Best way to apply thermal paste
- Thread starter lauy
- Start date
Thermal Pads here, anyone used them
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/coollaboratory-liquid-metalpad-1-x-cpu-thermal-pad-th-007-cl.html
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/coollaboratory-liquid-metalpad-1-x-cpu-thermal-pad-th-007-cl.html
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What size pea is that they come in different sizes and then there is the grain of rice size everyone has different methods and amounts it makes it so confusing.
I think it depends on what you're applying paste to. If it's a small bare chip then a grain of rice should be ok. If it's a CPU with IHS then a grain of rice probably won't be sufficient to cover the whole thing.
If you can be bothered lapping the IHS and cooler first then you can use the tiniest amount as it just pushes it all out and just leaves a IHS shaped stain in the middle of the cooler. Its much easier just going with a bigger blob though.
The entire surface of IHS does not need TIM. Fact is it generally performs better with only a round or oval print over the area where chip is under the IHS.
The IHS size is not to spread heat from chip. It is to give a decent size mounting base for cooler to set on. The IHS is too thin to transfer heat away from sides of chip more than a few mm
.
We do not want a layer of TIM between the surfaces.
TIM does not transfer heat as well as direct contact.
But metal a porous granular composition so we end up with microscopic void between the surfaces.
We want metal to metal contact with TIM filling the voids where these voids are.
The more TIM that is applied, the more pressure is needed to push out all the surplus that holds the two surfaces apart.
This is why a 'grain of rice' size dob will give lower temps than a 'pea' size dob.
I simply went to this site which did a review on all the different methods of application, done with a clear acrylic plate, to physicaly see how well it does:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Thermal-Paste-Application-Techniques-170/#Conclusion
Turns out the X is the best way
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Thermal-Paste-Application-Techniques-170/#Conclusion
Turns out the X is the best way
you mean like toilet duck applicator?
That is the sort of thing needed.
Soldato
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Ive always spread it across the whole surface with finger/piece of flat plastic etc, i dont trust sticking a blob in the center and letting the HS spread it with pressure, that would kill my OCD not knowing how well it did it 
Or you can read this one and see the small rice dob is best.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-apply-thermal-grease-part-1/
Or this one that says
To me that's the size of a grain of rice.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-apply-thermal-grease-part-1/
Or this one that says
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/thermal-paste-heat-sink-heat-spreader,review-32799-6.html
To me that's the size of a grain of rice.
Associate
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I normally have a dummy run to check how well it's spread then clean it up and reapply. It's a handy method for telling just how concave your IHS is. In 20+ years of PC building, I've never come across a flat IHS yet.Ive always spread it across the whole surface with finger/piece of flat plastic etc, i dont trust sticking a blob in the center and letting the HS spread it with pressure, that would kill my OCD not knowing how well it did it