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Thermalpaste applying angst

N

notsure

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
157
my first post here was bout a i72600 non OC build ..wich after some more reasearch made me think WTF a 200 $ to 300 $ more more and i could go Hulk with a 2600k.

all ok with me i can handle putting a PC together xept for 1 thing :
nonstock CPU coolers and the need of applying thermal paste, as the title says it scares
the shit outta me

researching the internet (as usuall ) confused me more than it helped me.

specialy how to install such monster
http://inventus.com.tr/mi_products/Product.aspx?PID=2595

or this (does it require Thermal paste??)
http://www.corsair.com/cooling/hydro-series/hydro-series-h50-61.html

so for a "noob" like me whats your best advise , are there some idiotproof rules or ways to di this ?

helpfull answers appreciated
 
notsure said:
my first post here was bout a i72600 non OC build ..wich after some more reasearch made me think WTF a 200 $ to 300 $ more more and i could go Hulk with a 2600k.

all ok with me i can handle putting a PC together xept for 1 thing :
nonstock CPU coolers and the need of applying thermal paste, as the title says it scares
the shit outta me

researching the internet (as usuall ) confused me more than it helped me.

specialy how to install such monster
http://inventus.com.tr/mi_products/Product.aspx?PID=2595

or this (does it require Thermal paste??)
http://www.corsair.com/cooling/hydro-series/hydro-series-h50-61.html

so for a "noob" like me whats your best advise , are there some idiotproof rules or ways to di this ?

helpfull answers appreciated
Click to expand...

Never tried water cooling but aftermarket air coolers are easy to put on, just follow the instructions. Get yourself some arctic silver thermal paste and just put a thin coating on with a credit card, less is more.


http://www.techpowerup.com/printarticle.php?id=134
 
matteos said:
Never tried water cooling but aftermarket air coolers are easy to put on, just follow the instructions. Get yourself some arctic silver thermal paste and just put a thin coating on with a credit card, less is more.


http://www.techpowerup.com/printarticle.php?id=134
Click to expand...

This is way old BTW. It's also considerably harder than the method most people use. Virtually everybody nowadays will tell you to simply apply a small dot (between the size of a BB and a pea) and just seat the cooler on top and let the pressure spread it out evenly.

What I will tell you is that unless you somehow totally botch something (like if your epileptic and fall asleep and accidentally squeeze out the whole tube onto your motherboard) it's difficult to mess it up. Variations in application method and thermal paste create difference of, at the VERY most, 5 degrees Celsius. Put a dot on there, set the cooler on top of it and mount it as per the instructions.
 
krameriffic said:
This is way old BTW. It's also considerably harder than the method most people use. Virtually everybody nowadays will tell you to simply apply a small dot (between the size of a BB and a pea) and just seat the cooler on top and let the pressure spread it out evenly.

What I will tell you is that unless you somehow totally botch something (like if your epileptic and fall asleep and accidentally squeeze out the whole tube onto your motherboard) it's difficult to mess it up. Variations in application method and thermal paste create difference of, at the VERY most, 5 degrees Celsius. Put a dot on there, set the cooler on top of it and mount it as per the instructions.
Click to expand...
nothing really changes with applying thermal paste... I think it is better to coat the whole base with a very thin layer rather than a dot in the middle, to make sure that the whole surface is evenly coated.
But yeah, its not hard
 
matteos said:
nothing really changes with applying thermal paste... I think it is better to coat the whole base with a very thin layer rather than a dot in the middle, to make sure that the whole surface is evenly coated.
But yeah, its not hard
Click to expand...

CPU, GPU, heatsink mounting, and paste desgins have changed over the years.

Modern CPU and GPU dies are typically under integrated heat spreaders and are much smaller then the actual IHS you see. So covering the entire IHS is not necessary. Likewise the IHS design can withstand much more pressure than before, combined with modern paste designs (which spread easier) heatsink mounting pressure is more likely to do a better job then manual hand spreading as it will provide a thinner layer with air pockets being less likely.

For bare die situations where you need to cover the entire die, and pressure cannot be applied, then the old manual spreading method is still necessary.

Granted without any empirical testing to verify the current hypothesis, it is still mainly that. But the thinking seems sounds.
 
With the "thin layer method" I feel alot of people, especially first time users, have different ideas of what "thin" should be. If they end up putting too much it will be worse than not having enough, and it'll just make a mess when you mount the cooler and TIM oozes out from the sides.

