Thermal paste - spread or dot/pea

Adr1an7

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Oct 28, 2015
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I've read up on this and watched some videos and a lot of people have said to NOT use the spread method because the paste can spread off the cpu when pressed down by the heatsink.

I plan to use pea, but what if I am using an aftermarket heatsink that came with the paste already spread on the contact area when I bought it ?

should i try the pea method and just apply to the face of the cpu or should i try spreading the paste on the heatsink like how it came ? would either give me better results ?
 
Solution
If the heatsink comes with pre-applied thermal compound then it's ready to go. Don't add more thermal paste to it. Or if you don't want to use the included pre applied thermal paste, scrape it off and clean the base of the cooler with isopropyl rubbing alcohol using a lint free cloth. No need to rub, spread, massage or anything else when it comes to thermal paste application. If anything, applying to both the cpu AND heatsink base you're going to probably wind up with too much, excess paste squeezing out the sides and air bubbles.

The act of pressing the cooler to the cpu's ihs (metal cover) is all that's needed to spread the paste out. Once it's tight the paste should be spread evenly between them, if not there's a chance the cooler...
Hello... With Thermal paste less is better... you are just trying to remove/displace the microscopic pits in the metal surfaces of Air... as air does not conduct heat very well... metal to metal contact is best.

If the heat sink already has thermal paste then you don't need to add any more... if you want use a different type/brand then clean the heatsink off with some rubbing alcohol.

Since less is better... I use my Clean finger to apply/massage a thin even film too both the CPU and heatsink... you can clean up the excess with rubbing alcohol. B )

Align the heatsink to the CPU and tighten down between screws in a slow balanced rotation between screws... and Don't over tighten... boot to your BIO's to determine the running temps of your mounting... depending on your Cooler/fan and room temperature you be running around/under ~50C... If you start to reach higher temps and high speed fan operation, then shut down and re-examine your mounting and screw tightness.
 

Adr1an7

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well, i believe i need to re-apply paste. i don't mean add. i believe the paste has about dried up. i've had the cpu and block for about 5 or 6 years.

what i meant was that the block came with paste on it and spread. should i add the new paste to the cpu or try to spread it to the block as it was when i bought it ? will i get better temps if i add ro the block ?

i use a corsair H60. i tried to buy thermal compound i read was very similar to what it used by these heatsinks.
 
Hello... Yes... Thermal needs to be moist to work too... so replacing thermal paste after a few years is a very good idea... it does help in my opinion is to apply a thin film to the CPU too... in your situation... you need to remove/replace those microscopic AIR pockets first on the CPU before mating it with the H60 block. B /

Sometimes using two unknown materials/chemicals together is not a good practice. B / if you have enough 'new" then clean the pre-applied off too. Either way it won't take very long to do B )
 

Rexper

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The way you apply it doesn't really make a difference, just as long as it isn't too much or isn't not enough.

Clean the heatsinc and CPU with rubbing alcohol and a lint free cloth/tip/coffee filter.

I find the easiest way is to apply a pea sized amount of thermal compound to the Center of the CPU, and tighter heatsink evenly
 
If the heatsink comes with pre-applied thermal compound then it's ready to go. Don't add more thermal paste to it. Or if you don't want to use the included pre applied thermal paste, scrape it off and clean the base of the cooler with isopropyl rubbing alcohol using a lint free cloth. No need to rub, spread, massage or anything else when it comes to thermal paste application. If anything, applying to both the cpu AND heatsink base you're going to probably wind up with too much, excess paste squeezing out the sides and air bubbles.

The act of pressing the cooler to the cpu's ihs (metal cover) is all that's needed to spread the paste out. Once it's tight the paste should be spread evenly between them, if not there's a chance the cooler base or ihs aren't flat. If they aren't flat then a flat layer of thermal compound may not fully fill in any gaps and poor cooling performance will generally result from the poor contact of cpu and cooler rather than thermal paste. It's just there to fill in microscopic imperfections, not used as mortar to plug gaps in brickwork.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Thermal-Paste-Application-Techniques-170/
 
Solution