Best Way to Apply Thermal Paste? Does it Even Matter?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ค. 2024
- This is a long debated topic, what is the best way to apply thermal paste and does it even matter? In this video I share my results after testing 7 different thermal paste application methods so that we may answer these question. I used corsair TM30, great cpu paste!
US Links
TM30 paste: amzn.to/3nHr2vR
Noctua Thermal Compound: amzn.to/3QJdrDF
Canadian Links
TM30 paste: amzn.to/3XhC8cO
Noctua Thermal Paste: amzn.to/3CRGcrY
0:00 The thermal paste debate
0:55 Test Methodology
2:51 Application Methods
3:04 P/Dot Method
3:17 Rice Grain Method
3:26 Line Method
3:35 X/Cross Method
4:01 Penta Dot Method
4:37 Buttered Toast, Spread Method
4:56 It Doesn't Really Matter
5:42 AMD Transfer Plate Grooves
6:38 Tiny Dot Method
7:44 In Conclusion
This channel can be sponsored by YOU! Help boost my channel at Patreon.
/ techilliterate
Or you can hit the easy buttons, just LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. It really helps a lot!
Thanks :)
Twitter: / tech_illiterate
Instagram: / tech_illiterate
Facebook: / tech-illiterate-109588...
Music - Flight To Tunisia by Causmic - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
You asked for it....NO THERMAL PASTE TEST th-cam.com/video/VAh_p90y_DU/w-d-xo.html Remember to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! Thank you everyone for the continued support!
Even though the results are probably alright it doesn't seem like you've controlled for power consumption/boost which casts a huge doubt on these results. Plus we're talking about a pretty low power consuption, you'll have a bigger differential with overclock.
Cool of ya to add a methodology, wish more people would do this!
@adamI'll try it out.
Well, all this may be true for the IHS chips. But in laptops/notebooks with direct die contact partial spread can cause more problems, like not cooling properly some of the cores, or maybe even chipping the silicone with no material in between chip and heatsink...
Apply the paste to the ram not the cpu
You didn't use enough paste. I can clearly still see motherboard. Cover the entire motherboard, including the RAM. It wouldn't be a bad idea to cover the USB ports as well.
That's considered good practice, isn't it?
Yeah, not nearly enough paste XD.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
If your pc isn't just a solid block of thermal paste with components stuck inside you're not using nearly enough bro
@@xav7311 Preach on. The moar the better. Mo Paste, mo better. Paste is Life. Paste is Love. The more you paste, the more you save.
It just works.
Bro i read that in his voice haha
I never thought that Johnny Sins is also a PC guy.
That comment is unholy
😂😂😂
Shut. Just shut
Cursed comment.
I actually watched a scene where he is a Tech Support guy.
As someone who has never done this before, your conclusion has definitely eased my mind. Put some thermal paste on it, make sure it's enough, and everything will be fine. Definitely a load off. Thank you for the video.
Same.
Aparently putting more than enough can be bad as well as putting not enough, so good luck getting a good balance xd today and yesterday I changed my consoles paste and used different methods, somehow I still feel like they’re boiling :c
@@meappeam6917 Actually, adding too much thermal paste is a lot better than little or none, as it covers the same area as acquitte thermal paste application, so it doesn't matter that much. The worst that could happen in most is that it goes off of the IHS, which is not bad. Most extreme, basically impossible, is that it goes off the IHS into the CPU socket contacting the pins, though I've found sources claiming that it is still possible to normally run a PC with non-conductive thermal paste even in the CPU socket (this does not mean to attempt to put thermal paste in your CPU socket).
Though, putting too little can defiantly impact performance significantly (as per seen in the video)
If you feel as if your consoles are still "boiling", make sure you have a good thermal solution (I would recommend Arctic MX-6 or Thermal Grizzly Kryonaught), or perhaps look to get better / higher quality fans that would move more CF/m (Cubic Ft / minute)
I cut PTM7950 from the sheet and do not play with dots, dashes and crosses.
no this is wrong, it just cover the whole surface that cpu back panel so all the excess heat can be conducted
I've always heard buttered toast was the best back in the day. Been doing it that way ever since the Pentium 4.
