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Re-apply thermal paste or?

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I am still fuzzed about the "clicking" sound from my pc. It sounds like a wire/cable is touching the blades of the fan(s), and now i tried to remove the cpu-fan as well. But when doing so, i noticed that the thermal paste is all...dried out. If i put back the cpu-dan now, will it cause a shortage and just die on me, or can i just put it on and wait until tomorrow before i apply a new layer of thermal paste? And btw, the pea method will do, yes?

Any thoughts?

I have attached pics so you see how dried out it is. One is focused on cpu and the other one on the heatsink.
 

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TheLostSwede

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I would get a new cooler to start with. You also seem to have a very chunky layer of thermal goo, it's supposed to be quite thin and kind of runny. A poor thermal interface material will not cause your CPU to short out, but it'll make it run hotter. Technically you don't "need" it all, but no TIM means poor contact between the CPU and cooler.
 
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I would get a new cooler to start with. You also seem to have a very chunky layer of thermal goo, it's supposed to be quite thin and kind of runny. A poor thermal interface material will not cause your CPU to short out, but it'll make it run hotter. Technically you don't "need" it all, but no TIM means poor contact between the CPU and cooler.

Okay, so.. will it work fine if i DONT apply any thermal goo TODAY but apply new thermal goo tomorrow instead (cuz the stores here are closed for today) and then replace the cooler with a newer one that i will order when i get paycheck next week?
 
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It should be alright for a day... just try not to stress it.
I'd say put the heatsink back on with the old paste, wiggle it around a little, boot it up and gently wiggle it around some more after the dried paste warms up a bit.
It should throttle itsself before it overheats, just monitor the temps while u go about your business, I guess.
 

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As above, you'll be fine, just don't stress the CPU too much. Check the temperature throttling setting in the UEFI/BIOS, it's most likely set to something like 80-85 degrees and will throttle back the CPU if it hits those kind of temperatures. For normal Windows use it'll be fine.
Considering you're running a stock cooler, I'd invest in something like CM Hyper 212 or similar. Much better cooler and fairly inexpensive. There are a bunch of different variants though, so to to get one which has the plastic fan holder instead of the metal spring clips, as they're really annoying to attach.
 
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It should be alright for a day... just try not to stress it.
I'd say put the heatsink back on with the old paste, wiggle it around a little, boot it up and gently wiggle it around some more after the dried paste warms up a bit.
It should throttle itsself before it overheats, just monitor the temps while u go about your business, I guess.

Okay. I will try doing that then
As above, you'll be fine, just don't stress the CPU too much. Check the temperature throttling setting in the UEFI/BIOS, it's most likely set to something like 80-85 degrees and will throttle back the CPU if it hits those kind of temperatures. For normal Windows use it'll be fine.
Considering you're running a stock cooler, I'd invest in something like CM Hyper 212 or similar. Much better cooler and not expensive. There are a bunch of different variants though, so to to get one which has the plastic fan holder instead of the metal spring clips, as they're really annoying to attach.

Okay. That is a fair price for a good cooler i guess. Is it quiet compared to the one i have now? Thanks for the suggestion.

I will not game today then. What about watching movies and running flash games? Will that work okay without a re-applied thermal goo?

Also, Swede... any other coolers that you would recommend in that price range, both cheaper and slightly expensive ones?
 

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Okay. I will try doing that then


Okay. That is a fair price for a good cooler i guess. Is it quiet compared to the one i have now? Thanks for the suggestion.

I will not game today then. What about watching movies and running flash games? Will that work okay without a re-applied thermal goo?

Also, Swede... any other coolers that you would recommend in that price range, both cheaper and slightly expensive ones?

