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Why does Intel use such crappy thermal paste?

lexidobe
By lexidobe
in CPUs, Motherboards, and Memory
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I have wondered why Intel uses that dry, crumbly horrible thermal paste between the die and IHS on their CPUs. I have done delids in the past and seen 20-30 degree temp improvements just from replacing the stock thermal paste with decent stuff. I may be wrong, but I don't think that Intel is using such horrible paste to save a few cents per CPU. There must be another reason. For example, maybe what they use doesn't degrade over the years or something. There must be a reason, I am just not sure what it is.

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Saving cents, obviously..

Or they just don't want people to overclock stuff.

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A few cents per CPU. Multiply that by millions of chips that get produced, and suddenly that small amount turns into a verrrry large sum. 

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2 minutes ago, AresKrieger said:

Longevity and cost, and it isn't mere cents given the volume of chips

The cost difference per unlocked CPU is very small. Considering that as a consumer I can get a tube of MX4 that will cover 20 of the tiny dies that they now use for $6.00, that's 30 cents per CPU. Even if Intel had to pay 30 whole cents for thermal compound for every unlocked CPU that they make, that's NOTHING considering the cheapest unlocked CPU that's worth buying they currently manufacture is the i5 7600K for $230. I, and probably 99% of the people who buy unlocked CPUs would rather pay the extra 30 cents maximum to have quality thermal compound on the CPU so I can get good temps without voiding my warranty.

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12 minutes ago, ImadKnight said:

A few cents per CPU. Multiply that by millions of chips that get produced, and suddenly that small amount turns into a verrrry large sum. 

I was thinking about this the other day. A few cents per CPU, but imagine the amount of people who refuse to buy the 7700k for example, purely because they heard so much about the ridiculous temps and crappy paste. I'm pretty sure they would have profited, while also making a better CPU and a more reputable brand.

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2 minutes ago, Armakar said:

I was thinking about this the other day. A few cents per CPU, but imagine the amount of people who refuse to buy the 7700k for example, purely because they heard so much about the ridiculous temps and crappy paste. I'm pretty sure they would have profited, while also making a better CPU and a more reputable brand.

I doubt it. Only a niche market really care, and its still a processor that kicks ass. Before spring/summer, we didn't exactly have much choice when it came to top end processors anyways so there's that too. 

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1 minute ago, ImadKnight said:

I doubt it. Only a niche market really care, and its still a processor that kicks ass. Before spring/summer, we didn't exactly have much choice when it came to top end processors anyways so there's that too. 

I wouldn't say a niche market care at all. Lately, whenever I see people looking to buy a 7700k, people swarm the comments saying "unless your willing to delid, don't buy it". I really can't see how a (in intels case) small amount of money on better thermal paste. I mean, think how differenly reviews and people opiinions would be if the 7700k was a whole 20-30 degrees lower than it is now without delidding. It's just given intel a shitty, cheap reputation and people are losing respect for them for crap like this.

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2 minutes ago, Armakar said:

I wouldn't say a niche market care at all. Lately, whenever I see people looking to buy a 7700k, people swarm the comments saying "unless your willing to delid, don't buy it". I really can't see how a (in intels case) small amount of money on better thermal paste. I mean, think how differenly reviews and people opiinions would be if the 7700k was a whole 20-30 degrees lower than it is now without delidding. It's just given intel a shitty, cheap reputation and people are losing respect for them for crap like this.

i don't really see people in most threads saying don't buy it because of thermals but to go with an r5 1600 or r7 1700 or something like that, but i probably just haven't run into the posts that you ran into, either way intel uses that cheap paste

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7 minutes ago, Armakar said:

I wouldn't say a niche market care at all.

It is the a Niche Market.Intel sells mainly comes from OEM brands like Dell and HP who don't really care.

 

7 minutes ago, Armakar said:

people swarm the comments saying "unless your willing to delid, don't buy it".

Remember that this is a really niche forum too

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2 minutes ago, Armakar said:

I wouldn't say a niche market care at all. Lately, whenever I see people looking to buy a 7700k, people swarm the comments saying "unless your willing to delid, don't buy it". I really can't see how a (in intels case) small amount of money on better thermal paste. I mean, think how differenly reviews and people opiinions would be if the 7700k was a whole 20-30 degrees lower than it is now without delidding. It's just given intel a shitty, cheap reputation and people are losing respect for them for crap like this.

Yeah, I'd agree to some extent. They were okay with it with the 7th generation CPUs (can't for the life of my remember code name), since people couldn't do much anyways. It was either buy an Intel or crappy AMD. With Ryzen around though, this will probably change for the 8th gen CPUs. And the 7700k's are also not being recommended since Ryzen 7 just straight up beats them in most ways. 

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They don't.  I explained it here: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/825982-the-real-reason-delidding-improves-cpu-temperatures/

 

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1 minute ago, emosun said:

same reason taco bell uses rat meat

Please no. Just no. Why?...

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Just now, ImadKnight said:

Please no. Just no. Why?...

gotta pinch them pennies where you can

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Just now, emosun said:

gotta pinch them pennies where you can

Yeah men. All for them new RGB *insert expensive computer part*. 

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1 hour ago, ImadKnight said:

Yeah men. All for them new RGB *insert expensive computer part*. 

CPU heat spreaders 

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