I thankfully never heard that, and never did it, and never had problems.
Its about long term usage. The less amount of paste will dry out early. So the best is buttered, not because of temperature.
@@RedShark493 the paste doesn't dry out, it's pumped out due to lots of thermal cycles it goes through
i even saw someone use a banana
@@michakrzyzanowski8554 You mean evaporate? How tf do you "pump out" thermal paste?
Pfft! Everyone knows the best way to apply thermal paste is to swallow a dollop and then regurgitate it onto the CPU lid. I call it the "Feedin' my baby bird" method.
That's some big brain shit right there.
that's some verge techniques right there
@@Pouria_1664 You need certified tweezers to apply it.
@@aguyandhiscomputer ones that protect your cables from electric overcharge
@@Pouria_1664 Route the cables with confidence.
You forgot the bukake method that the Verge used 🤣😂
oh my XD
I think Gamers Nexus tested that some time ago and the result was as long as there is enough it doesn't matter.
lmao i hate that guy
@@420cm what guy? The verga guy? Or nexus dude?
HAHAHA
Despite this video being two years old, it’s still comforting. I built my very first pc last week and forgot about all application methods for thermal paste… but I still used thermal paste!! And not just a tiny dot either! My heart is at ease knowing I did it right! 😂
Well done bro, I just built my first rig and I didn’t install the cooler properly and now it overheats. I ordere a new cooler and hope I dont mess it again
@@drakata27... why would you need a new cooler??
@@denks7849 old one was amd stock and i didnt like it
@@drakata27Yes, it's terrible. Also ordered a new one today :)
@@drakata27yeah same, using stock wraith stealth with the ryzen 5 5600 non x.. 95*C on full use…. it‘s so loud. Ordered a pure rock 2 today. Hope it‘s better than the awful loud stock one..
Not being a tech person, I'm very happy to find your video, and want to say: Finally! A thermal paste demo that actually clarifies the most important considerations and helps me understand what I'm doing! Thank you! :)
There are dozens of the same tests, wdym XD
This guy saying "It'll be fine" in that calming voice is very nice to hear as someone who's almost constantly afraid to break the whole computer with my sheer presence
Well I just bent pins on my 2700x removing the stupid wraith prism that had molded to the cpu with its thermal paste preapplication like the Thing making a new creature
@@casedistorted must hurt
Funny thing, I've been doing this a long time but I still revisit the topic every couple years. GREAT video. Clear and concise. Good job sir.
It's to see if a new best method was discover
and here i am again XDD
Jayz2cents use the cross, so i do aswell xD
I tried the spred, but bloody hell its messy.
I'm someone else who has not done this and will need to on my new build very soon. Thank you for the experiment! This definitely puts my mind at ease. It seems like there is so much controversy about this topic that makes people nervous that have never done it. When in reality its a simple process and no need to worry so much, just do it!
Thanks for this detailed video. Since I don't rebuild my computer often, I always have the apprehension of how to apply paste properly. You have settled that matter for me in a satisfying way, once and for all! Thank you for showing me!
Facts over theory, I like it.
Every known fact started with a theory.
@@itsthatYEStoogoodguy aaaand the point of theorys is to be turned in to facts, theorys are useless if they don't get tested and confirmed.
@@xeviusUsagi all theories are Proven. And if it's not, then it's just an hypothesis
This guy is amazing. He also happened to be a computer guy. Nice one, Johnny.
sins
420 likes, not gonna ruin it
Its sins?
Gotta admire your commitment in testing those thermal paste combos. I was just curious on how to put a thermal paste properly. Now that I watched your vid, I learned a lot. You exceeded my expectations.
Thanks. I'm glad it helped.
Congratulations! The TH-cam algorithms worked for you today! I watched about 6 videos straight and then subscribed. I enjoyed your format.
If this guy really is Johny Sins, i starting to doubt that white liquid on CPU was A thermal paste
well he wants you to think that it's thermal paste and not ask any questions and considering what else it could be I am just going to assume that it is thermal paste cause the alternative is just gross
He deserves a like for removing and placing pump 7+ times
Thanks for the vid. Getting ready to do a new build and was going to go with a spread (I've used the dot for years), but now I see it doesn't really matter. Excellent examples showing the after application spread.