It should be a lot quieter, the Intel stock coolers are imho anything but quiet. Try to get one with a PWM fan, as that will be controlled properly by the motherboard. Again, it depends which version you get. They also have some new series of coolers under the MasterAir moniker that might be worth a look if available as well. Not saying CM is the only choice, but they make decent stuff at this kind of price level and as you can't overclock on that motherboard, you only need a decent cooler, not a great one. Hard to recommend something, since your location only says Europe (but your name says UK). I also don't know what your budget is.
Maybe have a look here? - https://geizhals.eu/?cat=cpucooler
Also, this might be a relevant read - https://www.anandtech.com/show/10500/stock-cooler-roundup-intel-amd-vs-evo-212
Note that the Evo version is not the quietest one.

No offence, but I think you must have one of the worst stock coolers from Intel in recent times.

Again, normal usage should be fine, it's not going to burst into flames, instead it'll just start to run slow, or shut down worst case.
 
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I see. Well for the moment im in norway until april at least. My budget is about 2-400SEK, so i guess the one you linked to will work fine for now.

Thanks for the advises. I will apply the cooler and give it a go until i can order the new cooler.
 

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I see. Well for the moment im in norway until april at least. My budget is about 2-400SEK, so i guess the one you linked to will work fine for now.

Thanks for the advises. I will apply the cooler and give it a go until i can order the new cooler.
I guess your name is not related to this then? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Minstrels

You use Swedish money in Norway? They don't tend to like that these days :p
 
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and now i tried to remove the cpu-fan as well. But when doing so, i noticed that the thermal paste is all...dried out. If i put back the cpu-dan now, will it cause a shortage and just die on me, or can i just put it on and wait until tomorrow before i apply a new layer of thermal paste? And btw, the pea method will do, yes?

You should NEVER EVER reuse old TIM (thermal interface materials) after it has cured. So once you broke the cured bond, the plan should have been that you were going to apply a fresh new layer of TIM. And obviously, that means you should have had fresh TIM on hand before removing the heatsink.

But of course, hindsight is 20/20.

That said, there is no need to worry about a "shortage". Remember, TIM is designed to "conduct" heat - so you want a "short" in that sense. If you meant some sort of electrical short, no current flows between the CPU and heatsink so there's no worries there either. In fact, the best transfer of heat occurs with direct metal to metal contact. The TIM is only there to fill in the microscopic pits and valleys in the mating surfaces, pushing out any insulating air.

The only time you need to be concerned with electrical shorts and TIM is if you are messy and/or use too much TIM and it gets on the electrical contacts of the CPU, the socket, or the motherboard. But note even then, and contrary to what many believe, most TIMs do NOT conduct, or cause capacitance issues. The DC voltages are just too low in potentials and as such, will continue through their intended circuits as designed. Even with silver based TIMs!

Now about the TIM being dry. That's no big deal either. It is important to note the only reason TIM comes in a semi-liquid form is so you can squeeze it out of the tube and spread it evenly across the die. Even if the TIM totally dries out, the solids that remain are still occupying those microscopic pits and valleys, preventing any insulating air from getting inside.

See The Heatsink Guide.
...there is no reason to replace dried thermal compound.

And lastly TIM never needs to be replaced just because X amount of time has passed. TIM will easily last 10, 15 years or even longer AS LONG AS the cured bond between the processor and heatsink is not broken. If someone tells you you need to replace your TIM because X number of months or years have passed, they were misinformed and are now giving you bad advice. The risk of damaging a pin, pad, or zapping the CPU with ESD through accident or mishandling is too great.

There is not one single TIM maker, CPU or GPU maker, cooler maker, motherboard maker, or computer maker who claims or recommends TIM be replaced on any scheduled or periodic basis. Not one!

It is true over several years, older TIM may lose a couple (typically less than 5°C - more like 2 - 3°) degrees in efficiency. But it is important to note if your system "needs" those 2 - 5° to keep from hitting excessive over-temp thresholds, you have greater problems than old TIM - like inadequate case cooling, too extreme overclocking, or a failing CPU fan.

