Thermal Paste Spread Under Glass
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ค. 2024
- Today I want to look at what different thermal paste application methods look like under glass. Well, not glass but some acrylic. Same thing right?
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
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0:00 Intro
0:33 Test procedure
0:50 The Pea Method
1:22 Rice grain
1:39 The Line
2:13 The 'X'
2:25 The Penta Dot
2:36 The Buttered Toast
3:25 The Tiny Dot
3:41 A Smiley Face
3:59 A Percent Sign
4:20 Spiral
4:48 Infinity Symbol
5:04 Square (Sqwerak)
5:18 Buttered Toast with Jam
6:00 Conclusion
6:37 Bloops
Music - plucked by Chris Doerksen
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Thermal Paste Spread Under Glass - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Thanks for watching :) Please leave a LIKE, it really helps the channel! Best Way to Apply Thermal Paste: th-cam.com/video/ofyNgJyhGuc/w-d-xo.html
You seriously need to shave your beard off. Very unprofessional and unhygienic.
what about and x with a dot in v's of the X
I've heard for the "buttered toast" meathod you need to butter the toast twice.
I'd like to add one other suggestion that I'm curious about. What if you did a "tall dot" or tower, if you will? Maybe even a coin size with a larger dot in the middle.
That should allow it to press down from the center, avoid any air bubbles, but have enough paste to evenly cover the IHS.
You should probably add the videos to the description that you mention so people can find it faster.
I usually just fill my whole bathtub with thermal paste and completely submerge my whole pc in it. It had yet to exceed -48° i did notice a 92FPS drop due to not being able to see my RGB through the thermal paste, so i made sure to cover the entire bathroom in RGB lights to eliminate FPS loss.
10/10 most effective method so far. Highly recommended.
🤣
Lmao 😂😂😂
Make sure you turn the tub on, I heard liquid cooling makes temps 69x cooler.
LMAO ! 😂
this made me laugh out loud at 2 in the morning xD
"The bubble disappears, but where did it go?" These are the thoughts that haunt you after and make you want to remove it and take a peek.
If you have enough thermal paste it can't hurt to check and just redo it. I know I messed up the pea thing at first. I dno maybe peas are just smaller over here? XD
Of course, that completely defeats the purpose, since all you see is smoosh and spikes. #DontWasteYourPaste
@@zwenkwiel816 fr though. first time I built a PC I purposely used a bit more because I was thinking a frozen pea, that's definitely not enough
The same thoughts all over the world. LOL
@@h8GW that's what she said
X was found to reduce bubbles considerably and was quick and easy to paste on.
Glad to see the method I've always been using because it made sense intuitively held up well under this experiment!
literally any method works as long as you put the required pressure onto the cooler when installing... he even said so in the video that air bubbles literally create margin of error differences... ill stick with buttered toast as I *know* for certain the entire IHS is covered, air bubble or not.
@@kendog0013 air bubbles get trapped. They don't have to be very large to create an issue. You can apply all you like, if anything, you are adding MORE air the more you spread.
@@viscountalpha thermal paste is a pourous borderline ultra fine sandy metal particulate with very small amounts of oil. im pretty certain the bubbles are just forcing through the paste and exiting the material all together.
X Gon' Give It To Ya
Ah yes. A 10-dollar tube of goop that is the difference between a freshly assembled 2500 dollar computer, and a heat-treated brick.
Last year during lockdown I took a weekend to do a bunch of testing with different spread methods. The pea, rice, X and buttered toast methods. After each application I ran a one hour benchmark to compare benchmark results and temps. I did this three times as I had so much time haha. The results were all within
With the ❎ I'm always worried I put too much and it leaks onto the mobo, so for the sake of safety, I'm sticking to the pea method 🙃
@@keshudioo just do a smaller X that doesnt go the entire way
@@keshudioo reduced the x size, case locked
@@keshudioo Nothing will happen if it leaks on to the mobo. Its not conductive - unless you're using liquid metal.
I did that as an experiment in school. I put a WHOLE TUBE of thermal compound - Back then it was Arctic Silver. It went everywhere! PC still booted fine, and we left it on a stress test for hours, and it was never affected.
@@keshudioo most paste isnt conductive, and its better to cover the entire thing and not worry about it being too thick..most of the compounds and pastes made today a lil extra if it hurts temps at all it might be 1 degree...