Subscribing just for the amount of effort it must've took to make this video. Mounting/ unmounting applying thermal paste/ removing it with alcohol. 20+ testing 4 to 5 times Sheesh!! 😬 you have my respect 💯
you underestimate how much I min max my shit in every video game I play and I will absolutely be using the Penta Dot method and I will stab people without warning in its defense
Dumb.
@@xPathettic stop introducing yourself
@@vulnerablerummy That was creative.
"It doesn't matter how you put the thermal paste on there.." - everybody
If you really wanna get min max, you should use thermal epoxy instead of paste
@@pastelcastiel1481 Just weld the cpu to the cooler
True. took your advise and worked on my G750 cause its been 8 years past since I bought it. I chose Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, did the spread on both CPU and GPU, cleaned out the fans and their heatsinks, and well running good as new. Temps dropped to 15C, and now I'm happy. Thank you again for a nice video as well with your advise.
I have always went with the peanut spread method earlier, but have decided to go with the penta dot on my Ryzen 5X 5600X CPU. AIO Thermal Take TH 360 ARGB Liquid cooling is going to be doing a better job than the prism AMD stock cooler. Thank you for this video!
Thank you so much brother, this video has taught me a lot about applying thermal paste. I also have the same CPU. I used to hesitate to put more thermal paste, but now I can relax and use enough thermal paste. Not worrying even if it spill out a bit. Thanks ❤
I'm an electrical engineer with over 25 years of experience (with power semiconductors). Simply put, use what you can control. In the case of a CPU, you can control what Nick calls (or perhaps someone else) "buttered toast" - this is the only way you can be reasonably certain (Schrödinger's paste?) is the cover the IHS and be certain the when you tighten down the water block/air cooler with *EVEN* pressure. PERIOD!
From someone whom works in the IT space (25 years), I ALWAYS spread the thermal paste over the entire IHS.
I hate Electrical Engineer's ,just kidding I use to wire House's back in the day. so what's a Electrical Engineer doing playing around with Electronics and CPU paste And semi Conductor's , Maybe you like Tesla Coil's for Breakfast , I don t know , probably not . LOL
@@madmad8582 Power semiconductors like SCRs/IGBTs/GTOs/Diodes, etc. Mostly for robotics, AC & DC drives and high current applications like plating. Playing with computers is just a by-product of industrial automation which is what I've done most of my life.
Hi, manufacturer of these materials here, cover the motherfucker. That's what it's made for.
I am a rocket scientist and before that I was a brain surgeon.
I'd say 2 bottles of thermal paste will do, you want it to be as cool as possible, the motherboard wouldn't mind either.
The reassurance that "it'll be fine" made me confident enough to do it!
Love your tests. I remember when I was little I cleaned by PC and took the heatsink off. I replaced it like nothing happened and ran the PC like normal. Didn't even know i did anything wrong.
Just came across your video, thanks very much! Im gearing up to my first PC build and this was one of the areas I was just not clear about. Excellent presentation. Subbed!
The only thing I find truly remarkable about this is the number of times you uninstall and reinstall your cooler without praying to god that the computer will turn back on
I mean what could go wrong tho
I'd understand if it was a laptop being constantly taken apart but he's only removing the cooler on this
Mike what... what are you doing when you take your cooler off? What have you seen???
@@phatman808 he's seen enough
@@phatman808 he’s seen enough leave him poor guy
Refreshing to see a nice calm paced to the point video, looking forward to checking out more videos later on :)
I really appreciate your video. I'm building myself a higher end gaming PC and it's sitting on my counter waiting for me to install the cooler. I wasn't sure which method to use so I've been searching for a while. I'm definitely more comfortable, I can go down and actually finish the build
i imagine how much work it is, thanks for taking the time to inform the people!
a good video! unlike many stupid shorts on the topic
you just got a new subscriber
The issue here being long term when the thermal starts to dry up (especially with cheap/crappy thermal pastes).
Penta Dot/Butter Toast method means more contact points so would probably be more reliable in the long term.
