Thermal paste question

[Taz]

I need to attach a Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme to a Q6600 CPU. The thermal paste I have is Artic Silver 5. It's been a few years since i've assembled a system and the last time I did it I just put a blob of AS5 onto the CPU heatspreader and twisted the HSF around a little on the CPU to spread it.

What is the best way to apply thermal paste to the CPU/HSF to ensure the best heat transfer?

[merple]

Heres how artic silver recommend it:
Arctic Silver Incorporated - Arctic Silver 5 Instructions

[5aboy]

id follow what AS say - their guidance is exceptional!

oh, and dont forget to post before/after temps!

[Taz]

Now I have a dilemma. The HSF that I purchased comes with its own thermal paste. I have also purchased Arctic Silver.

Now, which one should I use? The one supplied with the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme or the Arctic Silver 5?

[aidanjt]

Thermal paste that comes with HSF's is usually cheap junk. Go with the AS5.

[Koolpc]

Yea, use the one you bought.

I usually put a small blob on the CPU and then spread it across the whole surface until it is all covered. Job done!

[LuckyNV]

in the grand scheme of things, it isn't too critical with the method of applying paste, as long as its not too little and not way too much.

I put a thin horizontal line of MX-2 for my quad, I used blob and spread before, no appreciable temp differences at all.

[Taz]

^ Arctic Silver recommend a horizontal line for quads. The link provided by merple above is actually quite useful in that it shows various CPUs without the heat-spreader so you can see where the cores are.

The reason I asked the question is that when I built my previous PC a few years ago there were discussions about spreading the thermal paste all over the heat-spreader using something like a credit card. Now it seems that just a blob or horizontal line is sufficient.

One other thing, I purchased Akasa TIM-cleaner which is a citrus-based thermal paste cleaner. Arctic Silver recommend that this should not be used! Take a look here:



Quote: "NEVER use any oil or petroleum based cleaners (WD-40, citrus oil based cleaners and many automotive degreasers) on the base of a heatsink. The oil, which is engineered to not evaporate, will fill in the microscopic valleys in the metal and significantly reduce the effectiveness of any subsequently applied thermal compound."

Ordinarily I would have cleaned the CPU heat-spreader and the HSF plate with the Akasa TIM-cleaner prior to applying the AS5. It appears that I shouldn't do this.

[Edit]: The URL doesn't show for some reason. If you look at merple's post above and go to that URL, then select the "Arctic Silver 5 Instructions for
Quad Core Intel CPU w/Heatspreader" link.

[peterb]

I have used akasa's TIM, but I gave the surfaces a good rinse with Isopropys alcohol afterwards. Short of getting a microscope out to look at the surfaces, I don't know how effective that is - but my CPU hasn't melted yet!

[freddie]

depends on what is provided with the heat sink. it's been a while since i looked at thermal compounds but a couple of years ago artic silver 5 was king. i dont know if there is anything better out now or comparable.

if your not sure about applying the compound just follow instructions! the website highlighted by merple is ideal as it shows the alighment of the cpus for reference.

since temperature is key for this and therfore performance, check out a few forum pages about lapping the heatsink and cpu. it can knock another 5-10 degrees in temperature!

[hse180]

I used AS5, I think it is the most popular choice. Just follow the instructions on Merples link

[EtheAv8r]

^ Arctic Silver recommend a horizontal line for quads. The link provided by merple above is actually quite useful in that it shows various CPUs without the heat-spreader so you can see where the cores are.

The reason I asked the question is that when I built my previous PC a few years ago there were discussions about spreading the thermal paste all over the heat-spreader using something like a credit card. Now it seems that just a blob or horizontal line is sufficient.

One other thing, I purchased Akasa TIM-cleaner which is a citrus-based thermal paste cleaner. Arctic Silver recommend that this should not be used! Take a look here:



Quote: "NEVER use any oil or petroleum based cleaners (WD-40, citrus oil based cleaners and many automotive degreasers) on the base of a heatsink. The oil, which is engineered to not evaporate, will fill in the microscopic valleys in the metal and significantly reduce the effectiveness of any subsequently applied thermal compound."

Ordinarily I would have cleaned the CPU heat-spreader and the HSF plate with the Akasa TIM-cleaner prior to applying the AS5. It appears that I shouldn't do this.

[Edit]: The URL doesn't show for some reason. If you look at merple's post above and go to that URL, then select the "Arctic Silver 5 Instructions for
Quad Core Intel CPU w/Heatspreader" link.

Yup I always used Akasa TIM-clean and saw that 'advice' too - so I got some ArctiClean 1 Thermal Material Remover and ArctiClean 2 Thermal Surface purifier. Guess what?..... the ArctiClean 1 (the equivalent to the Akasa TIM-clean) smells citrusy - possibly even more so then the TIM-clean. I now use whatever comes to hand first - both seem to work equally well.

[acrobat]

Maybe thats why I get such rubbish temps - because I only use Akasa TIM Cleaner.

[GSte]

Yup I always used Akasa TIM-clean and saw that 'advice' too - so I got some ArctiClean 1 Thermal Material Remover and ArctiClean 2 Thermal Surface purifier. Guess what?..... the ArctiClean 1 (the equivalent to the Akasa TIM-clean) smells citrusy - possibly even more so then the TIM-clean. I now use whatever comes to hand first - both seem to work equally well.

I'd wondered if anyone else had noticed that..........