Just make sure you have a non conductive paste n giver hell my friend
At the start, I thought you were going to push the acrylic against the heatsink rather than the CPU. So that way you can see how the grooves and grain might affect the way it spreads out.
all coolers have polished surfaces now, it's not a thing
@@DrGeta666 Can I ask what 'now' means? I just bought a cooler for a really old computer...which now you can ask, "What is 'really old'?" xD
But yeah, do you mean AM5/LGA1700 and newer or you mean anything after AM2?
@@NoOne-yp1qe"grooves and grain" have never been a thing, heatsinks have them due to cost-effective machining processes. In the past I've dropped several degrees by lapping (making the bottom "mirror-like") the heatsink I was using at the time, and besides the cheapo colored alloy finish removed, I also removed the "grooves and grain" from the bottom of the heatsink. So no, grooves and grain do nothing but "trap" more thermal paste on them, worsening the heat transfer (although the end result may be minuscule).
@@rhobson Just playing "Devils Advocate" here - if the Chip was smooth and the heat sink were grooved, with paste, and no air pockets, wouldn't the grooves provide MORE surface area for the paste to transfer heat into ?? Or does "smoothness" get the sink closer, and - as long as you set up glass and sand-paper, why not polish the chip too ??
@@peterdarr383 I see your point of view on this, but let me try to explain better: in a perfect world, both surfaces of the chip and the heatsink would be completely flat, and would make perfect contact just touching, providing a perfect heat transfer by conduction.
Since we do not live in a perfect world, we use thermal compounds (paste, glue, sheets, "liquid metal'...) to fill the gaps between the surfaces from the chips and the heatsink, otherwise these small gaps would have "air", and the heat transfer in these gaps would happen by convection - and the air has a very poor thermal conductivity this way...
It's important to ensure you apply the force in the center, to compensate for flexure of the acrylic.
That explains the bubbles
He used half of an acrylic photo frame which are usually pretty thick so I doubt flex would be an issue past a matter of microns or something.
This video is great, to me it shows no matter the preference thermal paste will do its job, even the little spot that covers only 70% of the surface will do just fine.
Keep doing these sorts of reviews about PC internals and components and results in real-world. You don't need to try and compete with the sites that are test benching everything to within a micro-millisecond. Just answer the average users' queries about the best way to do things and whether it makes any difference which way it's installed. You've found your niche ! Thanks.
Thanks Reg, I appreciate that. I'll keep chugging.
The key observation of this experiment should not be the amount of coverage or the pattern, but how easily Thermal Compounds are designed to spread under pressure. You do not need very much compound to achieve an effective amount of coverage. A common error users make is to use more than necessary and overestimate the amount required. You don't actually need as much as many users typically think and they end up with excess that might actually impede thermal conductivity.
The job of thermal compound is not to transfer heat, per se, but to displace air by filling in the microscopic imperfections in the surfaces of the CPU heat spreader and cold plates of the cooler assembly. Heat transfers best with direct surface to surface contact and air is a good insulator. The less air trapped between the surfaces the better; and the more direct contact between surfaces that exists; the more heat energy can be transferred through the spreader into the heatsink and away from the CPU core.
Thus total coverage of the heat spreader with thermal compound is not critical, so long as a good surface to surface contact directly above the CPU cores is achieved. Caking thermal compound to the point of it oozing out the sides of the assembly, not only wastes thermal compound, but may actually create a barrier that degrades the quality of the direct surface to surface contact and lessen the efficiency of the heat assembly as the thermal compound hardens naturally into a wax like consistency over time.
Bullshit. Jay proofed that it doesnt impact, the presure of the cooler is way enough to thin the paste. There is only to less paste, not too much.
Well, atleast you dont use conductive paste or liquid metal, thats another Story.
There is no such thing as too much TP. TP fills the gaps between IHS and cooler plate, which are defined by the hardware - CPU, MB, Cooler, Mount - not how much TP you use.
Using too little TP risks not filling the gaps. Thermal conductivity will then be limited.
Using 'too much' TP will ensure the gaps are filled and will ensure conductivity is not constrained.
@@RobinHood-yk8og Think its better just to define ’too much’
If it oozes out on the sides, yes it is too much and TC its wasted.
But you have a point. The pressure leaves the thin layer needed left so in that regard, it doesn’t mattter if it little too much TC... You can just remove the excess it with finger, paper.
@@Benne175 Wasting TP is not a thing... an entire tube costs a few bucks.
Unless the user knows the exact amount of TP needed to get full coverage - and no one does - then there are 2 options available when applying it:
1 - err on the side of too little which will definitley constrain performance and in the extreme, risk cooking your CPU
2 - err on the side of caution and use enough that it 'oozes out on the sides'.
Option 1 could lead to massive productivity losses or in the worst case scenario, CPU replacement bills.
