Hardware Applying thermal paste, noob friendly or not?

[GamerzHell9137]

I never did it before but i would like to change the thermal paste on the CPU, my PC started to work slowish and makes noises(not sure which component makes them thou, occurs during high game emulation).

And which one would be the best, the one that i can get are:

 

[shadowkillerdrag]

Basically all you do is take off the heatsink, using a screwdriver.
Clean off the old paste with alchohol, then apply a grain of rice size of the thermal paste in the center of the cpu chip, put back together and voila.

The mx2/mx2 are the good stuff.

 

[p1ngpong]

Basically all you do is take off the heatsink, using a screwdriver.
Clean off the old paste with alchohol, then apply a grain of rice size of the thermal paste in the center of the cpu chip, spread out the paste over the chip with a piece of card or plastic so it is flat and smooth and covers the entire surface of the chip, put back together and voila.

The mx2/mx2 are the good stuff.

Just check on youtube, there are loads of videos on how to properly apply thermal paste. Also the type of paste doesn't make a huge difference, just go for a known brand like Arctic cooling etc, also there is no need to spend a fortune on it.

Find out what is causing the noises also otherwise changing the paste could be pointless.

 

[Foxi4]

Basically all you do is take off the heatsink, using a screwdriver.
Clean off the old paste with alchohol, then apply a grain of rice size of the thermal paste in the center of the cpu chip, put back together and voila.

The mx2/mx2 are the good stuff.

You should avoid using sharp, metal objects. I would sooner "twist" a heatsink off gently then shove a screwdriver between the CPU and the heatsink and pry it open, and if I were to pry, I'd make sure that there's something between the sensitive electronics and the edge of the tool. You're risking damaging the surrounding electronics/PCB or scratching the surface of the CPU which defeats the purpose of putting thermal paste on it.

As for application methods, there's about as many as there are PC techies out there. There's a couple main schools:

• Putting a droplet in the center of the chip, then clamping the radiator on. I think this is a bit inadequate as it may leave air bubbles and doesn't really cover the entirety of the chip, so heat exchange it limited.
• Putting a droplet in the center of the chip, then puting the radiator on, making a couple small "circles" with it to seat it properly and spread the paste, then clamping it on. This is arguably "better" since it spreads the paste around.
• Putting a droplet in the center of the chip, spreading it across the surface using for example a credit card, then clamping the chip on. This is possibly the best method in terms of spreading, but if your spreading tool is dirty, you might introduce some dust to the paste which is undesirable.

Of course there's variations of the methods above, it all comes down to what turns out to be the most effective one in your own tests.

 

[Anfroid]

You should avoid using sharp, metal objects. I would sooner "twist" a heatsink off gently then shove a screwdriver between the CPU and the heatsink and pry it open, and if I were to pry, I'd make sure that there's something between the sensitive electronics and the edge of the tool. You're risking damaging the surrounding electronics/PCB or scratching the surface of the CPU which defeats the purpose of putting thermal paste on it.

i think he meant to unscrew the heatsink/fan because trying to separate them with a screwdriver has never occurred to me

 

[Foxi4]

i think he meant to unscrew the heatsink/fan because trying to separate them with a screwdriver has never occurred to me

Oh. Well, if that's the case, okay. I personally ran into several instances in which the thermal paste and/or thermal glue has set in like stone and you had to use some elbow grease to separate the heatsink and the chip, as rare as that may be, so I though he meant prying the heatsink off. Well d'uh, if the heatsink is screwed down, by all means, remove the screws! My bad!

 

[GamerzHell9137]

iirc i only need to press the button thingies to inject the stock cooling i have and then there's that little lever thingy that lifts the socket for CPU.
And will go with Arctic Cooling then.
Youtube is eh for tutorials, one say only to put a bit of it and other say to cover all of the CPU with it, now idk what's wrong and what's not.
And changing the thermal paste won't do anything bad nor the paste is expensive and its most likely the HDD which i'm thinking to change too.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Thermal paste is for noobs... You should use tooth paste! It's cheaper and since it's so cheap you can use a lot of it!!! (If a little is good more is better! Make sure to use the whole tube!)

