Can you mix thermal CPU paste?

[helpimcrap]

Hi all, putting stock Intel cooler onto I5-2500K and it has some 10yr old thermal paste on it.
Can I add some Arctic Silver 5 to it or do I need to clean it off and start again?
What paste would you recommend?

 

[tamzzy]

clean off and start again
if you have the AS5, just use it
if you need to buy new paste then the arctic MX4 is the best value paste
if you want something higher-end but still good value then get the arctic MX6

 

[Space Monkey]

Yeah clean it off and start fresh, 10yr old paste is way too old

 

[TrojanWhore]

Yep, at that age it's probably dry as hell. You should be able to clean it up with just kitchen roll and more or less any solvent (isopropyl alcohol would be great if you have some).

If you need to buy new paste, I bought 20g of mx4 for around £8 recently (which will last me until desktop PCs have died a death).... if using 10 year old AS5 then it may have separated, so I'd give it a bit of a mix when applying (and be careful to keep it out of stuff, as it's conductive)

 

[goldy6660]

For the price and age, just start again

 

[Scooby-DoobyDoo]

I would buy some isopropyl alcohol for about £6.99 and use fresh. I have always used MX4 with a spreader.

 

[freddie64]

I'd be tempted to get a better cooler than using the stock Intel one, was it not loud as hell?

 

[pastymuncher]

I agree, the stock Intel cooler from back then was abysmal. No need to spend a fortune, one of the £15-20 Thermalright coolers wwill be enough.

 

[helpimcrap]

I just want to get it up and running and get it sold.

It has 8gb g skill DDR3 ram, SSD drives, and is a pretty decent spec PC TBH. But I just don't have the space or the use anymore.

I could repair the base of the Arctic Freezer Pro that was on it and fit but TBH I just want it gone lol.

Got 4g MX 4 and 2 wipes for £6 arriving.

 

[kaku]

People over-think thermal paste way too much. If you're not trying to push to the limit get something on there and get it running. Yes it's better to clean everything up and use the best available material, but in the grand scheme of things it's not going to be the difference between a PC you can use and a PC you can't.

 

[TrojanWhore]

...but in the grand scheme of things it's not going to be the difference between a PC you can use and a PC you can't.

I'd generally agree, but 10 year old paste that's likely baked completely dry isn't going to give a good thermal interface when re-mounting the cooler and I would expect it to overheat.
Not worth ignoring for the sake of a couple of quid

 

[sgoaty]

Possibly controversial but I very rarely use any solvent when cleaning old paste unless it's baked on. I give it a wipe with some kitchen roll and put my cheap GD900 paste on and call it done.
I tested the gd900 against mx4 a couple of years back and couldn't get anymore than a margain of error difference.

 

[tamzzy]

Possibly controversial but I very rarely use any solvent when cleaning old paste unless it's baked on. I give it a wipe with some kitchen roll and put my cheap GD900 paste on and call it done.
I tested the gd900 against mx4 a couple of years back and couldn't get anymore than a margain of error difference.

Same here. Good old bog roll does the job for me (wiping thermal paste )

 

[Freddie1980]

I'll borrow the misses nail remover and some kitchen towel if I need to remove thermal paste.

 

[deviation]

Same here. Good old bog roll does the job for me (wiping thermal paste )

I like to push the boat out, and sometimes use kitchen roll.

 

[tamzzy]

I like to push the boat out, and sometimes use kitchen roll.

That's too bougie for me

 

[sgoaty]

Same here. Good old bog roll does the job for me (wiping thermal paste )

I actually do the same if I don't have kitchen roll but I was a little scared of the lint police haha

 

[TrojanWhore]

Possibly controversial but I very rarely use any solvent when cleaning old paste unless it's baked on. I give it a wipe with some kitchen roll and put my cheap GD900 paste on and call it done.

Yeah solvent generally isn't needed, but I bought the 2 part arcticlean kit back when I thought these things mattered, so I still use the isopropyl from that when I can be bothered (if only to see it looking all nice and shiny).... I have no idea what I did with the other (orange scented) bottle.
I'm definitely team kitchen roll though, if only because it falls apart less when scrubbing at stubborn paste - if you can't see the clumps of loo roll on the CPU then it's probably not worth worrying about

 

[=XDC=FluphyBunny]

Hi all, putting stock Intel cooler onto I5-2500K and it has some 10yr old thermal paste on it.
Can I add some Arctic Silver 5 to it or do I need to clean it off and start again?
What paste would you recommend?

Clean ! I use isopropanol rubbing alcohol. I have also in the past used vodka.

 

[Dg834man]

I tested the gd900 against mx4 a couple of years back and couldn't get anymore than a margain of error difference.

It mostly falls on deaf ears in here that you can get paste from the silk road that's just as good as the more expensive branded stuff, think i paid £7 for my 30g tube of GD900, there's a newer GD-2 now that's nearly as good as the best pastes on the market for way less.