Proper way to apply Thermal paste?

Can someone explain to me the proper way to apply thermal paste to a cpu/gpu? I always thought you were meant to use a credit card to even it out across the chip, but recently read you are meant to only put a dot or line, then push the heatsink down and it will "spread". I'm using AS5 right now, but will be getting mx-3 soon =)

Thanks!

 

I use the 'spread' with the heatsink method, then twist the heatsink a little bit to eliminate any air bubbles left.
I'm using MX-3 and is far better than AS5.

 

I use the rice dot one.
been doing that for the last 4 processors in my sig and have zero problem..
I'm using Tuniq TX-2 and idle temp for my T9300 is 26 C in a non-air conditioned room

 

I am using ShinEtsu X23. Also, the aforementioned methods work nicely.

 

Thanks for the fast replies, this is great info. I can't believe I've been using the credit card method for long...no wonder I was always dissapointed with my results.

I'd like to ask how you guys would do it on an amd x3 720. it's not a dual core, nor a quad core, but a 4th core can be unlocked. The AS5 website doesn't have any documentation on triple core but since it recommends the pea dot for both dual and quad cores, i should probably go with that i guess.

And yeah I can't wait to test out the mx-3 I get. I assume it can be "spread" just like AS5.

 

AS5 and MX-3 have very different textures and are spread differently.

 

The second method is terrible since it requires the heat sink to be replaced at a perfectly horizontal orientation in order to evenly spread the compound. However with laptops this is almost never possible. The result is an uneven spread; using a credit card ensures that you have an absolutely even layer.

 

Why bother worrying about something which isnt needed anyways

K-TRON

 

LOL this is just like de ja vu

 

it's doesn't matter whether it's a tri core or dual core. the packaging would cover it and it's essentially the same. just get a thin coat on the metal cover.

 

It also has the possibility of air bubbles being created once you have the heatsink installed which is not good.

 

I'm using Arctic Silver Thixotropic Matrix. I use the spread method on it, just like I did with my MX-3.

Huh. Again?

 

Because one time I didn't use paste and I chipped the die.

 

lol a lot of things work decent for thermal compound you have in your own home.. peanut butter with olive oil etc.. not as good as the high end pastes but someone over at extreme systems tested a bunch of this kind of stuff and got really actually very good results from some of them

 

Everyone has their own preferred method which they think gives the best results. For the best application process for your specific thermal paste it is best to look up the manufacturers website for proper application instructions. Although some will still tell you there are better methods than the manufacturers.

 

Wasn't that with a desktop, though, which already has much better cooling than a laptop.

 

Kind of like the Octitron?

 

That's a low blow

 

Doubtful. Just tired of the kids' attitude around here.

 

Im having problems with my temps on the pavilion dv7, i used the "line" and the "dot" method. Still having issues, my GPU runs pretty hot. Now i am consdering the "spread" thing. I´ll try it out later today. Im using Arctic Silver 5.
What about the "Liquid Metal Pad", did anyone try that out?
More details here

 

I wouldn't recommend it. It'll be a nightmare to clean off, for starters, and it might react badly with your heatsink.

MX-2 is a good thermal paste.

 

I use MX-2 a lot.
imo the best way to apply thermal past is with a piece of plastic. plastic bag or gloves and spread it nicely with your fingers. I've tried many methods and this is by far the easiest one.

 

Agreed. I use a powder-free latex glove for most applications not involving AS5 to spread the goop around.

 

So i now have tried "spred" method also with the gloves, i got the same result. Have no ideas left, my gpu idles at 60°C which was 48°C before the cpu upgrade.
Now i am wondering what these thing are for, maybe i should replace them. marked them on the pic

 

I'm currently using liquid metal pad on my M700 and have had no problems since installation several months ago.

 

Those are thermal pads, used to transfer heat from secondary components like GPU RAM and often the ACPI sensor. Changing them probably won't have an effect on your overall GPU temperature, which is taken from the GPU die and not the RAM.

 

You are the one with the attitude
I dont know how else to put it. I have ventured off to learn about thermal coupling between the heat source and the sink which connects to it.
I have milled my own heatsinks and have experimented in this area, and paste is really not needed, if the heatsink is designed and fitted properly.

Tomshardware and the other big sites do not have experience with the mechanics and machining behind this critical connection, so they simply state the ways which paste can be applied to be used.
I am convinced that there temperature differentials between methods are purely based on non-constant connection between the heatsink and the processor.
I do not simply repeat what is posted online, nor do I take what others state to be true regardless of the source.
I have taken the matters into my own hands and learned from experimentation. And if you machine the heatsink properly you do not need any paste.

Stop assuming and calling my knowledge false. I do not see any productive comments from any experience coming from yourself.

K-TRON

 

At least for AS5, in general if your chip lacks a heatspreader, you are supposed to apply a thin layer over the entire exposed die.

If it has a heatspreader, IIRC they recommend putting a line across it.

The AS5 people have instructions on how to use their product. I would it if I were you

 

False

False

And..finally False.

Here is the definitive to spreading TIM.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=0

And here is the proof

http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=5&artpage=3071&articID=635

 

MrX8503, isn't that article about desktop heatsinks?

Right, and how many of us can "perfectly" machined heatsinks? How many of us can make these perfectly machined heatsinks. We don't have your budget--Octitron is a perfect example of how much extra money you have to throw away willy-nilly-- and we don't have access to the hundred and one specialized tools you do.

