CPU - Thermal Paste - Re-apply?

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ruin97140

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 17, 2005
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Not sure if this is the right section to post this question- but I received a DOA mobo so I had to remove my hyper 212 plus from my new Haswell 4670k. I looked at the heatpipes and cpu and both have a pretty good spread on em. When my new motherboard arrives do I need to remove and re-apply the paste? Just asking because its a pain to clean it off the Hyper 212.
 
ruin97140 said:
Not sure if this is the right section to post this question- but I received a DOA mobo so I had to remove my hyper 212 plus from my new Haswell 4670k. I looked at the heatpipes and cpu and both have a pretty good spread on em. When my new motherboard arrives do I need to remove and re-apply the paste? Just asking because its a pain to clean it off the Hyper 212.
Click to expand...
I would...I wouldn't want to risk it.
 
I would never reuse any thermal paste. It is pretty cheap now and to do the job correctly, reapply it. I like 91% or better Isopropyl alcohol for removing all the thermal paste. Gives it that great clean it needs before apply thermal past.
 
q-tips and 91% IPA to clean. then a rice sized plop on the center of the cpu, put hsf on. At least thats how I do it. they used to say use a credit card to spread it, but pretty sure that got dismissed as no notable gain was able to be reported.
 
I always put a tiny drop and then smeared it with a stretched plastic bag and worked it over the entire spread and it's worked well.
Read this article not long ago showing the various methods and both BB and spread were basically the same.
I also have only used AS, seems to always be in the top 5.
[H] confirms this also.

k204gk.png
 
ep0x73 said:
I always put a tiny drop and then smeared it with a stretched plastic bag and worked it over the entire spread and it's worked well.
Click to expand...

The methods may perform similar, but that's only if the spread method is done properly. Smearing it was a plastic bag is definitely far from correct. The paste is not going to be evenly spread across the chip at all, and that can create air pockets just the same as re applying a heatsink with used paste on it.
 
I'll rephrase then, I take a clear sandwich bag and stretch it over my index finger then put a small drop and spread it.
I work it till it has an even coating ans is barely on the spreader.
Last build I used a mylar glove instead
Been doing that way for 15 years and never had high temps and every cpu is still working.

According to that method review I still can't find even if you did have a few tiny air pockets tests show it has a negative impact over the pea method, maybe .5C.

The BB method has to be just right or it will squeeze out and run down the size of the chip unless you practice or just nail it each time.
 
That's exactly what I thought you meant by using the plastic bag, and that is literally impossible to get flat with your finger. I 100% guarantee that is NOT how they spread the paste when that review showed the ''thin layer'' method.
 
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