Option 2 just means you run out of TP sooner than necessary. There are no other downsides.
A few bucks vs potnetially hundreds/thousands in lost productivity/repairs....
In conclusion... wasting TP is not a thing. Too much TP is not a thing.
Thermal paste is far too thick in my opinion. A proper mating of surfaces is way more effective than filling gaps with a substance with a lesser thermal conductivity than metal or even mineral oil. Oil: 125mW/(m.K), thermal paste 3-8mW/(m.K) Thermal paste almost qualifies as an insulator.
I lapped both surfaces until completely flat and applied 2 drops of mineral oil which lowered the temps by 20°!
Never trust someone who claims you NEED their product!
I think mounting a cooler puts a lot more pressure than your tests because I've always used the pea method and the coverage was 100% when I pulled the cooler off.
then you are probably damaging your motherboard, be carefull, you can bend those things without too much force and that can short some components, so i would advise to take a little extra care there
@@slick6227 the way coolers are designed, you cannot put too much pressure on the CPU. When you screw the screws in until they don't turn anymore, that's when you reach the optimal pressure level. You just can't go any further.
I always do the pea method as well, the X makes me nervous about some bleeding over the edge.
@@inquity6 This stuff is all non conductive though, I have had huge blobs of it on the board and never caused an issue. The whole subject is just wives tales and inexperienced loud mouths.
@@owensharp8568 I guess its just my experience with using liquid metal that made me that way lol, I'd always assume they all are obviously I was wrong. I'm always overly cautious when working with someone's computer parts so. When I got back into PC building arctic silver 5 was no longer the best of the best.
For years I've done an X with small dot in each open space between the lines
Same
try doing it while the acrylic sheet is covered so you don't adjust the pressure as you press based on what you see. then take off the cover to see which method is more prone to making bubbles
Need to use the actual thermal cooler mount to push on the acrylic to see anything similar to real world results.
I used to apply the x method, but Noctua actually recomments the penta pea method as it saves on the paste but does perfect coverage as outlined in your video. Noctua has a couple of videos on how to apply their paste based on the type and size of CPU.
looking at the documentation with my most recent purchase of NT-H1 they only recommend a single 4-5mm dot centre for the AM4/LGA20xx, a smaller single 3-4mm dot for the LGA115x, but 9 dots of varying sizes for the TR4 and LGA 3647.
Agree, but only when the CPU has even sides (square). Alder Lake and Raptor Lake are rectangular so pea in center doesnt sound best. Maybe 2 peas placed about 1 cm apart?
@@weeooh1 Or maybe a thick rice, or an oval perhaps ?
@@weeooh1 the rectangular cpu need a cross like the one christ died on
AMD also recommends the penta dot method as well. I just follow what the manuals say most of the time.
Having worked in the electronics industry and in other industries... application of the HSC to BOTH faces in a thin even layer then apply both together with the added 'wiggle' to seat them well.
Thanks for the idea. Is it probably better if the thermal paste covers the entire CPU? If so, you should rather take more, right. Should you then try to remove thermal paste that has spilled out to the side with cotton swabs?
More isn't necessarily better though. The goal is to have a thin, even layer over the entire CPU. If you have too much it could actually slightly hurt your temps, as the CPU transfers heat better with direct contact to the heatsink, but thermal paste is needed to ensure they're touching completely. In an ideal world, the CPU would fit absolutely perfectly to the heatsink, with no gaps or air, and thus thermal paste would not be needed@@hullahupp
The reason that the air bubbles look like they disappear is because the glass is getting covered with thermal paste. Shakey hand movements cause it to reach more and more surface, until eventually you just see gray. The bubbles are exactly where they used to be, just right underneath an ultra thin layer of gray goop.
I swear... on first read through of your comment I thought you wrote "...gray poop." 🤣😂
@@Just_Call_Me_Tim Same.
@@Just_Call_Me_Tim "...gay poop." seriously :D
...aaand Eric Cartman has entered the chat.
no, they're pushed out by the pressure. how tf would slime trap air when you're putting massive pressure on it? maybe if the surfaces were very uneven and created a pocket for air to hide, but how would method make this better.
every time this is tested with temps the conclusion is it doesn't matter, as long as you use enough
Great video. I would suggest you cover the glass with tape when you put it on and take the tape off, once you think you are done. This way you prevent yourself from cheating due to the visual feedback. Some methods might work better when you don't see how the paste spreads.
I would probably suggest using a thin sheet of plexiglass or just plain cling wrap and just put the regular cooler on top and tighten it like you would in a normal build. That way you get the right pressures and behaviors and you can then take it off without disturbing it.
