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How often should you replace thermal paste?

V

V4oLDbOY

Gawd
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
739
I built my pc about 6 months ago, but just ordered a new case. So I decided to take my stuff out of my old case, but left the mobo as I cant find my antistatic bag that came with it.

I sm curious if I should just start over and install the cpu/HSF again. I have an aftermarket HSF and used arctic silver 5. Is thermal paste meant to be permanent or should it be replaced if you get the chance like I have now?
 
AS5 will pretty much last forever. I've not changed mine since 2007, and my optie rig hasn't been changed since i built it in 2005. Unless your cores start getting wildly uneven temps, there would be no reason to bother changing it. You'd just have to go through the curing process all over again.
 
ok. I forgot about the curing thing. First time I built a pc. I'll just keep the mobo and hsf intact together then and transfer it when the case comes.
 
V4oLDbOY said:
ok. I forgot about the curing thing. First time I built a pc. I'll just keep the mobo and hsf intact together then and transfer it when the case comes.
Click to expand...

That is your best bet. You don't need to change t-paste after 6 months. I left mine alone for 5 years until I changed HSF.
 
I only change it when I change heatsinks. I've never seen it make a difference, but I change hardware quite a bit too.
 
The oil in any normal (not talking about the liquid metal or other "strange" stuff) is only a carrier for the ground up particles that do the work of transferring heat. The oil does not help thermal conductivity but allows application and the particles to flow into the voids etc. Once the paste is applied and the clamping pressure and oil allow the particles to go/flow where they are needed, the oil is useless. It is the particles that do the work. 90% of all pastes will dry out and should.

If applied properly, for normal pastes, there is no reason to ever touch them again. If the heatsink/device is "wiggled" or disassembled or that layer of thermal compound is disturbed, then reapplicaion is needed if its has dried out.
 
BillParrish said:
90% of all pastes will dry out and should.
Click to expand...

Except that I've seen plenty of machines start overheating when this happens, and applying a new coat of paste was all that was necessary. This was using some cheap, garbage paste back in the Athlon Thunderbird days.
 
Probably leave it. If you're having high temps, it's more likely to be attributed to dust buildup on the fins of your heatsink.
 
I'll do a temp test when I get my stuff setup and see if I should replace it.

My HSF can wiggle a tiny bit, maybe fraction of a mm.
 
change it when i take off my heatsink. longest ive had tim is about 9 months. i always tend to change coolers or upgrade water blocks
 
The life of the thermal paste will likely outlast the CPU for most of the guys here (before upgrading). I change it every time I have the heatsink off, probably a couple times a year.
 
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