TIM (Thermal Paste) Application

[JD_LincsUK 0]

Hi Guys

I know there are a numder here who, like myself, will not buy a complete PC, but would rather build their own and update or replace bits as necessary.

So let me share another good find with you - an article on the application of the 'thermal interface material' - or thermal paste to most of us.

I found it whilst researching the latest info for my new build (although this test is 2008).

I'm sure you will recognise your own methods here - and everyone seems to have their own method - but this guy tries them all and reports his findings. Very informative.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1

Chars,

JD

[ddavid 149]

Very interesting - thanks for the HU, JD. I've got a problem with the cooler on my Q9400 - in cleaning the fins recently, I inadvertantly (which is the posh way of saying 'clumsily'!) moved the cooler and broke the TIM seal - sch-yeah! So, now I've got to dismantle said cooler and re-apply some TIM and this article is just the ticket!

Cheers - Dai.

[MarkJones 0]

Heh yeah you need hardly any TIM, just enough to fill the microscopic flaws in the HS and CPU..

I went round to look at a mate's PC to see why it was overheating. He had used an entire tube of TIM and it was basically insulating his CPU! :biggrin:

[MartinW 0]

I would highly recommend Innovation Coolings Diamond Paste. Superb stuff, beats all of them out there. And the application method recommended by Innovation Colling, based on their lab experiments, is as follows...

Apply a small pea sized blob [5 millimetres wide] to the centre of the heat spreader, and then fit the cooler. Innovation cooling decided this was the best method, simply because it totally eliminated the danger of ending up with air pockets.

I never use anything else these days.

http://www.innovationcooling.com/applicationinstructions.htm

[mutley 4,497]

Good posting Uncle Martin, a useful reference.

[MartinW 0]

And good stuff Mutant! I reckon about three degrees cooler than Arctic Silver, some claim more. Not a huge difference of course, but if you overclock, a few degrees help.

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1467

The only difference between the 7 Carat and 24 Carat is the size of the tube, the gunk is the same.

[UKJim 502]

Unfortunately I am at work and the firewall here stops me from looking at most stuff so unable to view the link.

I have looked into this before and when I got my new cooler (Cooler Master Hyper 212+) I used the cross method to apply TIM - put a small cross in the center of the CPU and place the heatsink evenly on top tighten with the screws - simples!

It worked for me and was able to OC my system from 2.13GHz to 3.0GHz - Idle temperatures around 22/23C and on full load for 10+ hours it only reached 43C

I think it is also worth mentioning that every time you apply TIM and attach a heatsink it is different, even if you use the same method.

I also found that at first the temps were not so good - but after 2/3 days of use I found they actually decreased. I am not sure why maybe it was the spread due to the heat from the CPU making it better? who knows but it worked.

[M31 0]

We all have our own methods of applying thermal compound ... I always use Arctic Silver, its supposed to be the best and after splashing 250 or more quid on a CPU I figure I need the best compound too Its supposed to last a lifetime but I always buy a new tube when I Intend to over-clock a CPU.

I also clean a new CPU and heat-sink with IPA.

This is not always the case though and I've built at least one system with toothpaste as a compound, we tested it and it it was surprisingly fine temp wise, Arctic silver would have been better of course but I never had a tube at the time ... I'd read from a physicist friend that toothpaste should work fine and it did!!! even Arctic silver was only about 2 Celsius cooler.

Apparently all you need is like a grain of rice blob and then smooth it over the CPU ... I use a bit of cellophane over my finger, just enough to smear a thin coat over the CPU bar ... I probably use too much, but this is how it should be done ... no more ... no less

[MartinW 0]

I would advise you to read my Innovation Cooling link chaps.

Their research concluded that spreading the gunk on, or applying in a cross, line or any other method resulted in air pockets.

One single blob in the middle was demonstrated to be the best.

As for temps improving after application, this is normal, as the TIM cures.

http://www.innovatio...nstructions.htm

If you look at the photographic evidence in the article above, you will see how smearing over the heat spreader, results in uneven application and air pockets.

It's not going to render your CPU a chunk of molten metal if you don't comply, but it makes sense to use the best method.