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Best way to apply paste to CPU?

Guest2

Guest2

Guest2

Soldato
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6 May 2009
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I have my PC ready for a Q6600 to be installed under an H50. What is the best method to apply paste to the CPU? (It will be lapped)

I usually use the grain of rice in middle technique but I have heard spreading it yourself gives better results. Cling film over finger, credit card, razor, 2 lines applyed to cpu...

What is the best method from your experience?
 
philtorrens said:
Grain of rice in the middle is fine for single core and dual core chips but for the Q6600 I would probably apply it in a line as shown here http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf
Click to expand...

That is a very nice little document. I used the grain method with my AS3 and quad core AMD 955 and I'm getting high temps. I'm planning to get MX-3 since it seems to be the best and I think it spreads quite easily (less greasy than AS3/5?). I'll certainly try the line method. Thanks.
 
With the credit card method, do you just do a line on one side then spread accross with the edge of the card? If i did this i could almost guarantee it didnt spread evenly or there would be areas where its missing.

Think i will just apply a thin line accross the middle, as in document
 
@ Dancer.. MX-3 is great :) Used AS5 in the past but I found MX-3 to be much better as it doesn't need any curing time and it's non conductive also.
 
This video has been posted a few times on the forums. Since watching it I have switched from spreading it myself to a blob in the centre (which is spread out by the heatsink). BTW I use MX-3 (and mx-2 before that).

I used to really like the "spread it out" method because it made me feel very involved, however considering all the air bubbles I likely created - it probably wasn't the best use of my time and effort.
 
I've consistenly got my best results using the credit card method. Don't know why really. Rice grain or line is theoretically better but I suspect I've used too much or too little, hence better results with spreading.
 
cmndr_andi said:
This video has been posted a few times on the forums. Since watching it I have switched from spreading it myself to a blob in the centre (which is spread out by the heatsink)
Click to expand...

Thanks, very useful. I think I'll use the blob/pea method too after watching that. How do you know when you got enough mx-3 thermal paste?
 
Dancer said:
Thanks, very useful. I think I'll use the blob/pea method too after watching that. How do you know when you got enough mx-3 thermal paste?
Click to expand...

If you do it enough you can judge it by eye.

But for the first few times you can apply an amount that you think is right (imagine the volume of a piece of cooked short grain rice), mount the heatsink and tighten fully. Then remove the heatsink and see how well the paste spread. You then need to clean that paste off and try again, if you are happy with the way the last lot spread then apply the same amount and connect up the heatsink. It is worth giving the heatsink a few twists (if possible) when attaching it to help remove any air bubbles.
 
I wouldn't say there was a "best" way to do anything but rather what works best for you! :)

Blob'n'Go has worked pretty well for me so far although it take a little practice to get the right sized blob to start with! . . . If in doubt and you feeling a bit anal then Blob'n'Spread seems like a pretty sensible method!

As you can see, I have "mastered" the precision Blob'n'Spread, the technique has been perfected over many years! :p

sun021.jpg
 
I would say it really depends on the CPU, Pentium IV's had pretty well made flat heat spreaders, Core 2's on the other hand are normally concave, and if you spread you can easily get a considerable air gap. The blob methods allow the airgaps to become filled with the compound, which although its still a relatively poor conductor of heat (compared to metal to metal contact) its a whole world better at conducting heat than an air pocket.

In a perfect world, with a lapped CPU and heatsink, the paste should be almost microscopically thin, as its only there to fill in microscopic inperfections in the metal, in the real world according to Intel processors, its there to fill in the vast air pockets caused by their concave heat spreaders.
 
If you are using a direct contact type of heatsink then the blob method is not as effective as the spread it over with a credit card method (onto the cpu then pressure forces the extra into the gaps on the heatsink.
I recommend trying this, then removing the heatsink see how it worked and go on from there
 
johnerz said:
If you are using a direct contact type of heatsink then the blob method is not as effective as the spread it over with a credit card method (onto the cpu then pressure forces the extra into the gaps on the heatsink.
I recommend trying this, then removing the heatsink see how it worked and go on from there
Click to expand...

What do you mean direct contact heatsink. What other type is there? If you watch the video/read the pdf you will see that spreading it creates air bobbles.
 
Think ill just go with the line technique and not spread it as seen in post 2. Ive only got a very small amount of paste left anyway, so if i cack up the 'blob n spread' :) by gettign air bubbles, then im screwed (for about £7 anyway)
 
After practice applying thermal paste I used to suggest the spread method but have came to reallise that just putting a pea size blob on the cpu is the best technique.

It seems when the cooler goes on it pushes the air out and spreads itself. But a lot of methods are viable.
 
With the couple of hdt coolers ive applied ive used a small blob on each pipe since most of it is going to ge between the pipes anyway. A small blob in centre of cpu would just go between the middle pipes instead of spreading out.
 
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