Thermal Paste Advice

[amjedm]

Well I was about to order some of that Zalman paste in the bottle with the brush and guess what, yes that's right Scan don't sell it any more

The sole reason I got that last time was because of the easy application , well actually it was rated quite good as well

So I need a replacement paste and not sure which to go for one as the order of importance for me is

1. application - easy, mega easy or very very easy, I can't do this drop of grain (is that big grain, small grain, massive grain?) business and then smooth over with a credit card, I'll most likely get paste the size of a kilo of rice on CPU and loose the credit card in the paste

2. performance

I don't overclock so I don't need one that will decrease temps by 0.0002%

Any advice peeps

[AD-15]

I think the Arctic MX-3 stuff is currently the top performer. However, it is EXTREMELY thick. On CPU's it's fine (as you can just do the line method, see below), but on something where you have to actually spread it beforehand it's useless.

Instead of the rice grain/spread method, just apply a thin line in the direction of the cores on your CPU IHS, sit the heatsink on top, and the pressure will spread the paste nicely for you.

See here (these instructions work for most pastes):

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_s...structions.htm

[MadduckUK]

I don't overclock so I don't need one that will decrease temps by 0.0002%

Any advice peeps

stop worrying, buy the cheapest and get on with your non-overclocking life

[Kumagoro]

Chilledpc.co.uk have loads of types

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/inde...94695f85eabf13

personally i like GELID GC1 its not thick like the MX stuff so spreads nice and easy and it
performs well according to tests online.

They also have a big tube (22g) of arctic ceramique for £7 for those who fix/build computers
all the time.

Saying that they both appear to be out of stock now.

[Pob255]

I went a simular route to you, I used to use MX1, but the stuff is so thick I found getting it to stick to the cpu and not what I was spreading it with was next to impossible.
Which is why I got some of the zalman ZM-STG1

Ok here's my tips for thermal paste. (does depend on cooler)
Put a small blob in the middle of the cpu, grain of rice is about the size you want to start with, less is more.
Take your cpu cooler and just place it ontop of the cpu, press down lightly (if you have a cooler where it's held down by a seperate bracket or arm over it)
If you're useing something like the stock intel cooler where the arms and push pins are in the way to just plonk it down and lightly push it, line up the push pins correctly but don't push them in.
Now lift off the cooler to check the thermal paste spread, that small blob in the middle will of been spread out to cover more area.
If, as often happens, the paste is now more to one side than the other rotate the cooler through 180degrees, plonk it down, push lightly and lift again to check the spread.
You can now add a couple of extra tiny spots of paste around the edges on the cpu where the paste hasn't got that far.
Now fit the cpu cooler correctly and lock it down.

That should resault in a good thin even coating and you should be done.

If you want to double check, turn on the pc and stress test it for 30min, then turn off and remove the cooler to check (do this before it's had a chance to fully cool)

If you still have some unpasted areas of the cpu add a couple of more spots of paste in the dry areas.

[LuckyNV]

MX-2 is thinner and easier to spread.

Overall though, as long as you use "something" even generic white paste will be fine, you're looking around 4-5C between the best and worst known brand pastes.

[amjedm]

stop worrying, buy the cheapest and get on with your non-overclocking life

I still have to apply it which is what I'm worried about

I went a simular route to you, I used to use MX1, but the stuff is so thick I found getting it to stick to the cpu and not what I was spreading it with was next to impossible.
Which is why I got some of the zalman ZM-STG1

Ok here's my tips for thermal paste. (does depend on cooler)
Put a small blob in the middle of the cpu, grain of rice is about the size you want to start with, less is more.
Take your cpu cooler and just place it ontop of the cpu, press down lightly (if you have a cooler where it's held down by a seperate bracket or arm over it)
If you're useing something like the stock intel cooler where the arms and push pins are in the way to just plonk it down and lightly push it, line up the push pins correctly but don't push them in.
Now lift off the cooler to check the thermal paste spread, that small blob in the middle will of been spread out to cover more area.
If, as often happens, the paste is now more to one side than the other rotate the cooler through 180degrees, plonk it down, push lightly and lift again to check the spread.
You can now add a couple of extra tiny spots of paste around the edges on the cpu where the paste hasn't got that far.
Now fit the cpu cooler correctly and lock it down.

That should resault in a good thin even coating and you should be done.

If you want to double check, turn on the pc and stress test it for 30min, then turn off and remove the cooler to check (do this before it's had a chance to fully cool)

If you still have some unpasted areas of the cpu add a couple of more spots of paste in the dry areas.