Oh, absolutely. Penta dot is my go to for most clients, since it usually lasts almost 6 months more than single dot.
@@KevinJDildonik only the 1% can upgrade their pcs all the time or at least less than twice a decade. Not everyone is an american video editor with disposable income.
@@StarmenRock Bro, anyone with a proper job can upgrade their PC almost all the time, atleast once per month, and still afford all the bills.
@@KevinJDildonik I was gonna say it’s not an expensive or difficult process you probably still have 19/20ths of a tube from when you built the thing just redo it if your temps start creeping that’s always worked for me
@@StarmenRock if you built it, you definitely did not use an entire tube of thermal paste. Just unscrew the cooler clean everything up and reapply. If you have the tube from when you built the computer then it’s literally free to do this
As long as you use enough paste to cover the cpu without the paste running down onto the motherboard
it really doesn't matter what method you use. What does matter is the more even the pressure applied
as you secure the cooler to the motherboard, the more even the thermal paste spread will be....
Yeah, too much heatsink paste on the die could be worse than too little. I normally swivel the heatsink back and forth before clamping it down. I think this helps spread out the paste a little better.
Good job testing this. I'm about to do this for the first time, and this was very informative.
This is best and most professional video i've seen regarding this topic, well done.
"It doesn't really matter"
*Guy who is .5c away from thermal throttling (sweats nervously) XDXDXD
Time to either get a better cooler, get rid of dust, finetune the oc, or any combination of those.
me and my laptop jajajajaja
Funny I had my first pc with 3 screws because one broke, so I still overclocked the cpu from 3.6 to 4.0 Ghz, it would stay 80 95 in games, and in the summer I had to down clock it so it doesnt thermal throttle.
The funniest part is that when I'd hit with my leg the pc case, the fan would fall, because all the screws were loose so this would happen frequently and I never changed the paste.
I used the pc like that for about 3 years and when I bought the new one, I gave the old one to my cousin, so he used it for 2 years more.
That cpu is still working btw.
@@alexanderciordas5307 The ChadPU
I think what he is saying, is he could start over, and run the tests again, and while within .5c for all of them, the "winner" is random.
They keep the grooves to get direct contact with the heatpipes, rather than adding more distance with an additional flat plate, as the pipes move more heat, faster, than solid metal.
Did you consider filling (buttering/scraping) the bottom of the cooler plate just to fill in the gaps before applying, or using a cooler with a flat plate?
I had never thought of or seen the buttered toast method before and like that one the best and use it with no worries on all my installs from now on. I don't use that much pressure with a card like you did to let the plate pressure work out the excess and it works very well.
that video actually will help me. Like, now I don't have any doubts on how to apply the thermal paste. Thanks for explanation.
New sub. Great vid, super impressed. Puget systems & cisco all recommend the 'X' method. Used that since about 2013. Long term (2-4y) is where differences will show in terms of temps. This is where using quality *paste* matters. Using 20% more than you think you need (EXCL liquid metal) is a good idea for business systems.
I just had to reapply some thermal paste for the first time in 4-5 years so thanks for the informative and well made video bro!
Lmao I've still not replaced mine after 8 years. Surprisingly temps are still as good as before.
Really appreciate the time you took I was sorta stressing about getting full coverage.
My question was for the first test of the big thermal dot and the pea-sized thermal dot at the last test. Thank you for answering it.
I thought it didn't matter too much, thank you for confirming man!
it used to be much more important in the days of the original Athlon and Pentium 2/3 when you'd put the cooler directly in contact with the silicon - the risk of creating an air bubble and then have that area of the chip overheating were high. Ever since most chips started coming with a heat spreader, the risk has gone down.
Oh I remember those little protruded "mirror" thing! Those were a PITA.
Ogs unite 💯💯💯
Not to forget the risk of damaging the edges of the silicon during mounting of the cooler :)
Btw, graphic cards are still bare silicon, but I never had issues with it. Repasted my Gpu yesterday.
@@knightwolf200612 true... somewhat. You'll notice that most GPU dies are surrounded by a spacer to prevent MOST (not all) damage.
