How often should you renew thermal paste to a CPU/Cooler?

Boge

Boge

Boge

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17 Sep 2009
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Dumb question I know but I honestly haven't a clue.

I built my first machine in 2011, i5 2500k. It's been happily running at 4.5 since then and I must have put thousands of hours of gaming through it.

Thing is. Just recently the temps have been going crazy. Even just browsing / monging it keeps leaping up to 50. Normally sat around 29 - 30 doing that. CPU idling at 1600.

Cooling is by way of a Noctua D15 with 2 fans in Pull Push and 3 120mm case fans in a Fractal (2 at the front intake - 1 at the back exhaust)

So how often should you replace the thermal paste on the CPU? Have I left it too late? Is 7 years too long do you think?

Honest question.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Good to know I'm not alone in not bothering to replace it every year.

It's deffo not a dust issue. It's nice and clean in there (I go through 3 cans of air duster a year)

Software has got me thinking. I've not updated the bios or anything since 2012 or so and I'm still running Windows 7 64. I've also had auto updates turned off in Windows since around the same time.

The spikes are happening whenever I open anything. CPU use goes up to 80% on all 4 cores and the temps shoot right up to 45 - 50 (and my fans ramp right up ) It then drops down to idle and the temps come down again. Not the end of the world I suppose but it never used to do this.

Done a lot of googling and can't find an answer.

Starting to wonder wether Microsoft Asus or Intel have dropped something in there to make me upgrade.

No chance with Windows 10 . Bloody loathe it.
 
Thanks. Maybe I've not paid too much attention in the past and I'm getting a bit obsessed ( I really don't want this thing to break though. It still runs every game I play with no problem - Far Cry 5, Prey, Wolfenstein, Fallout 4 etc )

Will look at the fan curves again. Asus Fan Xpert 2 was always a bit of a pain to get just right. Been a while since I dicked around with it. Think I will re-do the paste though. Can't hurt anything I suppose.
 
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