I've found that putting very small dots near the 4 corners of the CPU and 1 in the middle works good.
 
Last edited:
ok let me ask all of you this: how did you ppl do it with sandybridge?

how did you manage it the first time? were you as scared as me (not that i have any expirience)?

and why do manufactures do not pre apply that like they do on on stock fans ??

the corsair h50 watercooling thing doesnt even mention thermal paste ...do i still need to apply it?

many question and i hope i get nice answers
 
most thermal paste will not harm anything so it is safe to play with. if you are scared stay away from the silver based pastes.

sly here at [H] posted this in thread about application methods. it is worth watching. also should show you how simple it is. yes always use thermal paste. the worst possible thermal paste job should still be better then none.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4
 
limitedaccess said:
CPU, GPU, heatsink mounting, and paste desgins have changed over the years.

Modern CPU and GPU dies are typically under integrated heat spreaders and are much smaller then the actual IHS you see. So covering the entire IHS is not necessary. Likewise the IHS design can withstand much more pressure than before, combined with modern paste designs (which spread easier) heatsink mounting pressure is more likely to do a better job then manual hand spreading as it will provide a thinner layer with air pockets being less likely.

For bare die situations where you need to cover the entire die, and pressure cannot be applied, then the old manual spreading method is still necessary.

Granted without any empirical testing to verify the current hypothesis, it is still mainly that. But the thinking seems sounds.
Click to expand...

But when you attach the heatsink to the CPU the pressure is going to thin out the layer and remove air bubbles regardless of whether you thinly paste the coat over the cpu or blob it in the middle. IMHO you will get a thinner coat if you evenly spread it out because it is more obvious as to how much paste you are putting on, to me applying it in the middle seems like it is more of a guess as to the correct amount and the evenness of the distribution. I don't claim to be an expert but if you try and get a thin and even a layer as possible before you attach the heatsink then the pressure is only going to thin the layer out more whilst maintaining the evenness of the distribution.

I've now written more about thermal paste than I ever wanted too...
 
well thank you face (erm sry gesicht) but i saw all those vids on youtube and guess what ...none of them showing the actual thing ...i.e once the paste is applied how they mount the cooler .
or like bbs said ..what is thin? why is the pre applied shit on intel stock fans working so good ?

of course from your perspective its childsplay ...but for me its a nightmare. like in the opening post how would you do it with that noctua moster , i mean that thing is huuuuge,
Then all the talk bout airbubbles ect ect .
now i welcome you all to answer those questions i posted here (seems the whole thermalpaste thing is more tricky to describe than it actualy is ) and since many ppl here are pros with that shit , i realy hope you can help the simple man
 
As many of said, most pastes now are not electrically conductive or capacitive, so if you accidently get some on the board it's not going to hurt anything. Just put a thin line down the center of the CPU (about half the total length of the heat spreader, centered) and then put on the heatsink. The pressure of the heatsink will spread the paste. If you want, you can try it, then take the heatsink off to check the coverage, then wipe it off, re-apply, and go.
 
matteos said:
But when you attach the heatsink to the CPU the pressure is going to thin out the layer and remove air bubbles regardless of whether you thinly paste the coat over the cpu or blob it in the middle. IMHO you will get a thinner coat if you evenly spread it out because it is more obvious as to how much paste you are putting on, to me applying it in the middle seems like it is more of a guess as to the correct amount and the evenness of the distribution. I don't claim to be an expert but if you try and get a thin and even a layer as possible before you attach the heatsink then the pressure is only going to thin the layer out more whilst maintaining the evenness of the distribution.

I've now written more about thermal paste than I ever wanted too...
Click to expand...

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

According to this test it shows that air bubbles will form still. I think there is a fluid dynamics concept that outlines why this occurs, but my understanding of that field is not enough to go anymore specific.
 
The guy in that vid uses way too much paste. After the TIM spreads you should be able to kinda see the writing on the CPU through the layer.

But i agree though, it looks like the cross method is also good.
 
Sandy Bridge is almost twice as long as it is wide....I think the line method is this the best way to go.
 
New Sandy build here and used the BB to pea size dot in the center as I have done for many other builds. Great temps (18c lowest core idle - 60c full load) with small OC (4.2ghz). Never had any problems with the small dot. Also as stated above, if you feel so intimidated, try a "test" run where you place thermal paste, mount HS and remove. This will tell you how well you did and how it spread! Good luck and HAVE FUN! :-D
 
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