How to use thermal paste?

StorkNest

Stop that, its just silly
Can this be applied by any of these methods?
Grain of Rice (I)
+
X
Never dealt with this stuff before, bought some for changing my processor but there's no specific instructions with this brand, none on the manufacturer's website and their Contact form doesn't work. I read the three methods listed are all useable but no mention of specific preference. So if anyone has used this stuff before, thanks for any info.
 
spread a thin layer across the entire CPU (the metal section that is, which is yet another heatsink)
http://www.geardiary.com/wp-content/photos/CIMG8428.jpg
A decent photo, I'll see if I can dig a better one up.

Generally though, thick enough to cover the CPU in thermal paste but thin enough that it doesn't ooze out when you apply the heatsink/fan.

I guess in comparison I'd say no thicker than about 3 pieces of paper. Though it's a bit hard to judge.
 
The method I have used before and what I have seen on all the heatsinks/fans that have come with new processors, is to place a square of thermal paste that is about 2MM thick on the side of the heatsink that will be in contact with the processor. This square should be about 2CM by 2CM, or half the size of the processor (whichever is smaller).

It will then be compressed over the entire area of the processor as heatsinks sit very close to the processor (about 1/2MM away), so covering the entire processor in thermal paste will squish some out of the edges, which will have to be cleaned up, as it may interfere with the motherboard around the processor.

Make sure you clean off any and all old thermal paste from the processor and heatsink before you apply the fresh stuff, as the old paste may interfere with the cooling.
 
Thanks, I put a line on the processor and spread it in a layer over the square surface. Kinda hard to see what squeezes out, in addition to putting it in that "mousetrap" holder as I call it, the heat sink+fan assembly is large enough that I can't see if any did.
Anyway, I now have replaced my old Pentium D 925 with a E2200. Windows score in Vista moved up from 4.8 to 5.1 but it does run cooler. Previously I could only see the Pentium D's temp in the BIOS (and when I ran that the comp seemed to speed up the fans), now I can check in CPUID's Hardware Monitor, the E2200 is fluctuating between 10-20 degrees C cooler. And the doubling of RAM from 1GB to 2 moved the Windows score there from 4.5 to 5.4.
Yet I still show RAM used for video, now 765MB plus the video card's 512MB for 1277MB total. Seen someone else's Vista screen showing a similar thing, nothing appears to change this.:eek:
 
Thanks, I put a line on the processor and spread it in a layer over the square surface. Kinda hard to see what squeezes out, in addition to putting it in that "mousetrap" holder as I call it, the heat sink+fan assembly is large enough that I can't see if any did.
Anyway, I now have replaced my old Pentium D 925 with a E2200. Windows score in Vista moved up from 4.8 to 5.1 but it does run cooler. Previously I could only see the Pentium D's temp in the BIOS (and when I ran that the comp seemed to speed up the fans), now I can check in CPUID's Hardware Monitor, the E2200 is fluctuating between 10-20 degrees C cooler. And the doubling of RAM from 1GB to 2 moved the Windows score there from 4.5 to 5.4.
Yet I still show RAM used for video, now 765MB plus the video card's 512MB for 1277MB total. Seen someone else's Vista screen showing a similar thing, nothing appears to change this.:eek:

If you have a video card that steals your RAM to use for video, then it is programmed into the graphics card and cannot be changed.
 
That sounds crazy, why wouldn't there be a way to change it? I know one guy who has 3GB memory and his 8800GT takes 1279MB for video.
 
That sounds crazy, why wouldn't there be a way to change it? I know one guy who has 3GB memory and his 8800GT takes 1279MB for video.

Hello,
Sorry for the late reply. Memory "stealing" by graphics cards (not all graphics cards, I might add) is run at the hardware and BIOS level. Most graphics cards do not allow you to update their BIOS, so there is no way to change the memory sharing.

However, If you increase the amount of RAM in your computer, then the graphics card will "steal" the amount it wants before windows looks to see how much memory is there. Thus, you can go above the 3.5GB limit in 32-bit software.
 