While proper cooling is essential, cooler does not automatically mean better. As long as your heat sensitive device is maintained comfortably within its "normal operating temperature range" that's just fine. A CPU running at 30°C will NOT be more stable, perform better, or have a longer life expectancy than a CPU running at 55°C.

So again, the only time you need to replace TIM is if the cured bond is broken. Then the mating surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned of old TIM, and a fresh, as thin as possible, new layer of TIM should be carefully applied.
 
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I guess your name is not related to this then? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Minstrels

You use Swedish money in Norway? They don't tend to like that these days :p

Nope, hehe.

Well, swedish/norwegian.. .almost the same. hehe. fine, ill use €€€ then. ;) Any recommendations for coolers around €30? i was planning to upgrade the motherboard and cpu soon, so perhaps something that can deal with future installations too, or? if not, then that 212 will work nicely, im sure.

You should NEVER EVER reuse old TIM (thermal interface materials) after it has cured. So once you broke the cured bond, the plan should have been that you were going to apply a fresh new layer of TIM. And obviously, that means you should have had fresh TIM on hand before removing the heatsink.

But of course, hindsight is 20/20.

That said, there is no need to worry about a "shortage". Remember, TIM is designed to "conduct" heat - so you want a "short" in that sense. If you meant some sort of electrical short, no current flows between the CPU and heatsink so there's no worries there either. In fact, the best transfer of heat occurs with direct metal to metal contact. The TIM is only there to fill in the microscopic pits and valleys in the mating surfaces, pushing out any insulating air.

The only time you need to be concerned with electrical shorts and TIM is if you are messy and/or use too much TIM and it gets on the electrical contacts of the CPU, the socket, or the motherboard. But note even then, and contrary to what many believe, most TIMs do NOT conduct, or cause capacitance issues. The DC voltages are just too low in potentials and as such, will continue through their intended circuits as designed. Even with silver based TIMs!

Now about the TIM being dry. That's no big deal either. It is important to note the only reason TIM comes in a semi-liquid form is so you can squeeze it out of the tube and spread it evenly across the die. Even if the TIM totally dries out, the solids that remain are still occupying those microscopic pits and valleys, preventing any insulating air from getting inside.

See The Heatsink Guide.

And lastly TIM never needs to be replaced just because X amount of time has passed. TIM will easily last 10, 15 years or even longer AS LONG AS the cured bond between the processor and heatsink is not broken. If someone tells you you need to replace your TIM because X number of months or years have passed, they were misinformed and are now giving you bad advice. The risk of damaging a pin, pad, or zapping the CPU with ESD through accident or mishandling is too great.

There is not one single TIM maker, CPU or GPU maker, cooler maker, motherboard maker, or computer maker who claims or recommends TIM be replaced on any scheduled or periodic basis. Not one!

It is true over several years, older TIM may lose a couple (typically less than 5°C - more like 2 - 3°) degrees in efficiency. But it is important to note if your system "needs" those 2 - 5° to keep from hitting excessive over-temp thresholds, you have greater problems than old TIM - like inadequate case cooling, too extreme overclocking, or a failing CPU fan.

While proper cooling is essential, cooler does not automatically mean better. As long as your heat sensitive device is maintained comfortably within its "normal operating temperature range" that's just fine. A CPU running at 30°C will NOT be more stable, perform better, or have a longer life expectancy than a CPU running at 55°C.

So again, the only time you need to replace TIM is if the cured bond is broken. Then the mating surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned of old TIM, and a fresh, as thin as possible, new layer of TIM should be carefully applied.

wow. thanks for tha very informative post, once again! much appreciated! so, the cooler that Swede mentioned, the CM Hyper 212, is still better than the one i have now, yes? and also more quiet?

and while i remember it... is this "safe"? im running out of space, so i put my whole pc into the cabinet of the table that im using now. will that work or will it cause overheating? got 4 fans running nicely tho... and the back part of the cabinet is also off.
 