Remember the copper shims? Eeek. I had to clean a die with rubbing alcohol before, wouldn't boot. I was so relieved when it worked.
Great video, Nick thanks so much. Cleaned my PC and forgot to use thermal paste wanted to refresh myself on application method.
I'm working on first build and I needed to know this. Thanks!
I used a pea on a 5600g. I was testing parts, and the spread was fantastic using older cooler with the copper slug. Given the 5600g is a monolithic die it had great coverage.
My understanding is that the function of thermal compounds is to fill the tiny surface irregularities in the IHS, and NOT to create a thick thermally conductive layer between the cooler heatsink and the CPU. Arctic advises that a rice grain-sized dollop properly applied (to the smaller Intel die surface area) will spread out as CPU heating cycles cause it to migrate into an optimum thin layer.
I'd like to see a test that puts the CPU through 20-30 heating/cooling cycles for each method. I bet the 'spread' would look quite different than after a single stress test.
The spread would also look better if this guy hadn't use a dog shit heat sink. The pea method is the best method.
And i second to that
Yup, the paste is less conductive than the cooler and IHS, so you don't need it to be bathed in it. If it's too thick it works more as insulator. Any excess gets pushed out by the mounting pressure anyway.
I did get some good results by applying paste, then applying the cooler and then removing the cooler and wiping the paste off the cooler and leave what was left on the CPU. This was a few years ago and I don't remember the stats but it was not bad at all. The thing is it's really got down to +-1 degrees either way, is it worth worrying about?
It’s impossible to create a thick layer as the pressure of the cooler will push out any excess. More is almost always better.
Interesting video. I don't want my rig running too high of a fever. Thanks for shedding light on the subject. ✌🏻
GREAT video thanks for sharing! I was wondering which method is better (thinking it might make big difference). I love when people DO & test not just imagine things and infinitely debate by just an opinion. SO now we can play and spread our thermal butter whatever way we feel like that day :)))
love how you make the video and use the scientific the method to compare the different ways to apply the thermal paste. However I think that we should also consider the long term repercusion of each method. Maybe the thermal paste gets wasted earlier if you use the dot application rather than the 5 dots or something like that. Again, great video!
I do a % sign, a thin diagonal line with a dot in the 2 empty corners, pretty foolproof way to get a good result.
Great video, thank you. Before I had an AIO I had a Titan Fenrir which had heat pipes that directly in contact with the CPU much like your cooler. I noticed the small ridges in the surface so as well as buttering the CPU's toast I spread a thin layer on the cooler base plate; the idea being the paste would get in to the cracks and get rid of any air that may get trapped. No idea if it actually made any difference, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'll definitely be using the buttered toast with a blob of jam on top, as suggested in your other video.
This video is just great.....I've seen some weird thermal paste masters who say you must do this way and must not on the other way. Your conclusion, it doesn't matter if pasted enough, relieved my mind. Thank you so much!
I prefer the "X" method on newer CPUs..... but i do remember the times i would thinly spread the thermal paste over entire IHS on P4 cpus. That method provided so much suction between the cpu and heatsink, the cpu would actually get pulled from its socket because it stuck to the heatsink.
Very nice video, perfectly directed and edited. This guy has talent.
Much appreciated! Thank you for the kind words.
very informative. I do the butter toast method. Since I've been taught this way back in 1998.
you deserve a way more followers/ subs, bro! Keep it upp you do what no one does!
Amazing work, thank you for such experiment! ^^
I been using a thin spread style since 360 RROD days, you had to apply it directly on the die. Just makes me sleep better at night knowing evey nano meter has some thermal paste crammed in there.
I found it good to fill the gaps or grooves between the heatpipes on the cooler (GPU), then the the butter method on the GPU. Otherwise it probably wont fill the grooves, depending on the cooler if there actually are grooves...
Thank you very much for this insightful investigation. I helped a lot to disperse doubt how to properly apply thermal paste on my cpu.
thanks for the post sir, I was concerned that I did not apply enough thermal paste on my machine. Even contemplating buying some more thermal paste and redoing it. My application looks like one of the methods you tested, and then I was convinced.
