best method to apply thermal paste?

[Colt_0pz]

so i am gonna finally build this pc after like 10-12 modifications (link here) and i am gonna pair a 4690k with a 212 evo. but what is the best method to apply thermal paste? pea? line? cross? spread over cpu?

[AlwaysFSX]

Blob in the middle.

[zlolslavez]

anything that isn't spread, i haven't heard of cross before, and due to that i probably wouldn't recommend it.

[Ian Schmid]

i use the pea one it work well

[lukky211111]

anything that isn't spread, i haven't heard of cross before, and due to that i probably wouldn't recommend it.

for gpus i see guys do the whole criss cross method. but thats because well gpus chips are a lil tad bit bigger. it was recomended in like one of the books from a watercooling compnay(blame all mistaskes in this post on alcohol )

[Oberon.Smite]

Some people do the pea in the middle, then do very small drops on top of where the cores are.

[shirokado]

anything that isn't spread, i haven't heard of cross before, and due to that i probably wouldn't recommend it.

There's nothing wrong with spread. If you do it properly no air bubbles will form, it only goes wrong if you're lazy and rush it.

[zlolslavez]

There's nothing wrong with spread. If you do it properly no air bubbles will form, it only goes wrong if you're lazy and rush it.

yes, but why would you bother spending the time to do that, and risk having air bubbles.

[shirokado]

yes, but why would you bother spending the time to do that, and risk having air bubbles.

For the same reason you'd waste time with any other method other than the dot method. If you take the time to spread it out evenly, it creates a better spread through out the entire CPU rather than just the essential parts like you would get with the dot method. Most people won't bother with it, since dot method works just as well, just no point in discouraging spread method.

[squirrl]

For the same reason you'd waste time with any other method other than the dot method. If you take the time to spread it out evenly, it creates a better spread through out the entire CPU rather than just the essential parts like you would get with the dot method. Most people won't bother with it, since dot method works just as well, just no point in discouraging spread method.

[shirokado]

-snip-

If you do it properly it won't turn into an abomination like that. He rushed it, so there was alot of air bubbles. And the dot method doesn't cover the whole CPU, just the essential parts near the die itself.

[squirrl]

If you do it properly it won't turn into an abomination like that. He rushed it, so there was alot of air bubbles. And the dot method doesn't cover the whole CPU, just the essential parts near the die itself.

The CPU *is* the die. The rest is just the heatsink. The whole of it doesn't need to be covered, since the heat will transfer through the paste to the cooling solution/heatsink/waterblock. 

While the edges of the first picture are a bit messy, the centre is not. and it still gets air bubbles. For you not to get air bubbles you need mechanical prescison to get the perfect flatness and even thickness throughout.

Which is exactly what you get with the dot method - hint, it does it all for you!

If you really want it to cover the majority of the IHS then do the cross method.

[WoodenMarker]

Any of the mentioned methods should work just fine. The reason why it's still being argued over is due to there being little actual difference.

 

Moving thread to Air Cooling--please post in the correct sub-forum in the future.

The Guides and Tutorials section is for posting guides/tips and not asking for assistance.

[Rayhaan Jiwani]

The pea method works fine for me.

[xeromynd]

I would say line, as the 4690k CPU die is a rectangular shape:

 

[deguzi]

i always see linus doing the line method. hence i do the line all the time

never had an issue

[Circs]

so i am gonna finally build this pc after like 10-12 modifications (link here) and i am gonna pair a 4690k with a 212 evo. but what is the best method to apply thermal paste? pea? line? cross? spread over cpu?

 

This is how you start a war. People take this bit *way* too seriously. http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/printpage/What-is-the-Best-Way-to-Apply-Thermal-Grease-Part-1/1303

 

Notice that the difference even when they used enough to frost a cake is only three degrees. Oh but I hear the complaining already, "What about direct contact heatpipes?!"

 

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/printpage/What-is-the-Best-Way-to-Apply-Thermal-Grease-Part-2/1392 Boom shakalaka! Even the wildly inadequate smidge of compound is only five degrees hotter! Dropping that result we see a difference of one single lonely little degree.

 

(Results are reported in delta T at full load.)

 

Hate wagon inbound for me... but you can lift, check and try again if you're unsure. (BUT AIR BUBBLES OMG!!! Circs is literally Hitler!) True, you want to avoid air bubbles, but in this context they're less of a big deal than people think. Gases expand with heat and will escape under typical mounting force and temperatures, still best to minimize and avoid but you're not going to cause explosions or murder any kittens.