Incredibly helpful/interesting. The effect on temps is debatable, but it's still nice to have a better idea how well the paste is applied, simply a matter of OCD more than actual results. Very cool idea and very well illustrated to us! Thank you!
This was great to see i have always spread my thermal paste i have done it that way for 20 or more years but the x pattern and many others all work fine .
Having never had the inclination to do this - Kudos to you!
I think a lot of the misconstrued mythologizing about this is that every application is never the same, like the butterfly effect, In my opinion I think for an inexperienced person the X marks the spot to play it safe.
I like the X. I usually do the Buttered toast. My next I will try X as I thought it spread nicely.
As long as you use red thermal paste for AMD, green thermal paste for nVidia and blue thermal paste for Intel, you will get the right RGB proportion.
😂
Great idea using the transparent plexiglass for showing the thermal paste spread. Thank you
Thank you so much! I was very scared of doing anything myself inside my laptop but it was overheating and wheezing recently, it just needed a good clean up and a bit of new paste. It took me forever (my sinks were attached with two big fans, it was a struggle) but finallyI managed to clean everything up, add new paste and now laptop is running quieter and doesn't get so freakishly hot. THANK YOU!
Might help to start by saying what the objective should be - which is to cover the whole of the CPU with as thin a layer as possible. The paste is only there to fill the gaps between imperfectly flat surfaces and, wherever possible, direct metal to metal contact is much better. if the surfaces are not perfectly flat there would otherwise be air gaps and air doesn't conduct as well as thermal paste but thermal paste doesn't conduct as well as direct metal to metal.
the pressure of all mounts makes it impossible to have to thick a layer, spread and lack of air is all that matters.
@@Stars-Mine not correct
@@aggibson74 Literally correct, look at everyone who has tested it such as gamers nexus. you cant put on to much paste, dont worry about it.
So just weld your cooler to your IHS 😎
@@Stars-Mine well you can do too much, the excess just squeezes out but yeah If you tighten down your cooler properly its impossible to have too thick of a layer or something. Might make a mess though...
The reason tile mortar is applied line and groove is so that air gets squeezed out as the tile sets, it's best to not do shapes that fence in air (circle, infinity...)
YES I don't even do tile, but i assumed that's what the grooves and channels are for. So when a pocket of air hits one it can escape instead of retreating back into the paste.
THIS IS THE BEST VIDEO, shows you exactly what happens with the paste AWESOME
very interesting! i usually go for the X with one dot in the middle of each V shape
Everyone misses a very important step- rub. I learned about thermal compounds from Dow. They told me to rub the cooler on the cpu. Rub the glass on the cpu, when you feel a slight increase in drag, stop. pretty much those patterns will work with a rub. Rubbing make the thinnest layer of thermal compound.
Yeah...except the oils from your skin are not conducive to thermal conductivity; and, depending on the level of oils [or other things] on your skin, you may actually compromise the chemical makeup of the thermal compound. I would agree with your concept if you're wearing a rubber glove.
@@jcpt928 he means that you should wiggle the cooler around a bit on the CPU before you screw it down. When you wiggle the cooler around on top of the CPU, you'll feel that it goes from slippery to sticky, which is when you've displaced all of the air bubbles.
@@fermitupoupon1754 That does make more sense than the finger. Ha.
Pea dot method has never failed me, as long as theres enough paste. Any air escapes out the sides as pressure is applied.
And you actually don't really need to cover the whole CPU with thermal paste, only the places where the contact is suboptimal. So the less the better.
@@Miraihi Yes it is only in the center and 1.5-2 cm radious its not much.. People always exaggerating.
I would never do what this dude does its to much in every method to me it is ridiculous..
@@Hammersch u can literally draw a cock and balls with thermal paste and the temps will be within 1 degree of all the others lmao
it doesnt matter
This is a really cool visual of what approximately happens. Great vid!
I've seen several videos on thermal paste application (some from major tech tubers) but I don't remember any of them doing something a simple as using a bit Perspex so you can actually see how the paste spreads. Great Vid 👍
Been using the cross method for about 8 years on Intel and amd, Always Works the best
Are you Christian?
I've been using Ye Olde debit card method since ~2002 when i started working in a PC shop where we assembled and repaired systems. I can't ever recall a customer coming back in with any CPU overheating problems, and we never discovered any, and we used to sit and play games on some customers PCs as they were higher powered than anything me and my coworkers could ever afford, so they were well tested! LOL
As with all things, we may have missed a handful out of the 1000's of systems we handled.
