I've been struggling with the application of MX-4 on my current build (a i3-4340 Dual Core) . I've had to redo it twice before I was satisfied that the technique and the amount I was using gave full/correct coverage.
Nobody here has mentioned tinting ie. spreading a small amount of TIM all over the CPU and heatsink contact plates then wiping it off with just a tissue/cloth until it appears smooth and clean. The plates should now have a matt surface and that is used as the base for the final application.
The idea, which has always seemed sensible to me, is that what is effectively an undercoat fills all the microscopic pits in the metal surfaces and the gaps between the pipes in direct contact coolers.
I've only done one other build so I was looking around for information about the best way to apply TIM for that at the time and came across this:-
http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com...sk=view&id=150&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=4
The conclusion of the tests shown was that two thin lines of paste approx one third of the width of the CPU plate apart and each line half the length of the CPU plate gave the most even/full coverage. That is the technique I used with a syringe of MX-4 on both my builds but I found it VERY difficult to get right.
The problem is the width of the line seems to be determined by a combination the nozzle size of the syringe, the pressure used on the plunger, the angle and the speed you draw the lines.
Too many times the line starts fat and ends thin with a fine tail still attached to the nozzle which can and does go anywhere. Using a non-electrically conductive product should be mandatory.
Getting a single even width line with the quite runny MX-4 is difficult enough but two matched lines, correctly positioned really is an utter pain to do. I can well understand those who opt to blob instead.
There is also another question: whether to apply the TIM to the CPU or the heatsink?
