ARCTIC MX-4 application help

[fullinfusion]

Im trying out some MX-4 thermal paste on a X6 cpu. I have only used AS5 and IC Diamond paste.... so this is going to be new to me now. All you ppl in TPU land always brag on how good MX paste is..

Well im kinda excited to try this stuff but my question is, how mush do I applie and in what pattern?

[erocker]

Blob in the middle or a nice even layer on the IHS, it depends on my mood. Performance of either method is the same. It spreads very well and it's almost foolproof no matter which method you use as long as you use enough.

[fullinfusion]

So you're saying, I can use the size of a grain of rice or a BB sized amount in the center of the cpu?

[kenkickr]

I use the grain of rice method and let the heatsink/waterblock do the spreading.

[txsouthpaw]

With a thinner TIM, I will spread a very thin layer using a purpose-made mini-spatula or a section of a grocery store rewards card. For thicker TIM like ICD, I will apply a liberal BB sized amount to the center of the CPU/GPU and allow the compression to do the work. In my opinion, if you want the best TIM, it's Indigo Xtreme for CPUs and ICD for GPUs.