Questions about Thermal Paste

[TheCroaker]

Im like a real noobie at all this stuff I got into Linus's videos and thats what really got me into wanting to learn this stuff so please bare with my questions if they seem stupid, and if this is the wrong thread please let me know which is the right one so i can delete it and repost it.

 

1st what is the real point of Thermal paste, what does it do?

2nd Is it worth it too pay for aftermarket ones (generally that is)?

3rd should I ever be going into my computer just to like... resupply it, literally just to go in and wipe away the old paste to put in more? Like will it lose effectiveness over time is probably the best way to put it

[Samdb]

1. Thermal paste allows the IHS to make better contact to the heatsink due to microscopic bumps and ridges in the CPU.

It is worth it to buy aftermarket thermal compound.

You don't really need to replace it unless you did something wrong or it dries out.

[M-ursu]

1.it wi transfer heat from CPU to cooler, just do not use too much. (Less is better)

2.yes it is, there might be over 10ºc improvement.

3.not really, only if you are changing cooler or CPU.

[TheCroaker]

How would I know if it dried out?

 

 

1. Thermal paste allows the IHS to make better contact to the heatsink due to microscopic bumps and ridges in the CPU.
2. It is worth it to buy aftermarket thermal compound.
3. You don't really need to replace it unless you did something wrong or it dries out.

 

how would I know if it dried out?

[WoodenMarker]

How would I know if it dried out?

Your temps start getting high when it is.

[Whaler_99]

How would I know if it dried out?

 

how would I know if it dried out?

 

If over the course of time you notice your idle/load temps increasing bit by bit - probably means your paste is dried out and loosing effectiveness.

[Samdb]

How would I know if it dried out?

 

how would I know if it dried out?

Your temperatures will be very high, it's quite obvious.

[TheCroaker]

Thanks alot for the help guys

[dalekphalm]

1. Thermal paste is the primary heat conductor that transfers the heat from your CPU to the Heatsink on top of it. Part of the reason as to why this is necessary is because no matter how "smooth" the surface of the cpu and heatsinks, there are still tiny pocks or holes that are filled by the Thermal Paste. The other reason is that thermal paste is much more efficient at transferring heat than the metal surfaces by themselves.

 

2. This depends on what sort of Heatsink you're using. Many high-end or good heatsinks these days come "pre-applied" with high quality thermal paste. In these cases, no you don't need to use "aftermarket" paste. Especially since odds are, they are using similar stuff to what you would buy. Now many Heatsinks DON'T come with pre-applied thermal paste. In those cases, getting good aftermarket thermal paste is essential. It's also essential if you ever need to re-apply the thermal paste because you took the heatsink off or moved it to another computer, etc.

 

3. No,  you generally don't need to reapply thermal paste. Some (cheaper) pastes may start to become less effective over time, but generally speaking, the good stuff will last an extremely long time. Rule of thumb is just keep an eye on your CPU temperatures. If after a couple years, they are significantly higher than when you first had the CPU, then you may need to reapply some paste.

 

Hope this helps you out!