How often do you replace the thermal paste on your cpu?

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leh18621

[H]ard|Gawd
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I built my computer a year ago and my cpu temps are still the same today as when I built it. I just wondering how often you all replace your thermal paste. Is there a general rule for how often?
 
Good paste stays stable and lasts a very long time. It's the cheap crap you have to keep an eye on.

If your temps are good then why mess with it?
 
If your temps haven't changed in a year, I'd say leave it alone. I've got one that's 5 years old and the temps are still the same as the day I built it, and I don't plan on touching the paste. Why would I? ;)
 
baleedit said:
If your temps haven't changed in a year, I'd say leave it alone. I've got one that's 5 years old and the temps are still the same as the day I built it, and I don't plan on touching the paste. Why would I? ;)
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Same. I don't touch the heatsink or replace the paste if the temps are still stable and in the range that they were when I first built the system. Besides, most of the pastes take time to set, and perform better once they are. Best bet... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
I usually do it once every 2 years when I blow my pc's out with my air compressor.
 
Only if I have to pull the HSF for some reason. I don't use crap thermal compound and I've never seen a rise in temps. Then again, I also replace my CPU every two years, max.
 
The stuff I use supposedly has an active life of what, 7 years according to the maunufacturer. When I ran AS5 I would swap new paste about once a year. With the Arctic Cooling MX-2 I now use I only redo it when I swap CPU or Motherboard.
 
Only when I remove the CPU for replacement/new HSF/whatever, which is not to often.

I blow out the dust every 2-3 months.
 
Just for upgrades/replacements as required.

Once you build it, there's realistically no reason to touch it unless you did it wrong the first time and the temps are abnormally high because of it. I get a kick out of people that still build machines and just cake that shit on too thick, or put some on then actually spread it out with a) a razor blade b) a credit card c) their finger inside a Ziploc or some kind of plastic bag d) some oddball combination of these methods and more...

An amount equal to half a piece of rice dabbed on the center of the heatspreader and then mate the surfaces is all that's required. They'll settle and cause the compound to fill in where it's actually needed infinitely better than any of us can 'spread it around' but, so many people get it so wrong so often, I swear.

The layer should be opaque in many respects - you should actually be able to see some of the etched/laser cut lettering on the heat spreader if it exists. If there's text there on that surface and you can't see any portion of it, the layer's too thick... only problem is you'd have to take the surfaces apart to see if it's the right thickness and, well, that defeats the whole purpose of mating 'em now doesn't it. :D
 
Its great not having to constantly re-apply thermal paste. That would get pretty damn annoying.

On that note, have there been any that would actually have to be replaced at some point in time other than the user switching out components?
 
To my knowledge none of the high performace ones suggest it. Unless you get into the exotic "liquid metal" stuff all of these compounds are a thermally conductive material (finely ground solid) suspended in an ester based oil. The oil is there for inital "flow" spreadability to allow the particles to migrate to the voids/gaps whatever you want to call them. Once that happens the oil is of no thermal use as it is the thermally conductive particles that do the work. So a dryed out appearance is not a problem if the stuff has migrated to where it needs to be. On the other hand once it does cure/dry out and you take it apart, you do need to reapply.

This is a generalization.
 
BillParrish said:
To my knowledge none of the high performace ones suggest it. Unless you get into the exotic "liquid metal" stuff all of these compounds are a thermally conductive material (finely ground solid) suspended in an ester based oil. The oil is there for inital "flow" spreadability to allow the particles to migrate to the voids/gaps whatever you want to call them. Once that happens the oil is of no thermal use as it is the thermally conductive particles that do the work. So a dryed out appearance is not a problem if the stuff has migrated to where it needs to be. On the other hand once it does cure/dry out and you take it apart, you do need to reapply.

This is a generalization.
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That's my understanding. Never needs to be done at all unless you disturb it.
 
This is good to know. I was curious so I figured I would ask. Thanks for the responses.
 
Doesn't it take a few weeks to cure...at least with WCing and no fan. So changing it too often wouldn't make the best tempretures anyway. Or I might be doing something stupid.
 
DeathPrincess said:
Doesn't it take a few weeks to cure...at least with WCing and no fan. So changing it too often wouldn't make the best tempretures anyway. Or I might be doing something stupid.
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The newer TIMs do not need to cure like the old TIMs. I've never seen a difference over time with MX-2, or Noctua's. (Came with the cooler.)
 
Usually until the cpu or heatsink is changed.
too lazy to do it any other time
 
i am coming up on 3 years for my q6600 with AC5. pretty sure temps are same as they always been.
 
You guys replacing your paste every few months are just looking for something to do! There is absolutely no reason to do that unless you have to disassemble the computer for some reason. The paste should be fine for years.
 
Every 2-3 months usually when I clean out the PC. I leave my side panel open because my case has poor cooling, and I also have 2 cats so... lots of dust/hair.
 
I dont know about you guys, I dont mind changing thermal paste, but its the push pin that get my balls hot. After about 2 changes, my plastic pin is broke. How do you deal with it?
 
chong67 said:
I dont know about you guys, I dont mind changing thermal paste, but its the push pin that get my balls hot. After about 2 changes, my plastic pin is broke. How do you deal with it?
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Use a bolt through kit/CPU cooler. I bought a second Noctua bolt through kit when I got the Noctua NH-U12P SE2 as a spare for my H50, but have yet to put it in. (I don't like the plastic Corsair uses. Hell, plastic period!)

No sense now seeing I'll be moving to a real water cooling set up in a couple weeks.
 
so funny story, i replaced my shit recently, and had an intel e4400 or 4600 or something.. the 2.4ghz one, and when i took the stock heatsink off, there was NO thermal paste on the chip, and it was still perfectly intact on the heatsink. :eek:
So suprised that my system ran so smooth with no glitching or heat problems. Baffling.
 
Is that true if you get those Corsair radiator cooler, you dont need to use those push pin?
 
chong67 said:
Is that true if you get those Corsair radiator cooler, you dont need to use those push pin?
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Correct, it has a bolt through kit. Though a cheaper looking/feeling one compared to the Noctua one I got. (Metal back plate not plastic.) The Noctua one is solid! Though the linked one does not do S775 were the one I got does. (Also missing the inner rubber pad for the S775 model.)
 
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