On my own personal assemblies, i of course stuck with using the debit card method, and again, never had any overheating issues at all.
We had done a similar test with a glass plate that you'd use with those microscopes, thinking that the glass would be of a higher surface polish standard (not that it mattered) and used a cylindrical weight from an old set of scales that almost perfectly touched all four sizdes of the CPU (again, not that it mattered).
We would start this test just before we closed the shop for the night at around 5.30, so it would be an over night test that was checked when we opened again at 9.30am, and besides the X, the rest of the methods you've shown here turned out at about the same coverage.
The "Penta dot" as you called it, was simply done like the 5 on a dice face, with the dots closer grouped together than shown in your own testing. My coworker even just Picasso'd (random) thermal paste onto the CPU, and it turned out about the same, but with a more spilling over the side than even a large blob LOL (don't do either since it's just wasteful).
In the end, we decided among ourselves to eyeball a pea-sized blob and then use a debit card to spread it out.
This was our way of ensuring we didn't use too much paste, which in turn would translate to higher costs over all from having to buy extra thermal paste. However, when you're doing your own PC, then you don't need to worry about over all costs like that since you only need one tube.
So even though i have known for a very long time, that it really doesn't matter all that much, i still can't kick that habit of using the pea sized blob + debit card method.
It's like an addiction at this point in my life! LOL
This was enjoyable. I used to do the spread method, however the spread with the dot seems like a great method.
Thanks a lot. Will be using the X. :) Covers. No Bubbles. No spilling over the edges.
I used the pea method, based on Noctua's cooler manual suggestion. Mine was about half the size of your pea, and seems to have done the trick. Right now my pc is at 29 C. Never goes beyond about 72.
Ya his pea was huge
@@Aaron-uz8xt Lmao
The "bubbles" worry usually is moot because a lot of coolers are putting way more pressure down on the CPU than your hands will. The air bubbles get squeezed out with all the excess paste generally.
Very informative thanks for this! Building a computer at christmas so Im glad this came up
Very good test of the methods.
And also very professional way doing that. (The sound quality also adds to the experience)
I do the 5 dots, center dot being a bit bigger. Then I don't clip the heatsink yet, I twist by like 10 degrees or so, back and forth a few times, the heatsink to make sure I spread and squeeze as much out from under there as possible.
I wonder if in these tests if your acrylic is flexing and adding more to the bubbles, and reducing the spread from the middle of the cpu to the edges. In either case this gives a decent representation.
Just spead the paste over the entire surface of the CPU using your finger tip. This worked for me for over 20 years. Not kidding. It is the most optimal solution since you get 100% coverage and don't need to worry about any bubbles or missing an area.
I've been doing the x method for several years. Seems to work fine. As long as you don't put too little or too much, you're fine.
I like to rotate the cooler after I put on the paste, maybe 20-30 degrees each way a few times, and then rotate it in a little "wax on/wax off" fashion.
My thinking is that I want to try to get some of the bare metal to touch in a few places, and let the paste fill in any dips or humps. As opposed to having a layer of paste everywhere when it's not really needed.
This is actually the correct line of thinking when using thermal paste, metal to metal contact is ideal but since machining leaves behind high and low spots we need to fill the gaps. In all honesty, I think he uses too much thermal paste.
hey little suggestion if its not too late: if you wanna see how the grooves and channels on coolers affect the spread, use the acrylic on said heatsinks
as in apply some thermal paste to the heatsink as if it was the CPU, then press the acrylic on it
The video we've needed since forever
This was soo enjoyable to watch kinda like the feeling you get peeling off peel. So incluconsion, about the only thing you don't want to do with thermal paste is use too little.
I do the X method with little dots in each open space :)
It's an epic theme that will continue for generations. 🤣
I in particular used to distribute an even layer with a spoon of ice cream or similar.
great video, thanks for making it!
X method is indeed the best!
Nice comparison :) It would have been nice to make sure that the pressure / pushing force is right (right in respect to the pressure which the colling element, mostly a cooling fan, will apply). As long as you increase the pressure it will lead to an ongoing spread of the thermal paste and sometimes you could missimulate the effect a bit by applying too much pressure just to get the paste to each corner (here again, too much in respect to the cooling element which would have a set pressure if you mount it in the right way).
I've considered redoing it, make a device to mount a think acrylic sheet.
This video convinced me to stop doing the "buttered toast" as it has more risk of trapping the air bubbles. I still like a good coverage in the corners, so the X and the 5 dot seem to be the best overall.