This is how to do science, with great interpretation of results. Well done!
I used to spread it out (and I've never bought thermal paste that didn't come with a spetula, so it made sense), but I switched to the dot because it's less work and makes no difference.
However, given that I'm currently reinstalling the slightly bigger brother of your test CPU I might try the penta dot for a change.
You just crushed thousands of videos regarding thermal past application.
Great content!!
I personally do the corner dots with the center dot. I dont care if its better or not, but it does give me peace of mind
I think the take away from this is that the plates are probably several sizes bigger than what they actually need to be so that they have a large enough area to accomodate the different amount of paste being applied to each model. Also the thermal conductivity of the paste is probably large enough for small variations in the cross section area to be negligible.
Stumbled across this video right before first build. 5900x idles at 33-39c thanks for the video. Subbed and continued success man.
Awesome! Thank you!
This video made me subscribe to you. Short, useful information, no blah, blah for 30 minutes. Practical.
You've put my mind at ease. as long as there's something on there it'll be right
I would encourage you to update this video review / test and include another method which is very very old school.
Put a plastic sandwich bag over your index finger and use that to spread a very small amount of thermal paste,
even smaller than the size of your pea /dot. The thermal paste is really only to fill in the microscopic pits in the surface
of the metal. You want as much of the metal on the heat sink to make contact with the metal of the chip.
The paste is to eliminate the micro pores of air which act as insulators trapping the heat in the chip.
The best conductor is metal to metal contact. The paste will conduct some heat but is worse at doing so than
the metal touching metal.
Seems like a bad idea in the sense of if you screw it up, you probably REALLY screw it up, but it would certainly be interesting to see the results if done well.
I'm the "slim smaller rectangle" guy.
The die is well covered and the excess paste is getting pushed to the sides, but not over the edge.
This video is the answer of my questions...heap on my mind thanks brother your effort is highly commendable...
thank you so much for the idea i've already apply the drop method to my cpu cafe Godbless
This is awesome man. Thanks. I subbed and followed your twitter 🥰
Thank you kindly. Reminds me I need to tweet more often!
Let's be clear. The paste is not the primary medium for heat transfer. Metal-to-metal is still far more efficient. The paste (dielectric grease with suspended silver shavings) is used because it is orders of magnitude more efficient than AIR. You want the most/closest metal-to-metal contact for proper heat transfer, and the paste is there to fill in all of the microscopic gaps for the rest. Too little or uneven paste causes the cooler to ride on a "cushion" of paste and leaves air gaps that insulate rather than transfer heat. Too much paste is going to make for less-efficient transfer of heat. You want to have the thinnest possible layer of paste with the most even distribution. So the "buttered toast" method is important, but so is the THICKNESS of paste. Only so much can be pressed out under the spring load of the cooler. This was demonstrated with the "small dot" method. Once the tension of the cooler mount matched the resistance of the paste to compression, it stopped flowing outward, but you could have spread an equal amount of paste across the entirety of the surface and achieved great results.
uber careful spreading has always been my go to. seems logical really.
Depends on the paste thermal conductivity. Thickness of the paste that goes with the viscosity of the paste, what is it made of. Cpu cooler mounting if its screwed one, it will squeeze the paste to the limit, so it will make the thinnest paste spread possible. If its just press fitted one, like stock intel cooler, then hell yeah you are dealing with cooler just touching thermal paste, that is touching cpu. Thermal paste isnt just liquid with silver shavings in it. By the use of it it will become chemically something like the solid pads you can buy, but fused without air bubbles to the cooler and cpu face. So its more to it than you think.
you are thinking to hard on this. Curb the OCD, the pressure and weight of the heatsink/screws squeezes the paste out so its not riding on some crazy 1/4" of goo. Its quite thin its better to put on too much vs too thin. a tiny dot will not cover the square edges so a X or 5 dot is the best 2nd is the credit card spread or maybe tied.