I recommend Aquafresh but other brands work great too.

I also have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn somewhere.

 

[trumpet-205]

For paste I recommend MX-4. It is the easiest paste to work with. Other pastes tend to be thick.

For application there is pea size, X size, or spreading method. This depends on what chip are you trying to cool.

 

[GamerzHell9137]

Thermal paste is for noobs... You should use tooth paste! It's cheaper and since it's so cheap you can use a lot of it!!! (If a little is good more is better! Make sure to use the whole tube!)

I recommend Aquafresh but other brands work great too.

I also have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn somewhere.

........

For paste I recommend MX-4. It is the easiest paste to work with. Other pastes tend to be thick.

For application there is pea size, X size, or spreading method. This depends on what chip are you trying to cool.

I asked if they have the MX-4 and they do. I've only gotta check my CPU.
I'm using Pentium G630 so i guess the socket is LGA 1155.

 

[Delta517]

We're all noobs to something at one time and the only way to get past that is to actually try and do it As long as you don't overdo it, you should be just fine

 

[GamerzHell9137]

Here are my CPU tests in RealTemp.

I guess i don't need to change the thermal paste?

 

[Originality]

The noises you are hearing aren't caused by the CPU being too hot (as demonstrated by the temps you're seeing). They're from small/weak/worn-out fans being pushed hard. If you want a quieter PC, then look into where the noise is coming from and you may be able to find quieter replacements.

First place to look is the heatsink on your CPU. If it's the stock cooler, then consider swapping to an aftermarket cooler (which usually run cooler and quieter) like an Arctic Freezer Pro 7 (cheapest one I can think of) or an Arctic Freezer i30 (the bigger brother).

 

[The Real Jdbye]

The easiest method I've heard is to put a pea-sized blob on the CPU, and then seat the heatsink properly which will spread the thermal paste. This is pretty noob friendly, and many are happy with using that method, but it's not the best. The best would be to spread it with a credit card or similar, this is what my dad always does and that way he gets a very even coating. Make sure the card is clean beforehand though.

However, you don't really need new thermal paste with those temperatures. If you're using the paste that came preapplied on the cooler however it's always an improvement.

Thermal paste is for noobs... You should use tooth paste! It's cheaper and since it's so cheap you can use a lot of it!!! (If a little is good more is better! Make sure to use the whole tube!)

I recommend Aquafresh but other brands work great too.

I also have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn somewhere.

Toothpaste works for a while, until it dries up and becomes a pain to remove. Not recommended. (Haven't tried this myself but read a test of various thermal paste alternatives)

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Toothpaste works for a while, until it dries up and becomes a pain to remove. Not recommended. (Haven't tried this myself but read a test of various thermal paste alternatives)

LOL Some one actually tried it???

I can only imagine the minty fresh smell one would get from over clocking....

 

[orcid]

I don't think you need to renew the thermal paste. Just clean the fans.
Answering your question: Yes, it is very noob friendly. Just watch a video to get the feeling for the right amount of paste.

 

[GamerzHell9137]

The noises you are hearing aren't caused by the CPU being too hot (as demonstrated by the temps you're seeing). They're from small/weak/worn-out fans being pushed hard. If you want a quieter PC, then look into where the noise is coming from and you may be able to find quieter replacements.

First place to look is the heatsink on your CPU. If it's the stock cooler, then consider swapping to an aftermarket cooler (which usually run cooler and quieter) like an Arctic Freezer Pro 7 (cheapest one I can think of) or an Arctic Freezer i30 (the bigger brother).

Actually that's stress testing results and idk about coolers cause i was thinking to upgrade and then it wouldn't be used for anything.