How to Properly apply GPU paste

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[H]ard|Gawd
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you might enjoy watching the following video about how too much paste on GPU/heatsink causes no damage

 
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Only 2 posts in and this thread is already full of fail.

OP editorializes the link to the video, doesn't embed it. Video only shows what happens when you use "too much" paste, not how to properly apply it. As a bonus, JayZTwoCents bends the fucking PCB like a madman to prove some point I didn't listen to.

Second post is a LTT video and it's talking about CPU application with IHS installed. Doesn't really apply to bare dies like a GPU.
 
Over time I learned it didn't really matter, the paste mattered more than anything. I generally do the star method on GPU and a line across the die on CPU. Doesn't really matter much though. You just want to make sure you don't put too little.

I use liquid metal on my GPU now though so I do an even coat.
 
Armenius said:
Only 2 posts in and this thread is already full of fail.
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I know right? And the third post mentioned nothing about the topic of the OP's thread. The fail train keeps chugging along.



On topic. When applying to a GPU die. Use common sense. Visually inspect the size of the die and apply the Thermal paste accordingly. I find the best method is to spread it with a credit card or even your finger, to make a thin layer over the entire die, you don't need much for a GPU die, depending on the viscosity of the TIM.

You can always do a test, Get a clear piece of plastic, put it over your GPU die, trace the GPU on the other side. Then take the amount of Thermal paste you want to use and apply it to the middle of the traced die on the plastic. Once you've done that, get a piece of clear plexiglass and press down on the traced die. This is a good way to measure how your heat sink will spread the TIM once you tighten it back down.
 
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Krenum said:
I know right? And the third post mentioned nothing about the topic of the OP's thread. The fail train keeps chugging along.



On topic. When applying to a GPU die. Use common sense. Visually inspect the size of the die and apply the Thermal paste accordingly. I find the best method is to spread it with a credit card or even your finger, to make a thin layer over the entire die, you don't need much for a GPU die, depending on the viscosity of the TIM.

You can always do a test, Get a clear piece of plastic, put it over your GPU die, trace the GPU on the other side. Then take the amount of Thermal paste you want to use and apply it to the middle of the traced die on the plastic. Once you've done that, get a piece of clear plexiglass and press down on the traced die. This is a good way to measure how your heat sink will spread the TIM once you tighten it back down.
Click to expand...

Well if you think of it the video actually has nothing to do with the thread title. I put the video at 2x speed because the guy was obnoxious and wanted to get it over with. But he never showed how to properly apply it, he pretty much said more is better, which is already widely known.
 
Lmah2x said:
Well if you think of it the video actually has nothing to do with the thread title. I put the video at 2x speed because the guy was obnoxious and wanted to get it over with. But he never showed how to properly apply it, he pretty much said more is better, which is already widely known.
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I may have misread the thread title. See my other post for details then.
 
All of my repastes in recent years have done nothing for temperatures, so I've just stopped. This is on ASUS 280X, Sapphire 280X, EVGA 960 and 980 Ti.
And I did notice the stock paste jobs have much better uniformity and die coverage than I could ever do myself, although the paste is probably slightly worse.

Heatsinks and LED/Fan cables are getting more complex which makes it even more of a hassle. It used to be you could remove 4 screws around the GPU on the back and you were done.
 
I don't want to burn the Chip so I add enough on the heatsink and the Nvidia Chip.
 
veedubfreak said:
I use the Goldilocks method. Not too much, not too little. I use just the right amount, because I dont have parkinsons and can see what i'm doing.
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I use the "Do an image search for the phrase 'GPU paste' on my phone and hold it next to the GPU while I do it" method.
 
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Does changing out the paste really help that much? The last time I replaced TIM on a video card was an 8800GT, and only did that because it was common to replace the heatsink back then.
 
Dermen said:
Does changing out the paste really help that much? The last time I replaced TIM on a video card was an 8800GT, and only did that because it was common to replace the heatsink back then.
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Some times. It really just depends on what TIM the manufacturer uses.
 
eVGA must have been using decent TIM for the GTX970. I went ahead and replaced it with Chill Factor III and got about 1 degree drop in temp.
 
Dermen said:
eVGA must have been using decent TIM for the GTX970. I went ahead and replaced it with Chill Factor III and got about 1 degree drop in temp.
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Aftermarket cards are a competitive market. Using better paste than your competitor can make a difference, even if it's 1 or 2C.
 
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