If you buy a real top grade paste just make the dot..the x could cause air bubbles as well not likely but could..if you are worried about it.
Todays paste and compounds even if you add the whole damn tube your temps might be 1-2c higher..its just gonna be a bitch getting that heatsink down lol
Thanks! I am glad someone made this cause I’m overthinking some stuff and this helped me have a good sleep 😁
I have yet to build my own PC (family / time/money/etc)... but it's on my bucket list.
This was fascinating. Love that it's practical, and not basically theoretical [ like: this (x) is .01 millisecond better than (y) ].
Also - The outtakes at the end.
Subscribed. 👍
You should try what tilers do. They use notched tile trowels to avoid bubble. You could probably make one suitable for spreading thermal compound by just cutting notches into an old credit card or something.
I believe they use notched trowels to give the adhesive room to spread out while still being able to level the tile, not to avoid air bubbles, which you see all over if you pull up tiles. (Not too big, though, or they sound hollow when you walk on them, which means not enough adhesive was used.)
Through my own experimentation I've found my favorite is a super thin, but very even buttered toast. Then a small dollop (of jam) in the middle. I also try to wiggle the mount a bit to help even out any differences from an off center placement. I love the MX5 that Arctic recently released.
I do the same except no dot in the middle. There was a video 15 years ago I recalled. The engineer explained it in dept. That the best method was very thin that appears it was almost putting nothing in it. The paste was enough to cover micro holes. But applying paste like that is hard and time consuming.
Again the paste is meant to bridge heatsink to lid because of uneven surface of micro holes.
That's a fantastic way of seeing what's happening 😀
Thank you. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for.
Great idea to do tests with a clear material so you can see the results! Value of a steady hand? When you are putting on a big aircooler how steady can you be with it? Especially if you are changing a cooler while everything is in the case and you are dropping the cooler down into the big hole. So this leads to another question- how do these various methods work if you put the cooler down so that it contacts on one side of the cpu then rocks into position towards the other side?
I normally go with 5 sided dice, but I like the X. Regardless I rarely apply paste or overclock.
You...you don't use paste??? 😱
tbh a repaste is only really necessary when your temps feel off or you've gone like 5 years without one
That was very informative 🙂Thanks for the science!
Thanks for interesting practices !
I usually use "※" or ◇ with center dot.
I tend to use X method, but I add really small dots in the open parts of the X. 🙂
I add the dots only with nameless brand paste. As you saw, mx4 is good quality paste so x is good, but nameless paste tends to have worse spread so the dots are for then.
@@Olav_Hansen I've been a fan of, and have used Arctic Silver 5 for over a decade now. I just add the dots to make sure.
I saw a video once where they over applied (like ridiculous amounts) of thermal paste and everything was fine LOL.
@@erich6860over applying isn't a problem that often, since most paste doesn't conduct. But this vid has reinforced the idea that X is a worthwhile endeavour.
@@Olav_Hansen I did not say it was not a worthwhile endeavor, I was simply saying what I do.
This? ※
Amazing video! Thanks.
Batman's right
Great test idea
I always wondered how much Thermal paste there is out there in the whole world in half used tubes!
I like the X best, thanks for the video
The X or 5 dot method is the best, and yes it does make a difference more so the paste you use as long as you have a large enough coverage, it won't be perfect every time and the heatsink (air cooler or AIO) will apply a better pressure across the IHS when you screw it down so that helps spread it better.
@Tech Illiterate
This was excellent! It would be interesting to do this same type of test with Glass instead of plexi, mostly because glass doesn't flex like plexi does. Might better show what actually happens to the air pockets..
Great way to test. Doing the X right now!
Really good test! Thanks for this
The X marks the spot!
Thanks for posting this video. My PC has been shutting-down with greater frequency. I started monitoring the CPU temps and saw that they were averaging in the high 60's C, spiking into the low 80's. Time to re-apply thermal paste! (And thoroughly clean everything else) I followed your advice of using the X method. CPU temp is currently averaging high 20's.
Really glad to see this video. I work in the professional computer building industry. This is always discussed amongst the techs & engineers. I have always done the big X, corner-to-corner. Then a smaller x to make it like a snowflake, those smaller ends extending from the center, outward to the sides. I always start each line from the center, so a bit extra is left there each time. Giving me that extra dollop in the center.
Sounds like you're putting way too much on. You need as little as possible.
