How Thermal Compound Spreads

[StormtrooperStu]

Looks like I have been doing it wrong all these years.

 

I always use the spread method but this shows why it is wrong.

 

He has an MX-2 video as well. Interesting viewing.

 

[T.Vengeance]

I've used the rice shape one. Till this day idk if it actually works lol.

[Rorgash]

ooh so much better  I love watching Linus all those years ago...

 

[squirrl]

I do the Chuck Norris shaped one. It reduces my temperature by 1000 degrees!

[Doxxy]

The physical best one is the X shape, but the coolest and one that actually works is the "metal method" where do draw a \m/

[Fred Castellum]

I've always used the dot method. Just a bit in the center and put the heatsink on. 

[StormtrooperStu]

From now on I will be using the X method.

 

I never knew the spread method had so many air bubbles.

 

I think I will redo my TIM this weekend and see if there is any difference.

 

MX4 FTW.

[Wyre]

Use a modified spread method myself... Start as thin as you can to make the best thermal connection.

[helping]

I usually do 4 small dots in a diagonal X shape

[Scottonpc]

Pea method is mostly recommended

[s3ns3]

small dot in the middle thats it

[TheNinjaNextDor]

I always use the dot method in the size of a pea.

[StormtrooperStu]

I usually do 4 small dots in a diagonal X shape

 

Trust you to be different.

 

Use a modified spread method myself... Start as thin as you can to make the best thermal connection.

 

Modified ?

 

I'm just thinking about all the air bubbles now.  What if my CPU just explodes man.

[s3ns3]

yeah

[Wyre]

No air bubbles in the spread method - until the piece of plastic was lifted - that will cause a lot of air bubbles. Watch again during the initial spread... no air bubbles and perfectly even.

 

You also can not argue with my temps 53ºC under full load for 12 hours running Prime. i5 3570k @ 4.6GHz inside of a Silverstone FT03 chassis.

[atrash]

 

I prefer this method.

[StormtrooperStu]

[StormtrooperStu]

I think LInus needs to revisit this. Which was is really best. 

 

@LinusTech please.

[Wyre]

The way that I was shown to apply thermal paste comes from installing 400MHz RISC processors. Damn things ran so friggen hot. If the thermal paste was not spread just so... the cpu would fail. At over $2000 each - we could not afford to have failures.

 

1. Make sure the surface is very clean. Clean cloth and plenty of alcohol (rubbing not drinking ... that comes later)

2. small amount of thermal paste rubbed into the surface.

3. two strips of tape placed on either side of the processor. 1/8" or about 2mm of the tape should be on the suface of the CPU.

4. Make a line of thermal paste along one side

5. Using a straight edge spread the thermal paste across the surface of the cpu. The tape will act as a shim so that the remaining thermal paste is the same thickness as the cellophane tape.

6. remove the tape and install the heatsink.

 

This will ensure that the layer of thermal paste is not too thick and is spread evenly. 

[Puppet]

I go for the sort of rice shaped method, so easy.

 

I used to spread it years ago and never had any issues, in fact my temps were usually better by about a degree, it didn't seem to work out that way for other people I knew doing it though.

 

I worked in car accident repair for 6 years so I think it had a lot to do with that, you become quite good at spreading (couldn't phrase that in a way that didn't invite innuendo :lol:).

[s3ns3]

No air bubbles in the spread method - until the piece of plastic was lifted - that will cause a lot of air bubbles. Watch again during the initial spread... no air bubbles and perfectly even.

the plastic wasn`t lifted he was still pushing it . so watch again.