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so, the cooler that Swede mentioned, the CM Hyper 212, is still better than the one i have now, yes?
Probably. But that does not mean you need it. What are your current temps? Assuming the processor in your System Specs, as seen here, if your current temps are nicely sitting below ~71°C with your current cooler, you don't need to replace it. If they are high, it is critical to note it is your case's responsibility to ensure you have an adequate supply of cool air flowing through the case. And it is your responsibility the case can draw in "cool" air. Hunks of metal are not affected by "chill factors". You cannot cool metal cooler than the ambient (room) temperatures with conventional fan cooling.

That said, the 212 might be quieter - much depends on how well your case suppresses fan noise.

and the back part of the cabinet is also off.
This is exactly how my system sits in my desk. Should be no problem but it is always good to monitor your temps. I use and recommend Core Temp to monitor CPU temps in real time for that.
 
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Probably. But that does not mean you need it. What are your current temps? Assuming the processor in your System Specs, as seen here, if your current temps are nicely sitting below ~71°C with your current cooler, you don't need to replace it. If they are high, it is critical to note it is your case's responsibility to ensure you have an adequate supply of cool air flowing through the case. And it is your responsibility the case can draw in "cool" air. Hunks of metal are not affected by "chill factors". You cannot cool metal cooler than the ambient (room) temperatures with conventional fan cooling.

That said, the 212 might be quieter - much depends on how well your case suppresses fan noise.

This is exactly how my system sits in my desk. Should be no problem but it is always good to monitor your temps. I use and recommend Core Temp to monitor CPU temps in real time for that.

Hmm... here's one i just made a screenshot of... If i re-apply the thermal goo, will that help the temperatures a little, or?
CoreTemp-28949339.png
 
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It looks like you put that heat sink in the garbage disposal :laugh:
 
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Those are normal temps for stock coolers. It would be advisable to replace it with an aftermarket cooler, even though you can't OC that cpu. If for nothing, then at least because of noise reduction. LC-CC-100 cooler has the easiest mounting combined with number of heatpipes I've seen so far, and I recommend it, but anything with 8 heatpipes will do the job more then well.
 
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I would certainly agree with those recommending a more capable aftermarket heat sink. You can get some pretty decent aftermarket ones at a really low price.

I bought the cryorig m9i for pretty cheap, & it is very good wuality & very capable
 
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And btw, clicking sound is probably coming from your PSU. I used to know how to solve that issue, but forgot. Best to google.
 
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Those are normal temps for stock coolers.
No they aren't. Those are high, even for stock coolers. I suspect because he pulled the cooler and remounted it without cleaning the old and applying new TIM.

I use nothing but stock coolers on all my systems and even when taxed, my i5 6600 on this system and my i7 3770 on my server never goes above 50°C. They typically sit in the low 30s.

Regardless, note your TjMax is 100°C maximum allowed. The highest you got was 60°C. That's just warming up.

Contrary to what many want you to believe, today's stock coolers are more than capable of keeping the CPUs they come with adequately cooled - even with mild to moderate overclocking. Think about it for a second. Why would Intel or AMD include a cooler if it was so inadequate, it would force the CPU to throttle down in performance and pi$$ off their users? Or worse, allow the CPU to overheat and fail? They wouldn't - so they don't for these CPUs.
Hmm... here's one i just made a screenshot of... If i re-apply the thermal goo, will that help the temperatures a little, or?
Again, your temps are fine. But if you have not properly cleaned the mating surfaces and put a new layer of TIM on since you pulled the cooler up in post #1, you need to do that. And yes, it is then likely your temps will come down a bit. Note I use 91 - 93% isopropyl alcohol to clean the old TIM off.
 
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And btw, clicking sound is probably coming from your PSU. I used to know how to solve that issue, but forgot. Best to google.

ahh, that might be it, yes.. I was planning to up my PSU too, especially since im running out of SATA-cables from my PSU + one of the power connectors have a loose wire.... any recommendations on which PSU to go for? about $50-70 range would do, yes?