@@orionlax626 Incorrect. It is actually very difficult to put too much on (sorta). I have half a dozen expired tubes worth $300 a piece, of thermal paste. I assure you (for funzies) I have put WAY TOO much on before. When they order too much at work & it goes past the expiration date, we spread the wealth & give it to people (rather than throw it away, the stuff is still good, just can't use it on customer product). You also don't want to go for the "as little as possible" method. It is always best to have a bit more than you need, especially if you are not experienced. The amount between the processor & whatever, needs to be enough to fill all the gaps & handle the thermal transfer load effectively. There really isn't a SUPER-SWEET spot that NEEDS to be achieved. I guess what I am saying is, take it from a guy whos been building computers professionally for 15 years & has like $3K worth of thermal paste on the floor at his feet (lol) - don't be afraid to add a lil extra dollop if you feel like there is too little.
@@SomeGuy-sz1by
It's hard to use so much that it seriously hinders performance, and it's definitely better to use too much than too little. I'm just saying the perfect amount is almost nothing. Like you said, it's about filling holes, not actually covering the surface. People are too paranoid about using too little paste because it seems to be the tyre-kicking of the PC world.
been using X method with 4 small dots for years
I've just always done the penta dot method for years and haven't had any noticeable issues.
wow i commented on an earlier video and this answers it perfectly
well i guess judging screw tension still will be harder to balance than pressing down on a transparent glass
Why the hell hasn't someone else done this video before? You are the real MVP. Subbing just for this.
It's all fine looking at the spread while pressed with glass, but what many forget is that cpus/gpus get hot, heats up the paste and the paste then spreads even further acorss the thermal surface.
You really only need a thin layer of paste, as the paste is Only used because of the microscopic pits and other impurities of the metals used. When it comes to thermal paste, less is better. Ive been a tech & applying paste now for over 35yrs.
The amount of "spread" caused by a 90C temp isn't going to change much. That's just a silly statement. You'll never notice the extremely minute difference. You can test this out by putting it in ~200f oven
I also use the buttered toast method but instead with a dollup of marmalade
Interesting video! I always enjoy seeing the spread pattern on heat sinks when removing them after a non-OEM pasting. I have had some OEM paste stay in perfect shape on the heat sink and show zero transference to the CPU when removed after years of use though.
For interests sake, the "Dell EMC PowerEdge T430 Owner's Manual - Installing a heat sink", depicts applying the paste in a swirl. A couple of decades ago I used to do the single pea; and then moved on to the thin spread with a spatula; and, more recently I've taken to the swirl. The consistency of quality pastes on the market has definitely changed over that time though.
I like that you used perspex, able to apply more force that way.
Excellent showcase. How flexible was the clear cover plate? Could pressing that far from the cpu cause it to dome up in the center? Maybe you didn't have to press very hard to get the spread.
It's pretty rigid. 1cm Thick (1/3 inch) But I'm sure there was some flex, even if just a little. Might have contributed to the air in the centre of the "buttered toast" test.
Good test bro. I use the pea method and it has worked well for years. I use a bigger pea size for AMD chips.
Yeah the pea works just fine. The coolers will also squeeze with more force than he can apply to the glass.
There really isn't a wrong or "better" way to apply thermal paste. It's just grown into more of an internet meme that people take too seriously. Also, it is a myth that you must cover the entire IHS. CPUs have hot spots. Those are the areas that need the thermal paste.
Kudos on the ingenious way to test this though.
Your videos are terrific. Very useful stuff.
It probably depends more on the volume applied rather than the shape
I've always used what everyone calls a "small ammount", and when I took the cooler off(weeks later, sometimes months) it's spread across the entire IHS, edge to edge, corner to corner, in a layer so thin that you can almost read the writing on the CPU. _That's_ what I call "perfect ammount".
With my 2200g with Wraith Stealth or with my brother's 2700X with a large TUF cooler (can't remember the exact name), I applied the paste on both of them myself, and monitoring the temps they never went over 65°C in stress tests, and lower in normal gaming regime.
And for the record, I have tested them with the "recommended ammount" and there's little to no difference, so why bother using more when less is more?
More paste is bad too, there needs to be just enough to fill the gap, any more and it's an insulator.
But noo, if there's not thermal paste seeping in my RAM slots then I have too little.
Very nice to see this under glass!
You didn't do the X with 4 dots on the edges like I do 👍perfect coverage every time. Well I assume. I've never tested it with glass before. Like I said, perfect!
I'm really thankful to you for these videos. I have multiple workstations and laptops and I decided to repaste them all (after multiple years of heavy use and observing higher temperatures than was normal). However... I really needed a bit of help with understanding how to apply this thing. It might be trivial for some, but since I've never actually had to do it, your videos were very helpful. Thank you!
