Thermal Paste question?

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p4h8ter

p4h8ter

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How often should you change the thermal paste on your cpu. What can I use to take the old paste off?
 
you never need to replace it... it doesnt go bad. you should only change it if you take the heatsink off or if you're replacing a heatsink, or if your heat is too high :)
edit: if you want to take it off you use rubbing alcohol, preferably a higher % (you'll see when you go to buy it)
 
fade2green514 said:
you never need to replace it... it doesnt go bad. you should only change it if you take the heatsink off or if you're replacing a heatsink, or if your heat is too high :)
edit: if you want to take it off you use rubbing alcohol, preferably a higher % (you'll see when you go to buy it)
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what? where did you hear it never needs to be replaced?

yes you need to replace it. im not exactly sure when you should but if its paste like AS5 then i think every1-2 years and if its the pad then i think its 5 years. not sure tho. but i kno for a fact thermal paste/pad will deteriorate over time.
 
Mr.Suave said:
what? where did you hear it never needs to be replaced?

yes you need to replace it. im not exactly sure when you should but if its paste like AS5 then i think every1-2 years and if its the pad then i think its 5 years. not sure tho. but i kno for a fact thermal paste/pad will deteriorate over time.
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agreed, nothin lasts a life time.
 
Except for life of course...

Well, is there anything better than AS5? Or will there be anything better?(I use it by the way)
 
you dont really have to replace the paste, but you can do it with a card of some kind (credit, etc.) and just wipe the cpu and heat sink with alcohol. just dont get anything anywhere else...because you want the heat to go from the cpu to hs, nowhere else.
 
Yasu said:
Except for life of course...

Well, is there anything better than AS5? Or will there be anything better?(I use it by the way)
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no, Arctic Silver 5 is the best thermal compound out, note it is not a paste and is not permanently applied, its more of a gel.

and also, im almost 100% sure you don't need to replace it because arctic silver's website says NOTHING about it, but they do mention a 200-hour "break in" period in which the compound settles to the cpu. (more than 200-hours with a slower fan, less with a faster fan)
just to make sure though, i emailed them and i will get back to you once they email me back with an answer... i WILL quote them.
 
what? where did you hear it never needs to be replaced?

yes you need to replace it. im not exactly sure when you should but if its paste like AS5 then i think every1-2 years and if its the pad then i think its 5 years. not sure tho. but i kno for a fact thermal paste/pad will deteriorate over time.
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In a normal rig, i.e no heavy overclocking and changing hsf around, the thermal paste will never need replacing. It can quite happily sit there 10-20 years and still be fine (asuming nothing elese breaks ;) ).

Now if you want to feel good about ripping your machine apart pulling of the hsf every month and putting on some new as5 (as someone *unnames* on this site does) then be my guest, but dont expect any performance increase, temperature decrease, or sympathy when you eventually bend a pin :D
 
I have to agree with apj here. This stuff is also used on stereo output transistor heatsinks, and even on gear that's 30+ years old, the original grease works just fine as long as it stays in place. If the fit between the part and the heatsink is small and tight *ahem* no air can get at it to dry out the grease and require it to be replaced.
Tom
 
The compound will NEVER need to be replaced... for the life of the CPU. It will not "last forever" but it will outlast the CPU. If you break the seal between the CPU and heatsink, then you need to reapply.

Use a credit card and alcohol to clean the surface. I've even heard of people "wet sanding" the heatsink to create a totally flat surface, but I wouldn't attempt this personally.
 
copied and pasted from an arctic silver representative:
"There is no need to reapply our thermal compounds unless the thermal
interface has been physically disturbed by bumping the heatsink or
rough transport."
therefore, if the compound has been contaminated by free air.

your answer is! : NO! you do not need to replace the compound after a certain period of time! it does not wear off, it does not bleed out from under the heatsink, it lasts virtually as long as the processor would!
edit: if you don't believe me:
Colin Thompson
Arctic Silver, Inc.
Phone: (559)740-0912
Fax: (559)740-0913
 
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no, Arctic Silver 5 is the best thermal compound out,
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Do you have proof of this? It may be the most popular, but that does not immediately make it the best.

As for replacing ... non-silver based pastses dont need to be re-applied (i.,e Arctic Ceramique) however silver based ones do .. dont believe me? Wait 10 years.
 
hahaha the guy from arctic silver was reading your post:
"We don't get to play on the forums much these days. I notice Praetor
is a little confused: "As for replacing ... non-silver based pastses
dont need to be re-applied (i.,e Arctic Ceramique) however silver
based ones do .. dont believe me? Wait 10 years."

The suspension fluid is the primary factor in determining the
longevity of a thermal compound. Both AS5 and Ceramique have the same
suspension fluid. ;)"
lol
oh, you're right... AS5 is only the best for 99% of processors and GPU's, its not really made for like video card memory or memory sticks is it? dont they make ceramique to fill gaps for video memory though :) thats what i did, worked nicely and i got a nice 240mhz o/c on my video memory and (using AS5) 88mhz on my GPU.... probably could've gotten more if it werent for those damned low voltages :)
 
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I have been going 5 years strong on an old computer with the original thermal paste and it still is hitting low temps, high 20'sC and low 30'sC. DOnt worry about it.
 
The suspension fluid is the primary factor in determining the
longevity of a thermal compound. Both AS5 and Ceramique have the same
suspension fluid.
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Perhaps but at the same time the thermal conductivity is given by the silver, not the suspension fluid. This is why we're told to store the TIM vertically. So if there's so much of this suspension stuff and the silver is actually what gives the TIM the kickass thermal conductivity and AS5 is so good at being a TIM ... then something is off here. Now granted this is definitely on the perimeter of my knowledge (hated science for defying the applicative rules of math so i never paid much attention in Thermo) so perhaps someone could enlighten? (maybe our ghost reader could inform on the ratio of silver stuff to suspension?)

oh, you're right... AS5 is only the best for 99% of processors and GPU's, its not really made for like video card memory or memory sticks is it?
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Which would explain why Arctic Silver, successful as they are ... havent been able to eliminate their competition outright?

does not bleed out from under the heatsink,
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As for that ... whilst it may not bleed out more than 0.001% of the time ... to say that is an absolute is very likely to be incorrect (there's gotta be some fine print to that one)
 
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wrong... they sell in other countries as well such as japan. not only that but they sell you their product with other cooling products too. for instance they might add $5 to a heatsink and give you some thermal compound with it.
 
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