I can only thank you once, if I could thank you 5 times I would for the best tips I could have asked for

[Pob255]

Well that's the methord I've been using for a while now on coolers with solid bases, it may not work with an Exposed heat pipe, I've not personally fitted one . . . yet

[DefineByte]

Chilledpc.co.uk have loads of types

Are Chilled PC good? They have some Shin-Etsu G751 which I've had my eye on.

[Pob255]

Yep they are used by a few people here, they are a good source for watercooloing and case modding

[DefineByte]

Excellent, thanks. Shipping seems reasonable too.

[Teamsreth]

Well that's the methord I've been using for a while now on coolers with solid bases, it may not work with an Exposed heat pipe, I've not personally fitted one . . . yet

Just fitted the Fenrir to mine. Tried to spread the paste, and the frustration of the goop failing to stay on the CPU was immense. In the end I used a grain sized blob and squished it with the base of teh heatsink. i5 750 at 3.6 at 51C after 5 hours of Prime95.

I asume thats fine, the reference cooler was hitting that while gaming.

@amjedm : Take your time, and relax as much as possible. I had to get the wife to stop me from putting it back in the box and going out. Wish I had have seen Pob255's advice first.

Hope it all goes together well!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have experimented with loads of thermal compounds in my builds. TBH, how thin you can spread the compound is very important. Even if a particular formulation is superior if you add a thicker layer of it than a thinner layer of an inferior formulation the latter will do better. IMHO,Zalman ZM-STG1 is probably quite a good choice to go for as it is very easy to apply in a thin layer with the supplied brush.

I would also look a Shin-Etsu G751 and Noctua NHT1 thermal compounds(I have used both) too but these are much thicker than the Zalman thermal grease and hence are harder to apply in a thin layer IMHO. Arctic Cooling MX series thermal compounds and Akasa Pro Grade compounds are also quite thick too IIRC.

Arctic Cooling Ceramique is also very easy to apply as it is not a very thick formulation.

[Pob255]

There's a very good artical on thermal paste application here
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.ph...1&limitstart=0

Also handy to show you the amounts you're looking for.
Although they don't mention what paste they use it does look very runny

[Zhaoman]

I went a simular route to you, I used to use MX1, but the stuff is so thick I found getting it to stick to the cpu and not what I was spreading it with was next to impossible.
Which is why I got some of the zalman ZM-STG1

Ok here's my tips for thermal paste. (does depend on cooler)
Put a small blob in the middle of the cpu, grain of rice is about the size you want to start with, less is more.
Take your cpu cooler and just place it ontop of the cpu, press down lightly (if you have a cooler where it's held down by a seperate bracket or arm over it)
If you're useing something like the stock intel cooler where the arms and push pins are in the way to just plonk it down and lightly push it, line up the push pins correctly but don't push them in.
Now lift off the cooler to check the thermal paste spread, that small blob in the middle will of been spread out to cover more area.
If, as often happens, the paste is now more to one side than the other rotate the cooler through 180degrees, plonk it down, push lightly and lift again to check the spread.
You can now add a couple of extra tiny spots of paste around the edges on the cpu where the paste hasn't got that far.
Now fit the cpu cooler correctly and lock it down.

That should resault in a good thin even coating and you should be done.

If you want to double check, turn on the pc and stress test it for 30min, then turn off and remove the cooler to check (do this before it's had a chance to fully cool)

If you still have some unpasted areas of the cpu add a couple of more spots of paste in the dry areas.

Just a word of caution, reinstalling the heatsink several times before plonking it down again could trap air bubbles between the CPU and the heatsink. This will affect performance of the thermal paste since air is an insulator but of course since you're not overclocking this method may well work for you. Btw Pob I have never heard of anyone using their CPU cooler as the 'spreading device'

I have always used a piece of cling film wrapped around my finger to do the job. Just apply as small an amount as you can muster (ie rice sized) and wrap a small piece of cling film around your index finger (pinch it at the back with your other hand to keep it taught). Now rub the paste horizontally to either side with your finger so you have a line of paste running from left to right, then work your way vertically smoothing it up and down till the heatspreader is covered in a thin layer. If you make a mistake don't try to rub over it because that won't work, just remove all the paste and start again. Hope that helps

[DefineByte]

There's a very good artical on thermal paste application here
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.ph...1&limitstart=0

That site is what lead me to the Shin-Etsu. I figured since it's thickness was rated as moderate rather than thick it would be OK. Now I'm not so sure.