuff that doesn't leave anything behind. Mineral spirits and hand sanitizer might, as might vodka. That's just theory of course. No one has tested it.

The thing about the isopropyl alcohol is that it evaporates fast and leaves almost nothing behind. Nothing to interfere with the viscosity of the TIM or react with it in unknown ways.

Petroleum based products will usually not evaporate as fully or as fast, although acetone does evaporate fast (as does other such things, all of which are not normally found in homes). You also should worry about how such products might interact with your motherboard, and the FLAMMABILITY of the residue.

I think I have seen small packs of alcohol wipes in convenience stores, next to the pain relievers.

 

[xtremK]

Hey guys, is it necessary to remove and replace thermal paste 6-12 months from the heatsink and the processor like you said even if I'm using Antec 25 Kulher 620 H2O liquid cooling system?
Because my case is messy and it is really annoying to do that 😀



PC specs:
http://valid.canardpc.com/2629249
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/configuration.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&pseudo=xtremK

 

[amuffin]

No need to.

 

[jakewat97]

I will soon need to do this because i think the thermal paste is like 2 years old now and im sure my cooler master v8 should be preforming a little better than what it is at the moment. thanks for some great advice and pics

 

[-Fran-]

I will soon need to do this because i think the thermal paste is like 2 years old now and im sure my cooler master v8 should be preforming a little better than what it is at the moment. thanks for some great advice and pics

I wouldn't say it's the paste. I'd blame on first instance dust bunnies trapped in between the vents/fins of you V8.

They stop airflow, hence, less cooling efficiency. Don't forget to do a clean up very 3 or 6 months. If you live country side, with a lof of dust around, make it 3. Cities should be good with 6 months or even 1 year.

Cheers!

 

[BathroomSecurity]

I like to use alcohol swabs that you can get from the pharmacy. They're usually lint free and contain isopropyl alcohol. A lot more convenient than buying a whole bottle of that stuff

 

[arcticle]

How should I apply the thermal paste that comes with my Cooler Master 212 EVO? Should I use the dot method?

 

[amuffin]

Yes.

 

[-Fran-]

Getting rid of the blue flag.

Tee hee~

...

Yeah, I think its kinda creepy too.

Cheers! 😛

 

[I]

You want to use stuff that doesn't leave anything behind. Mineral spirits and hand sanitizer might, as might vodka. That's just theory of course. No one has tested it.

The thing about the isopropyl alcohol is that it evaporates fast and leaves almost nothing behind. Nothing to interfere with the viscosity of the TIM or react with it in unknown ways.

Petroleum based products will usually not evaporate as fully or as fast, although acetone does evaporate fast (as does other such things, all of which are not normally found in homes). You also should worry about how such products might interact with your motherboard, and the FLAMMABILITY of the residue.

I think I have seen small packs of alcohol wipes in convenience stores, next to the pain relievers.

Isopropyl alcohol may or may not leave water behind. The type bought at a drugstore in a bottle is usually between 70% to 99% alcohol and the rest water. I might use 99% but never use 70%, because most modern computing equipment PCBs have water soluble flux residue on them that can cause damage if water comes in contact with it. It does not necessarily matter if the water dries completely, as the water droplets dry they become smaller and more concentrated pools of flux.

Flux residue is mildly active and leeches metal from component leads, then as this dries it potentially creates a conductive electrical path. This is especially problematic under tight pitch ICs that can trap liquid like CPU, northbridge, GPU, etc... ironically the most common places where heatsink grease would be. You can be rid of this residue with a thorough rinse cycle, but not with only waiting for a small application of water to dry such that the flux wasn't rinsed away.

Silicone oil based greases may need replaced every year or two on very high heat density interfaces, but seldom are these present today as more chips now have heat spreaders on them. These greases are the generic and dirt cheap types, while modern high end synthetic greases should be good for the life of the system.

 

[mjshinde]

Q) What will happen if the heatsink is applied without applying the thermal paste??

 

[Proximon]

The CPU will overheat. If the two parts mate fairly well, it may not overheat at idle temps, but it will sooner or later.

 

[hitme987]

I prefer the tiny layer Spreading Method by a plastic spoon (can be bought on ebay). It gave me the best temps. Dot Method/Line method sometimes doesnt cover the entire pipes of my Hyper 212 EVO..