- Messages
- 187
I had to replace the thermal paste on my CPU recently and I did it myself to save cash.
I would like to share a tip no one is talking about. It's something I discovered by trial and error.
The Big Debate as some of you will know is - How much paste should you use and what is the best method for applying the paste?
People might say the dot method is best or the spread method. Most folks say use just a tiny thin amount - even so thin you can read the CPU's serial numbers through it.
Both are WRONG because you will Never Know until you examine your CPU die and Heat Sink as I discovered.
What you are looking for is the dispersal pattern of the precious thermal paste job. This combined with applying the paste not once but Twice the first time you replace it, will tell you the facts you need to know.
Examine this picture of the first thermal paste job I did a week ago.
This is the dispersal pattern of the paste from both the CPU and the heat sink that was on top of the CPU. As you can see, my very thin first time job did not cover the entire CPU die or heat sink. People may assume that when they tighten the heat sink, this will further flatten the paste causing it to cover all areas of the die - this is not always true as i found out.
Looking at the heat sink I can tell the copper of the heat sink is bent / bowed in the middle and therefore that middle needs more paste than the ends do. I applied the paste again much thicker and thicker in the middle - this caused my temps to shoot down because I know I'm covering the whole die and heat sink now.
How I do it:
I suggest looking at the pattern of the factory job when you first take off the heat sink. Take pictures if you need to. Remember to compare both heat sink and CPU die for the pattern. Clean it off, and try your first paste job and tighten the screws. Use the PC for a few hours while watching the temps. Next, remove the heat sink again and look at the dispersal pattern for the paste job you just did. Did it cover all the die and heat sink? Does it cover better than the factory job did? You may have to reapply a few times to get it right but using the dispersal pattern will give you the best clues on how you should proceed.
I hope you find this tip helpful. Best Wishes!
I would like to share a tip no one is talking about. It's something I discovered by trial and error.
The Big Debate as some of you will know is - How much paste should you use and what is the best method for applying the paste?
People might say the dot method is best or the spread method. Most folks say use just a tiny thin amount - even so thin you can read the CPU's serial numbers through it.
Both are WRONG because you will Never Know until you examine your CPU die and Heat Sink as I discovered.
What you are looking for is the dispersal pattern of the precious thermal paste job. This combined with applying the paste not once but Twice the first time you replace it, will tell you the facts you need to know.
Examine this picture of the first thermal paste job I did a week ago.
This is the dispersal pattern of the paste from both the CPU and the heat sink that was on top of the CPU. As you can see, my very thin first time job did not cover the entire CPU die or heat sink. People may assume that when they tighten the heat sink, this will further flatten the paste causing it to cover all areas of the die - this is not always true as i found out.
Looking at the heat sink I can tell the copper of the heat sink is bent / bowed in the middle and therefore that middle needs more paste than the ends do. I applied the paste again much thicker and thicker in the middle - this caused my temps to shoot down because I know I'm covering the whole die and heat sink now.
How I do it:
I suggest looking at the pattern of the factory job when you first take off the heat sink. Take pictures if you need to. Remember to compare both heat sink and CPU die for the pattern. Clean it off, and try your first paste job and tighten the screws. Use the PC for a few hours while watching the temps. Next, remove the heat sink again and look at the dispersal pattern for the paste job you just did. Did it cover all the die and heat sink? Does it cover better than the factory job did? You may have to reapply a few times to get it right but using the dispersal pattern will give you the best clues on how you should proceed.
I hope you find this tip helpful. Best Wishes!
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- Windows 8 64 bit
- System Manufacturer/Model
- HP Pavillion G7-2251dx
- CPU
- AMD A-8 4500M
- Memory
- 8 Gigabytes DDR3 sdram
- Graphics Card(s)
- Discrete ATI Radeon HD 7640G with 2 Gigs
- Sound Card
- IDT Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 17.3
- Screen Resolution
- 1600x900
- Hard Drives
- 500 gig
- Internet Speed
- 3.5 mb/sec