The thread is dead but I was in the same boat few days ago and I recently joined this forum so here goes my suggestions: There are 2,3 significant ways to apply thermal paste the one is X method and the other is spread method and the most trust worthy method is a drop in the center of the processor, nearly equal to a grain of rice, Also check if your thermal compound is of top-notch quality sometimes in Overclocked environments you need to have the perfect thermal paste to match everything properly. Also what are your room temps? :)
 
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Various methods, by many people ... the best way to experiment is by using a test of a very very small pea size non-gritty toothpaste, on a glass microscope slide, or a piece of glass, applying it on a perfectly flat kitchen countertop, and watch how it spreads, when you press it down with moderate firmness ... testing if it would ooze out beyond the chip, and be too much thermal paste

I prefer a very very small square shape, very very small pea size

Too much is too much ... and too little is too little ... But it really does not require much thermal paste

The best thermal paste is Radio Shack, or equivalent Arctic Silver, over that of low end cost thermal paste

New thermal paste should be re-applied every year or so
 
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I use the bird poop blob method, which someone showed me years ago. This works quite well as it spreads out quite evenly, like bird poop, all over the surface.
 
The best thermal paste is Radio Shack, or equivalent Arctic Silver, over that of low end cost thermal paste

Radio Shack declared chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. I checked the Radio Shack website, and they are currently out (sold out) of all thermal paste. I have some in my garage if anyone is interested.
 
I haven't heard of the bird "poop" method but have sparingly spread the paste over the various coolers I have used. I tend to spread it so there is a paste gap at the edges that should accommodate any extra paste. It's a bit like spreading glue.

I've had to do this a couple of times recently when my water based cooler failed and I replaced it with the stock Intel cooler, and then replaced that with a CoolerMaster 212 cooler. I think the kit for that came with some thermal paste.
 
Many enthusiasts prefer to drop a pea-sized dollop of TIM right in the middle of the CPU and let the CPU cooler do the spreading. But you need to lower the cooler very carefully and evenly to achieve an even spread.
I've always used an old credit card or spatula to smooth (a pea-sized dollop) into a thin film of paste evenly over the entire interface area leaving a margin of about 1-2mm on the outsides to avoid too much spill-over.
As Cascade says, it's probably a good idea to reapply the thermal interface material after about a year or so of use, but I tend to replace it only when my thermal monitors start telling me that the CPU cooler isn't working as well as it did before.
 
You do realise that the recent reply was to a 10 year old thread, the post had a link, probably spam, that was removed by a moderator.

I use no-nails to fix my processor to the MB, stops any movement.
Thermal paste is to use inside long johns to stop them chafing, isn't it? :hehe:
 
You do realise that the recent reply was to a 10 year old thread, the post had a link, probably spam, that was removed by a moderator.

I use no-nails to fix my processor to the MB, stops any movement.
Thermal paste is to use inside long johns to stop them chafing, isn't it? :hehe:

I think that's why we're having a bit of fun with the thread. :)

Yeah I think you're right. The difference though is the stuff used in longjohns has codliver oil in it too.

Speaking of the real thermal paste, many years ago, 39 years ago last month to be exact, my first job was stuffing circuit boards. Being the guy in the department, I was tasked with installing the power supply transistors and mounting them on the heat sinks on to the boards. My hands would be covered with the white goop that we cleaned up with something called De-Sol. The cleaner smelled something like a combination of naptha and Freon. Besides cleaning it up with this stuff it makes me wonder now how much I also absorbed into my system, and it's no wonder I ended up with a Parkinson-like disease so many years later!
 
...we cleaned up with something called De-Sol. The cleaner smelled something like a combination of naptha and Freon. Besides cleaning it up with this stuff it makes me wonder now how much I also absorbed into my system...!

And how much of the ozone layer you personally destroyed!
 
And how much of the ozone layer you personally destroyed!

Good question. That was back in 1980 when we didn't think about that stuff and I was all of 19 too! When I moved up the corporate ladder and became a hardware technician, we used cans of "freeze spray" to check for thermal issues with components. Gallons upon gallons of Freon were released into the atmosphere then. This is no longer done, as far as I know, and canned CO[SUB]2[/SUB] is used instead.
 
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