Trust me, if us other neophytes have the budget and access to tools you did, we'd be doing this all day long. But we don't. So stop with the automatic "the best way to fix X is to spend $500 and to use thirty-two specialized machines" and try suggesting solutions on our level.

 

we are talking of mere mortals , not people with budgets the size of a small country . How many people have access to machines to mill heat-sinks ? Use your knowledge to post something us mere peons can use , not to show off your superior knowledge/budget .
Back to the question . I have had very good luck with OCZ freeze , put a small blob on CPU and place heat-sink moving it a bit to spread paste . My temps dropped 8c in laptop and 12c in desktop .

Then I went whole hog , bought a $10,000.00 milling machine , capable of 1/100000 of a mm accuracy milled the heatsink and my temps dropped 40c !! What a dupe I've been listening to those CPU paste Barons .

 

Yeah its an article for desktop heatsinks, but I've found that it also works for laptops with "exposed" cpus as well if you know what you're doing.

For an exposed core I usually do a line instead of a dollop, then mount the heatsink. Just to make sure that the core is entirely covered, I remove the heat sink to check it then I redo everything.

 

Ah. I skip the checking part and just do a manual spread with a putty knife.

 

No I do not have money to throw away. I am only 20 yrs old. If you wanted to get something done, you would find a way to do it.
My homemade laptop cost less than $1000 and its more powerful than the best laptop out there. All you need to have is a will to learn, and know the right people.
If you wanted a homemade heatsink, send me a block of copper with dimensions and I could mill one for you.

K-TRON

 

Dude, I can't count the number of times on NBR where the information you've given was based on conjecture and assumption, with no factual evidence. You're also known for profferring bad advice, to the point where people have gone out of their way to (try to) correct you.

I like this guy. He's funny.

Taken from HERE. Hrm. Nope, no mention of the Octitron in that definition. Point is, anyone can put together a desktop/server class system, shove it in a pizza box and call it a "laptop". Unless your "laptop" solution is portable, runs on batteries, and is mobile, you're homemade desktop faux laptop isn't.

That's pretty nice of you. I imagine that milling a copper heatsink isn't cheap.

 

There you go, you said it yourself,,
K-Tron, your first comment in this thread will make people have the wrong idea,
and the next thing could be... they chipped their die like moral_hazard said ..
Why bother keeping the second comment for last? do you want people to show up with bad news first then you explain that to them?

And really, people would save hundreds, thousands of dollars just to buy thermal paste, instead of making a perfect heatsink..

there... I'm making a comment as neutral as possible!

 

Wow... who would go to the trouble of actually paying for copper nowadays? It's extremely expensive, and for what? 10C drop at most i'll bet. The milling isn't what would cost alot of money, it's the copper, and milling it wouldn't be all that difficult unless you have tons of sweeping intricate heat-pipes all over the place in some wacky design that you think is "innovative".

 

Technically if the CPU IHS and the heatsink were perfectly flat there wouldn't be a need for thermal paste. So I'm not so sure where this custom block of copper is coming from.

Only the surface has to be flat.

 

If all people have flat ones that would be perfect..
Technically if all notebooks are well designed, there won't be bricked notebooks.. my 2cents

 

Techically if all users are competent, there won't be need for tech support.
Techically if all humans are good there won't be idiots or jack *ss or a combination of both

 

Technically that's what I was trying to say LOL

Technically you missed 'n' in your 'technically' ... ok thats enough, sorry for the bad post everyone

 

Technically if the world was perfect we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

yeah you say that to the one that said thermal paste isn't needed

 

...anyway~

I've found that spreading uses more paste than just putting a single dot and having the pressure spread it out. The whole spreading thing doesn't even really work on laptops because mating surfaces are too small to bother spreading anyway; desktops could be a different story but to each their own.

 

So is anyone using thermal pads arround the gpu like show in the picture before?

 

those thermal pads arnt very effective, but they're a pain in the to replace because you'll have to make a copper shim that fits perfectly in place

 

What about some new thermal pads, can they just be replaced with new ones? I tryed every possible method of using thermal paste on both cpu and gpu and my temps are REALY high. Also one of my hdd is overheating to 58°C becouse it is so close to the gpu. Have no ideas left

 

what's the black thing around your gpu heatsink surface??
does your gpu heatsink come with thermal pad or originally the one in the picture?
Did you change or remove anything when re-applying the thermal paste?

 

First i just removed the old paste and put the AS 5 on, leaving that black thing there... later on i removed the black thingy and reapplyed the paste using a different method but got the same result. I noticed these thermal thingys arround the heatsink got dirty during the removing and reattaching the heatsink to the motherboard so i thought maybe there is the problem.
I tryed cleaning them a bit, then again cleaning everything and again reaplying the paste and got the same results.
Noticed also that my dd3 ram works on 1066mhz instead of the 800mhz when using the old T6600 processor with FSB-800mhz if that has any influence at all on those temps

 

You can replace the thermal pads with new ones, but, as I stated before, I doubt that they're the cause of your high temperatures, except maybe a high ACPI temperature if that sensor is connected to a thermal pad. Temperatures for GPU RAM typically are not measured, so far as I can tell, the temperature reading for your GPU comes from a sensor in the main die portion, which is the part you're applying AS5 to. At this point, I almost wonder if maybe one of your heatpipes has gone bad, but I don't know any really good way of determining that. Heatpipes are the copper piping that runs from your heatsink to the fan and vents. They're supposed to transfer heat from the heatsink to the vent fins so the fan can use convection to cool the whole system. If the heatpipes are damaged and not transferring heat as well as they should, that could explain the high temperatures you're seeing.