Thermal Compound lifespan

Clearcut · Monday at 12:48

Hi, I have a syringe of Coolermaster E1 Essential Thermal Compound that was opened and used about 3 years ago. It has been in a box in a drawer and looks perfectly fine when I squeeze a bit to test. Just wondering if this is irrelevant and it should be thrown because it's too old, or would it be safe to use on a new CPU? Can't find a satisfactory answer through Google.

Thanks.

Glanza · Monday at 13:30

I'd use it if it was on a lower end chip, for the price of some new paste these days if it was something mid / high end I'd get a new one.

Noctua recommends their paste has a shelf life of 2 years once opened.

Clearcut · Monday at 13:33

Thanks, looks like another 2 days waiting for post before I can install it then (no computer shops round here) :confused:

arknor · Monday at 17:37

if it hasn't separated I would just use it tbh

By separated I mean breaking down into different chemicals inside the tube over time, and not being mixed together anymore.

Pulseammo · Monday at 19:02

There was a really similar thread about this recently: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/is-my-tube-of-mx-5-still-good-to-use.18995832

I've used paste that's at least 5 years old and noticed no difference in its performance.

gupsterg · Monday at 19:40

I'd concur.

Still gotta be better than toothpaste/burger sauce.

arknor · Monday at 19:51

gupsterg said:
Still gotta be better than toothpaste/burger sauce.

a small square of bacon works best and fragrances your room at the same time

Clearcut · Monday at 22:27

Pulseammo said:
There was a really similar thread about this recently: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/is-my-tube-of-mx-5-still-good-to-use.18995832

I've used paste that's at least 5 years old and noticed no difference in its performance.

Oops, thanks.

Clearcut · Monday at 22:32

arknor said:
a small square of bacon works best and fragrances your room at the same time

Sorry, off meat at the moment, would lettuce do?

dlockers · Monday at 23:29

3 years is n00b numbers. 11 year old AS5 here.

robinbanks · Monday at 23:46

Mines 5 years old and as far as I noticed no performance isses.

Clearcut · Tuesday at 00:01

Should have waited for replies before ordering more :confused:

mrshinyshoes · Tuesday at 07:14

Depends how much of a faff it is to take the heat sink off (and how much wattage your cpu is pulling).

I’ve used 6+ year old noctua paste with no obvious issues.

I think the more controversial question here is have thermal pastes moved on enough recently to warrant buying new if you already have a ‘stable’ tube lying around.

Joe Jones · 2024-12-11T14:21:23+0000

I've used 10+ year old pastes with no issues.

Yes, the industry has improved, but I'm not concerned about running 2-4 degrees hotter on my setup as it's not a concern in this day and age of CPU's.

Just ensure the consistency is as expected and nothing has separated.

mattyfez · 2024-12-11T15:17:53+0000

As above... If it looks OK when you squeeze a bit out... I wouldn't worry about it.

I've accidentally built up a bit of a collection as I bought a thermalright cooler and a noctua cooler the other year for two different PC's...

So now I have a tube of NH1, a tube of whatever paste thermalright comes with and a tube of MX-4 that I had already.

So on the rare occasion I need to reseat a CPU, or my mate is doing likewise and doesn't want to buy a new tube... I just pick whatever one has the least amount of paste in it and use that.

Contrary to popular belief, life is too short to get hung up about cpu paste, as long as it's not seperated in the tube they are all much of a muchness if they are from a well known brand.. Arctic, thermalright, noctua, etc. Etc.