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Thread: Thermal paste

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    Thermal paste

    This might be a dumb question but oh well.

    Is it better to use Thermal paste or the stock cooling pad?

    Will be using a Noctua NH-U12P with a i5.

    Any tips on how to apply the paste will also be welcome if that's the better option, this will be my first built PC.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Hi

    Not a dumb question at all mate.

    Stock paste that comes pre applied to many aftermarket heatsinks is not to special.

    It does it job but you wont see the most out of your cooler using it.

    Thermal materials like AS5 (Arctic Silver 5) are preferable.

    You could see a few degrees improvement in your CPU / GPU / Chipset temperatures.

    As for application methods there are different schools of thought regarding this depending on the CPU you have.

    There have been numerous benchmarks done to try and see which method is best but no conclusive decision has been reached.

    You can put a rice grain sized amount of thermal paste in the middle then apply the heatsink and let its pressure distribute it.............. put a line vertically or horizontally over the cores, vertical for dual cores and horizontal for quads if I remember rightly.............or my preferred method putting some on and spreading it with and old credit card.

    Basically the most important thing is to have a very thin layer of the stuff all over the CPU die. Too much paste will actually decrease it efficiency so in good Monty Python fashion you need a 'waffer thin' layer.

    If you would like to read some guides or benchmarks do a quick google on best thermal pastes mate.

    Hope this helps

    Ed

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Quote Originally Posted by Xenshin View Post
    This might be a dumb question but oh well.

    Is it better to use Thermal paste or the stock cooling pad?

    Will be using a Noctua NH-U12P with a i5.

    Any tips on how to apply the paste will also be welcome if that's the better option, this will be my first built PC.
    No difference, so as it's your first build it's easier to use the stock pad that comes with the cooler. If you change CPUs and keep the same cooler you'll need to clean off the pad as they're only usable once, so use grease the second time.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    If you look at comparison tests of pastes, there is only like 2-4 degrees between the best and the worst. Which seems very negligible imo.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Quote Originally Posted by Infinite View Post
    If you look at comparison tests of pastes, there is only like 2-4 degrees between the best and the worst. Which seems very negligible imo.
    Depends on what CPU they're using, 2-4 degree on a low power CPU could translate to 10-20 degree on a high power CPU. And that is what make or break an overclocking.

    If not for overclocking there is no point getting thermal paste.
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    Re: Thermal paste

    well i changed my paste from the standard stuff that came with the titan fenrir to some thermalright cf2 and under load with my i7 @ 3.6 and 1.3v the temp difference is around 10 degrees compared to the standard paste, so i'll agree with arthurlung that its only worth it if your overclocking

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Thanks for the great replies.

    I was planning to overclock my PC once I build it on Friday so this information helps a lot.
    I have bought the recommended thermal paste Arctic Silver 5.

    Should anything go wrong, is there a way to remove the thermal paste so I can try to re-apply it?

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Yes, just clean it off with an alchohol based solvent and cotton buds.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    I just used printer paper (not tissue paper) to be honest, it's not as if you need a completely clean surface if you're reapplying the same stuff.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Quote Originally Posted by Xenshin View Post

    Should anything go wrong, is there a way to remove the thermal paste so I can try to re-apply it?
    TIM (thermal interface material) cleaner or Isopropyl alcohol are best for getting a clean grease free surface.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    u can get acetone from boots £1.20 a bottle
    which cleans very nicely

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Quote Originally Posted by wazi View Post
    u can get acetone from boots £1.20 a bottle
    which cleans very nicely

    But keep it well away from any plastic!

    IPA wipes - my preferred cleaner

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    Re: Thermal paste

    I've said it before and I''ll say it again, cotton buds and vodka

    As to getting new paste, depends on the cooler, some coolers have very good thermal paste pre-applied.
    And being pre-applied it means you'll not be putting on too much, putting on too much paste, no matter how good, can resault in worse temps than the correct amount ot crappy stock paste.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Quote Originally Posted by Pob255 View Post
    I've said it before and I''ll say it again, cotton buds and vodka

    As to getting new paste, depends on the cooler, some coolers have very good thermal paste pre-applied.
    And being pre-applied it means you'll not be putting on too much, putting on too much paste, no matter how good, can resault in worse temps than the correct amount ot crappy stock paste.
    Since you said some coolers have very good pre-applied thermal paste, would you know if this one is one of those?
    CPU Cooler

    Thanks for the feedback so far, I got an idea how to clean and apply it now.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    Mate, can i reccomend you spend a bit less money, get a True black, and whack on a couple of decent 120mm fans.

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    Re: Thermal paste

    hello,

    AS5 is definitely the way to go - as has been said, at higher overclocks even the tiniest difference can have a big effect.

    As for the application, here is what Arctic Silver reccomends:

    http://www.arcticsilver.com/ins_rout...2intelas5.html

    I'm not entirely sure how you should apply wrt core i5 specifically; is it a quad core? If it is, I'm sure you can just use the example of the core i7 on that page.

    The best way IMO to clean the CPU heatspreader is just to put a few pounds towards this:

    http://www.arcticsilver.com/arcticlean.htm

    And use a lint-free cloth. It's best to make sure you don't have any contaminants on the heatspreader.

    If you do decide just to get something like acetone from a drugstore, be careful. A lot of these products have other uses (such as cosmetic, eg nail varnish remover), and so may have unwanted chemicals added.
    Industrial espionage is simply the sincerest form of flattery......

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