No they aren't. Those are high, even for stock coolers. I suspect because he pulled the cooler and remounted it without cleaning the old and applying new TIM.

I use nothing but stock coolers on all my systems and even when taxed, my i5 6600 on this system and my i7 3770 on my server never goes above 50°C. They typically sit in the low 30s.

Regardless, note your TjMax is 100°C maximum allowed. The highest you got was 60°C. That's just warming up.

Contrary to what many want you to believe, today's stock coolers are more than capable of keeping the CPUs they come with adequately cooled - even with mild to moderate overclocking. Think about it for a second. Why would Intel or AMD include a cooler if it was so inadequate, it would force the CPU to throttle down in performance and pi$$ off their users? Or worse, allow the CPU to overheat and fail? They wouldn't - so they don't for these CPUs.
Again, your temps are fine. But if you have not properly cleaned the mating surfaces and put a new layer of TIM on since you pulled the cooler up in post #1, you need to do that. And yes, it is then likely your temps will come down a bit. Note I use 91 - 93% isopropyl alcohol to clean the old TIM off.

Good grief, BB. this is prolly the 100th time you advise me, and i have followed your advises pretty much every single time. :D thanks again! :)

So. the previous coretemp ss was taken few hours ago. now, i had to heat up the room cuz of the stormy winter snow we have here now, so this is the latest coretemp:
CoreTemp-193872163.png
 
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Those temps are fine. Sure, many like them lower (like like mine to day well below 60°C), but there is nothing wrong with any of those. Still, I caution you - since you pulled the cooler, you MUST clean the mating surfaces and apply a fresh new layer or TIM.

Note those temps in the above screen shot could be lower because the highest load level (60%) is lower than before.
 
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Those temps are fine. Sure, many like them lower (like like mine to day well below 60°C), but there is nothing wrong with any of those. Still, I caution you - since you pulled the cooler, you MUST clean the mating surfaces and apply a fresh new layer or TIM.

Note those temps in the above screen shot could be lower because the highest load level (60%) is lower than before.

Pardon for asking, but what temperatures are considering critical high for my system? also, when i minimize the coretemp, it displays the temperature in the tray, which im fine with. what temp should it be at on average? thanks again.
 
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Ideally, it is impossible to reach critical because your CPU should go into its own thermal protection mode and automatically throttle back in speed to reduce generated heat. But also, a CPU will typically become unstable and you will experience sudden shutdowns, reboots, or system freezes before any actual damage is done.

According to Intel, the maximum allowed at the spreader for your CPU is 100°C. The problem is, there is no standard for where the actual sensor will located. And those sensors are not precision measuring devices. But suffice it to say your CPU, as monitored via CoreTemp, should easily handle peaks of 80°C or even higher.

That said, I personally don't like my CPU temps to sit above 60°C for more than a couple seconds. If they do, that usually is an indication I need to clean my dust filters.

I have CoreTemp set to display the Highest temperature.
 

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A CPU running at 30°C will NOT be more stable, perform better, or have a longer life expectancy than a CPU running at 55°C.

Sweet jesus preach it!
 
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I did. There is just way too much emphasis by some to get the lowest temps possible. Much misinformation is spewed by those who have no formal electronics training, and much spewed by aftermarket cooler makers, and the rest is spewed by those who think today's OEM coolers are as bad as they were 20 years ago.

Any genuine student of electronics knows that keeping electronics properly cooled is essential. But they also know that cooler does not automatically mean better.

All 30°C or 20°C gets you over 40°C is bragging rights. That's it.

Now if you are into truly extreme overclocking, that's a different issue, and an exception to the norm. But exceptions don't make the rule.
 
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Pardon for asking, but what temperatures are considering critical high for my system? also, when i minimize the coretemp, it displays the temperature in the tray, which im fine with. what temp should it be at on average? thanks again.
Critically high would be 90+ or even higher. Don't worry about that mid 50s in the short term.
 
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