Pea sized thermal paste a thing of the past?

[Evan North]

So, a few years ago I was constantly on Youtube looking at how to build my first PC. I must have watched hundreds of Youtube videos, all varying channels and lengths with one thing in common....

... that thing being that if someone applied more than a pea sized bit of thermal paste, there was a riot in the comment section. It was EVERYWHERE that you shouldn't apply more than just a single pea sized circle in the middle of the CPU.

 

Lately, I've returned to surfing the internet to try and update my knowledge of current PC components and just general knowledge and its surprised me that now, when watching people put together a PC or just a certain product... the pea sized thermal paste hasn't come up once? Everyone is using more, most of them being a big X (cross) on the cpu.

 

My question is: Has there been new info on it and I'm just late to the party? Is a pea size all you need and these Youtubers are doing it wrong? If so, surely the comments would show this? (because you know what youtube commenters are like)

 

Should I put an X on mine?? 

 

Cheers!

[IkeaGnome]

As long as you don't put too little, it's largely not relevant.

 

[TempestCatto]

Some CPU die's have gotten bigger, thus the IHS has also gotten bigger - requiring more thermal paste. I personally prefer to use a little spudger and spread it out, not too thin but not too thicc either.

[Evan North]

5 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

As long as you don't put too little, it's largely not relevant.

 

Thanks for the video. Watched it. Looks like the results are pretty much the same! That does surprise me considering the amount of backlash everyone had before haha! 

 

[Evan North]

6 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

Some CPU die's have gotten bigger, thus the IHS has also gotten bigger - requiring more thermal paste. I personally prefer to use a little spudger and spread it out, not too thin but not too thicc either.

Yeah, just what ever makes sense then i guess really! 

[DildorTheDecent]

X method best method.

[IkeaGnome]

Just now, Evan North said:

Thanks for the video. Watched it. Looks like the results are pretty much the same! That does surprise me considering the amount of backlash everyone had before haha! 

 

@TempestCattopointed out why the pea size is warmer in that video, and why people have gone away from the pea sized suggestion.

Especially with the release of LGA1700.

Spoiler

A single dot isn't going to spread evenly on that. 

 

[dilpickle]

I  have a 12900K which I just re-installed and a single dot did in fact spread perfectly across the entire IHS.

[dilpickle]

1 hour ago, Evan North said:

Thanks for the video. Watched it. Looks like the results are pretty much the same! That does surprise me considering the amount of backlash everyone had before haha! 

 

That video was an attempt to end this pointless debate but of course that will never happen.

 

Applying thermal paste (and cooling config in general) is really the only part of PC building that is open to interpretation so it always invites passionate discussion. Just don't overthink it and you'll be fine.

 

Very large dies like Threadripper need more than the pea method so that's where the X comes in. Normal desktop CPUs even LGA1700 are fine with the pea method.

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, IkeaGnome said:

As long as you don't

that thumbnail gets me every time…!

[Zusafek]

I put my thermal paste in a dip bowl. Then I simply dip the cpu into it several times before I install it.  The chip dip install is the only way to do it. 

[IkeaGnome]

28 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

that thumbnail gets me every time…!

It's the only reason I have that video on quick draw!

not really, but it's an easy one to find 

[dilpickle]

1 minute ago, Zusafek said:

I put my thermal paste in a dip bowl. Then I simply dip the cpu into it several times before I install it.  The chip dip install is the only way to do it. 

So you double dip the chip????

[Zusafek]

Just now, dilpickle said:

So you double dip the chip????

Double dip and submerge it on the third.  Do bother wiping the excess off either.  Let it coat the board so you have visual proof you put your thermal paste on.  

[IkeaGnome]

1 minute ago, Zusafek said:

Double dip and submerge it on the third.  Do bother wiping the excess off either.  Let it coat the board so you have visual proof you put your thermal paste on.  

?

[Zusafek]

Just now, IkeaGnome said:

?

That's close. But that is more of the soft serve ice cream on a plate technique. I can still see silver. It needs MORE!!!!

[Mark Kaine]

3 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

It's the only reason I have that video on quick draw!

not really, but it's an easy one to find 

ill be honest, since this is 3 yrs old already… and i just built my first pc then (always had like office prebuilds before) it took me a loooong time to figure out whats wrong  with the left picture… i thought "yep, that makes sense why wouldn't you do it like that!" 

 

 

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Cooling

***

 

I've mainly seen X shape used with GPUs where it really doesn't matter, not even if it comes out of sides. On CPU, you do have socket to worry about still. I've seen mainly rice-grain/line method used for TR and other larger dies.

[Ralfi]

I’ve just used the pea myself.

 

But with these rectangular CPUs, I wonder if 4 small dots equidistant from each corner, centred between the corner & the middle of the CPU, would guarantee full coverage? Probably overkill…