Has anyone applied thermal paste in their computer themselves? Any advice on what thermal paste should be used?


Thanks in advance

You need to apply a bit of heat-conducting paste between the CPU and its fan when you assemble them. It doesn't take much. You can buy a little tube at a computer store, like Canada Computers or Summit Direct. It's kind of a metallic colour. Also, watch out! It's supposed to be corrosive to human skin. (Even though I've never tested that.)

When should you assemble/disassemble a computer? One factor is that you should take the covers off and do a thorough vacuuming regularly to get rid of the dust buildup. Whether you decide to take the fan off, is up to you. If you're not used to such things, maybe better not.

Any really works from a reputable brand. I bought arctic silver m3 I think. Use isopropuyl alochol, small dab on a q tip and rub it off gently. If its old enough, take an old credit/gift card to scrape it off then apply a small dab into the centre and spread.

Well Arctic-Cooling is great. Best on the market.

I think the company is called Arctic now, I used this one, they've been making it for years and it's usually the recommended choice for good performance: http://www.arctic.ac/worldwide_en/mx-4.html

In terms of price there isn't much difference with MX-2.

Thanks guys!

Should I wait for a certain time before starting the laptop after applying it? Is half an hour or an hour good?

Originally Posted by moonlitnight

Thanks guys!

Should I wait for a certain time before starting the laptop after applying it? Is half an hour or an hour good?

No, unlike thermal glue, it's good to go right out of package.

Just let the isopropyl air dry out before applying it. In terms of out of the package, anytime

Thanks!

Seeing as you're doing this to a laptop, make sure you read the instructions carefully for the particular thermal paste you have. Most desktop CPUs use the "pea" application method, where you just put a dab in the centre and let the pressure of the heat sink attachment spread it out, which isn't really appropriate for all laptops. Many AMD APUs, for example, require you to spread out the paste with something like a credit card.

Also, if you're using it on a laptop with exposed resistors/capacitors on the CPU itself, you may have to purchase something specific like Arctic Silver Céramique 2, which is not electrically conductive. You can cause a lot of problems otherwise.

Thanks

Hey, when building my computer I found LinusTechTips channel on youtube to be very useful.
https://www.youtube.com/user/LinusTechTips

Here's a quick video on installing/applying thermal paste.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2p6Hk4IfqI

For thermal paste, I've tried:
Arctic Cooling
http://search.ncix.com/search/?qcati...ctic+co oling

Arctic Silver 5
http://www.ncix.com/detail/arctic-si...10715-1661.htm

Noctua NT-H1
http://www.ncix.com/detail/noctua-nt...l-bc-27174.htm

From my experiences, I would say the NT-H1 gave me the lowest temperatures overall but they are all good thermal pastes with 1~2 degrees differences.

There's many ways people say to apply thermal paste like putting a line across the cpu, spreading the paste with a credit card but I found the most effective way to just apply the pea sized paste in the center of the cpu which is where all the cores are situated. Be careful not to apply too much, as less is more. And 99% isopropyl alcohol with non-dusty wipes (ex. coffee filters or kimwipes) are recommended.
GL!

Some of the thermal pastes people have mentioned here are conductive (arctic silver) so be very careful about where you apply it. If it moves off the heat spreader onto the actual board you could short something.

No I never used this termal paste before.

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