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Alternatives to thermal paste

unsettler
By unsettler
in Cooling
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I recently took apart my PC to give it a good clean as my CPU it was running very hot (80c), to discover my thermal paste was dry and brittle :/. I didn't have any on hand and being in the country all the computer stores were closed in my area, so I googled some alternatives. I found an article about using a combination of vaseline and toothpaste. My computer is over 6 years old and I had nothing better, so I thought 'what the hell' and mixed up a concoction and slapped it on there for a quick fix. If it blows up, no biggie, probably due for a replacement/upgrade soon anyway. After giving the heatsink and fan a clean out I was now sitting at a more comfortable 50c. The next day I went and bought some thermal paste, cleaned off my toothpaste and vaseline mess and applied it. Interesting my CPU now sits about 55. Just wondering if anyone else has done something like this before and what the results were. Would be awesome to see a video about alternatives on youtube Linus! :)

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https://linustechtips.com/topic/639537-alternatives-to-thermal-paste/
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ahhhhh, your lucky your computer didnt melt lol

 

 

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Idle temps could be fine, but the load temps would be OVER 9000C. You're lucky you didn't melt it indeed.

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At least you didn't leave it like that for very long. Can't imagine that it would have aged very well.

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