Der8auer's Take on Air Bubbles Through Thermal Compound Spreading

[TechyBen]

IMO I always thought it was the taking off the heatsink and putting it back that could have air bubbles, not the spreading.

 

But I guess if it is very close/hard pressure, than the air bubbles will go out.

 

[edit]

Looking at the old P4 pictures... I think this "urban legend", comes from those old CPUs/installs with dry paste, which often flakes and falls off. So reapplying leaves "air gaps" where the paste use to be. You could not attach those heatsinks with old paste stuck on them, and expect good performance. Then, naturally, people mistakenly apply this understanding/knowledge when applying fresh paste.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, TheKDub said:

Not necessarily. I've never really had an issue with paste not covering the entire CPU when I use the pea method. There's enough force between the cooler and the CPU to spread the paste out pretty well.

Both ways are fine, but you'll always get complete coverage by spreading. Its just being pedantic for the corners, because it will spread out in a circle, not a square. 

[jiyeon]

5 hours ago, ChintzyPC said:

But I was shocked by how easily he completely dismissed any possibility of air bubbles being under there at all. I mean, there's got to be some under there, right? It's not like they wiggle their way out just because of pressure or heat. Some amount of air by any quantity has to be trapped. Just doesn't make sense according to physics.

My guess would be there would be literal atoms worth of air in there that it would be insignificant.

[jiyeon]

1 hour ago, hanifanze said:

Direct touch heat pipe coolers respond better to a thin line where each heat pipe is located, other coolers don't care much.

Interesting as my former cooler was a direct-touch heatpipe - the Arctic Freezer 33 eSports One - and I still spread my thermal compound for it, as well as also doing the middle dot, and saw essentially no difference.

My new cooler which has a coldplate - the Deepcool Neptwin White - I spread with since naturally I'd want to cover every part of it.