How do you apply thermal paste?

arachn1d

Gawd
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Messages
836
One blob and spread or line and spread? Do you use a credit card or business card?

Do you spread it as evenly as possible just barley to the edge?

What type of temperatures do you look for? What's scary, what's good, what's "Damn this is a great heatsink!"

Let's assume latest gens of Intel CPU's? Sandy Bridge and last gen.
 
One small blob right in the middle without spreading. You want metal to touch metal--the only point of TIM is to fill in the microscopic cracks.
 
One small blob right in the middle without spreading. You want metal to touch metal--the only point of TIM is to fill in the microscopic cracks.
What's TIM?

So you just place a small blob in the middle and put the heatsink on? No spreading? Let it spread itself?
 
I spread it out in a very thin layer with a razor.

you will hear different ways, its like masturbating, Different strokes for different folks. All in all I have applied it several ways and they all seem to work equally well.

problem with the blob in the center is you never know if you have too little or too much.
 
That's even if you OC?

How come some people suggest spreading it out? Doesn't spreading it out mean more cooling?
Yes, i always overclock.
And i shouldn't of said "slap it on" as such because i do take care to make sure it goes on straight lol.
 
That's even if you OC?

How come some people suggest spreading it out? Doesn't spreading it out mean more cooling?

Thermal paste is only there to fill in the gaps, like microscopic cracks and unevenness or such. Two perfectly flat halves (Which is impossible mind you) would work better with no thermal paste at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4

You'll also see why pre-spreading is not recommended.

Also, the guy isn't pressing down hard or long enough. It takes a while of constant pressure (days) before the paste spreads fully.
 
To spread or not to spread.

Spreading isn't uniform, and the mating of the two surfaces could possibly leave air bubbles reducing the effectiveness of the heatsink. Not spreading results in no air bubbles, but the only way to be certain that you have coverage is either to pull it off or overpaste, neither of which you want to do.

I like spreading, tiny air bubbles are a risk I take, but I am guaranteed good coverage. I also monitor my temps closely for several days after assembly. My spreading tool of choice... my finger. I also am in the practice of leaving it slightly heavy in the center to allow for additional spread during mating.

Just like Tokey said, different strokes for different folks. You will find lots of people who use different techniques. The nice thing is, if you try one method and it doesn't work out, you have -plenty- of TIM (thermal insulation material) left in your tube to try again.
 
Thermal paste is only there to fill in the gaps, like microscopic cracks and unevenness or such. Two perfectly flat halves (Which is impossible mind you) would work better with no thermal paste at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4

You'll also see why pre-spreading is not recommended.

Also, the guy isn't pressing down hard or long enough. It takes a while of constant pressure (days) before the paste spreads fully.
Wow this convinced me that not spreading is just as good if not better. Thank you!
 
The nice thing is, if you try one method and it doesn't work out, you have -plenty- of TIM (thermal insulation material) left in your tube to try again.

True that, experimentation is the best when you're wondering how to apply paste.

also, TIM = thermal interface material :p
 
I like to put a pea size drop on my nuts and either use the sit and spin method or the squat, dangle and sway method. Depends on if it is an intel chip or amd
 
On direct contact heat pipes I fill the cracks between the base and the pipes so it's all even. Regardless of type I then spread a very thin layer across the entire heat sink. Can see the heatsink through the TIM. Put it on.
 
That video was very convincing to not use the spread method. I did this when I installed my H70 so I took it off, cleaned, put the pea-dot on the CPU, mashed and rotated and I think I dropped that 1-2C I gained when I last bumped my CPU voltage.
 
Easy as 1..2..3

1) pea size drop.

2) spread it out with a credit card covering the entire top face of the cpu. If there is excess feel free to mop it up.

3) slap on the hsf and away you go.

The entire debacle about "this manufacture of paste has this method, while this other manufacture has this method", "This cpu requires this type of application, the other requires a degree in physics" argument is ridiculous.
 
Holly S*(& i was freaking putting lot of thermal paste. i mean i've start squezing go in circle leaving about half inch between each circle and do about 3-4 circle, this weekend i'll clean it up and redo it.

the video is awasom and but the advices are most important and i've learned my mistake. (been using above method for about 6 years now)

Thanks guys.
 
I think a generational gap so to speak might account for some of the differing opinions.

CPUs from both sides now use an integrated heat spreader (IHS) that is much larger then the actual die of the chip, this means the TIM does not actually have to physically spread over the entire surface and I believe modern heatsinks have much higher mounting pressure (which helps spread the TIM). However in the past not all CPUs had an IHS.

Also modern pastes seem to be much more advanced, especially in terms of the usability factor. Compared to the earlier days for instance (Arctic Silver 1), I believe most modern pastes now are much easier to apply (spread easier) and are much safer (electrical conductivity from excess).
 
When the base of a stock Intel heatsink doesn't even cover the entire IHS, its a pretty reasonable assumption that spreading paste over the entire area is pointless and not necessary.

I personally use a short line, depending on the orientation of the CPU die. Basically, the method described by Arctic Silver. I use MX-2 though :p.
 
Depends on CPU and TIM. AS5 on an i7 says thin line down the middle (just as an example). SIIG has a brush-on TIM that looks pretty promising... I know one of the Asus tech support guys use it.
 
the SIIG brush on is crap. we sold it in our store for awhile. stay away.
 
Back
Top