How do YOU apply your thermal paste?

I use Arctic Silver 5 and apply a small grain of rice type amount to both the heatspreader and the heatsink base and spread using a plastic card (RAC card lol). This creates a very thin layer on both surfaces which then mate together and let the heat do the rest.

Only just found out that AS5 takes 200hrs for the break in period :eek:
Been using it for years and never knew hehe.
 
I have always done the following and got really great temps

Apply a little blob to the heatsink and then rub it off with a lint free cloth. Apply a blob to the centre of the cpu and carefully swirl it around with the tip of the thermal compound tube. I don't go anywhere near the edges, just so I have a nice even thin layer over where the cores are. You won't get bubbles if you leave the tube resting on the cpu while you move the compound around. Common sense and all that

Then I fix the heatsink on.

Only once did I apply a blob and let the heatsink spread it out. When I eventually removed it a few months later I found out that it wasn't a great covering.
 
I applied the entire tube that came with the cpu... the result was comedy gold :)
Thermal paste dripping over the sides, onto the motherboard and even managed to get some onto the cpu pins.
Still working fine after a small BP style cleanup operation.

A grain of rice is fine.
 
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