Nice, thats what is the internet needed, another of thousands videos about thermal paste spreading. Does now every hardware channel make a "new" test how thermal paste looks like under glass?
As said. It doesn't matter. Gamers Nexus looked at all methods and quantities. The diference in temp was miniscule.
My thoughts are to use as little paste as possible. The ideal condition is to have direct CPU to cooler contact and let the paste fill in the gaps.
I lap my CPU if it needs leveling, apply a pea sized bit of paste and when I gently press the cooler in place I also slide it back and forth slightly until I can feel the metal to metal contact. Based on dis-assembly for my last few upgrades, most of the paste is squished out and I get perfect coverage. Never lost a CPU to heat and I've been building PCs since 1983.
yeah, and new generation of "experts" is just saying it doesnt make a difference... lol, well it does... when the paste will start to dry out. method of application never shows flaws when the compound is fresh, only when it gets older. and when the paste gets older, if the layer is too thick(pressure was too low etc.), temps noticeably go up. so as you said, paste is meant to enhance the thermal conductivity, by minimalising air pockets, and not to form a layer of goo both on cpu and on mobo xD
@@seushimarejikaze1337 You lost any credibility when you said "cpu" and "mobo"... think about it, lol
That's the thing, there is no such thing as "perfect coverage". You're never going to get a bare minimum application that just fills in the microscopic gaps and pits. Applying a "perfect" amount of thermal paste has always been an inside joke to the educated PC builders. Furthermore, it is a myth that you must cover the entire IHS.
@@mccalejk2 i really cant see how credibility is in any way tied to what i said, as all said, is true and comes from actual experience from maintaining and troubleshooting my own pc(that evolved a lot since 2004, first one completed around year 2000) for more than 19 years.. anyway its not a myth, but i guess, people nowadays dont care for hardware life as long as sensors show them "correct" temp... thing about covering whole ihs comes from the fact that if you dont, there might be temperature differences within the cpu (by extension between cores) that potentially can do damage. depending on the manufacturer and a model it can either lead to minor problems or none, but better to be on the safe side and go for bigger contact area between ihs and radiator, right? (or dont do it, proper care for hardware is a personal thing and all up to you {its your money} and some people dont even clean their pc of dust{psu included} even once a year, then come to me saying their pc doesnt "boot up" and if i could help... lolz)
Penta dot and X looked really nice
I'm sold on the X.
I had guessed that a square would be ideal, but it turns into a circle. An X actually turns into a square.
Nice one. Great channel, great quality content, love it.
It would be interesting to not apply the pressure completely by hand, but rather have the transparent sheet rigged with holes so that one could install it using the cooler mount screws. This would get the results very close to real life.
Not to mention that these tests vary alot depending on the thermal compound used, with their different viscosities.
Last but not least, der8auer, after also making these kind of glass sheet tests, said on a GamersNexus video that due to the very high mount pressure between the heatsink and the CPU IHS, trapping air bubbles of a size that actually matters is almost impossible.
Here: th-cam.com/video/CCqxE-5Ct3w/w-d-xo.html
I would personally add that in a DIY home situation like this, it is actually impossible to NOT trap microscopical bubbles in the compound, which even out, and they do not really matter in the end thermal performance and measurements. AND they will eventually escape thanks to the pump out effect through thermal cycling.
That's what I was thinking - make it like the actual heatsink assembly
Since you found potential air bubbles this time maybe you should redo them in a sandwich of 2 pieces of acrylic. Like cut a square "die" of acrylic and re-use the acrylic from this video to see better if the air bubbles moved or really disappeared
There will be no air bubbles. You only see air bubble because he is putting pressure with his hands and its nowhere near the amount of force you apply with screwing down CPU cooler.
@@col.hanslanda2013 so you’re saying a CPU cooler is even *less* able to squeeze out those air bubbles... there’s a reason that industrial equipment service manuals instruct technicians to apply sealants and silicone gasket material *without* spreading - allowing the material to squish as the two surfaces are brought together is much less likely to trap air pockets. Will a few small air pockets actually hurt thermal transfer? Probably not much, but they *definitely* won’t help!
@@dregenius dude, Col. Hans landa is right, there will be no air bubbles, its a myth in pc space. This is not a silicone and there is very strong pressure between cpu and the cooler once its properly mounted.
@@dregenius according to noctua you can apply 0.6Nm force to their cooler screws. So after few calculations, after tightening those two bolts you apply around ~200kg force to that cooler plate.
Schrödinger’s thermal paste: Once you apply the heat sink it exists simultaneously in both a good and a bad spread state.