@@Physics072 The truth is that nowadays all CPUs come from the factory with an integral heat spreader on them, so if you're thick and sloppy on the Wal-Mart rig you're fixing for aunt Betty, it will be perfectly fine. If you like to actually push rigs with high computation loads and run exotic watercooling setups like I have for 20+ years, then yes, doing it right pays dividends
old school trick, you get a plastic baggy, use it as a glove, apply paste to baggy covered finger tip and dab the paste on the chip evenly with a very light coating. The goal is to fill in valleys and provide good contact and not cake it on to the point where it acts more like insulation. Great video by the way! I guess my method is more like the buttered toast method.
I watched 5 videos about this topic in a row and your video was the only on convincing. A lot of people, a lot of opinions, only one guy approving his methods. Good job 🙂
Thank you
You are to computers what Project Farm is to engines, glues and oils.
How dare you denigrate Project Farm like that!
Thanks ;)
Ok I applaud you for taking the time to do this test. It certainly is a help. Personally I have been building PC since 98'. Been using the Butter Spread since 2003. The only diff is that I put masking tape around the edge of the CPU approx 1/8" overlap, all around, onto the die surface. Then apply a bit of paste onto the die. Spread with a credit card or plastic always keeping the edges of the card on the tape. Simply remove the masking tape when finished. In this way you can have a very uniform result without too much overkill on the paste. I have always had great results. Again, thank you for your time.
This is genius!
Thanks for doing this - very thorough!
I’ve been in the electronics industry for 45 years, now retired. I would go with the “buttered toast” every time.
I’ve repaired every household appliances inc audio amps to computers. STK series of audio amplifiers chips get pretty hot.
You call yourself tech illiterate but your academic methodology skills are far better than most academic staff. Thank you for these perfectly scientific videos.
As a professional post-secondary student of over 6 years, I immensely appreciate his scientific method 👏👏👏
the best method is a thin layer specifically covering the die of the cpu, when you put the heat sink on it should spread almost to the edges of the cpu without seeping through
@Keebine Kobold well it's not the "best" in terms of thermal performance, since any method with enough paste will work fine. but it might be the best in terms of using as little paste as possible, getting a consistent application, all without sacrificing performance.
a novice may not realise they didn't put enough paste if they use another method, but if they use the buttered toast method it will be very obvious when there's not enough. for someone proficient, yeah it doesn't matter bc they have an idea of how much to use and they know to ensure even mounting pressure
Thanks for that, it was exactly what I was looking for!
Thank you so much I did the spread method and at basic tasks, my fan speed at 70%, cpu was 100C, did the cross method and fan speed 30%, went down to 46C. Cross is the way
I've done 100's of custom gaming PC's from $500-$5,000+. A thin even layer spread across the whole ihs keeps temps low and excess paste to clean off the MB later.
Probably also depends on the paste. Some pastes are more viscous than others and may not spread out as well under the pressure from the heatsink and may actually benefit from the "buttered toast" method.
I always used to use it for Arctic Silver. I seem to remember it was their suggested method, and it was one of the thicker pastes I've encountered. Part of it might be down to the fact that the paste was conductive; if you pre-spread it, then there's less risk of going wrong.
This is so clear and to the point I am so grateful.
Really great video !! But like always, everyone forget to mention the best way to clean the stock paste that was on from factory.
Another thing missing is that thicker pastes like the MX-6 have specific instructions for application, you put a big dot in the middle, then use a piece of glass to push it down, turn you install the heat sink
"Shrodingers thermal paste."
Locked an an eternal quantum state of being enough and needing more.
I personally do my own method "The spread x dot combo". This way the entire heat spreader is covered and the extra dot will prevent any air bubbles from getting trapped from a potential concave in the heat spreader.
I like this.
I did buttered toast... and a dot. It's good to see the comparisons. Looks like the most important thing is to have a good cooling system.
I always did buttered toaast method but it's messy trying to spread it. Happy to find out that cross and penta dot are as good without having to touch the paste!
I usually just do some art... I use different colored thermal pastes.
Last time I did a Xenomorph picture from Alien Isolation... detailed and everything.
When I removed the heatsink 6 months later to redo things...
The Alien was still there... only.. he was flicking me off.
I ... I don't remember painting that part....
For beginners, I would probably reccomend the spread method, I feel as if that would help people get used to how much they actually need
Brilliant video. Just what I needed. 🙏