As I tend to not disagree with what you are saying @Bill_Bright, If the OP has never cleaned this PC and its running that hot at what appears to be Idle,
Not sure what you disagree with here. Everything I said was true.
You can follow the link in the 1st line of my sig to see if I might have a little experience with hardware support and maintenance. I am not speaking as a hobbyist. But as a certified electronics tech with over 50 years working in the field as my profession. I have personally seen "OEM" TIM still adequately cool their mission critical devices after 20 years!
You can also see by the 4th line in my sig that I take heat (and thus cooling) seriously.
TIM does indeed last years - decades even. Yes, it degrades a little over time, but the typical gain from a new application is usually just a few, 5 - 6, degrees. So again, if you "need" that just to avoid crossing thermal protection thresholds, you are already running too close caused by other more urgent cooling needs that need to be addressed first.
Can you show us where Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI or any TIM makers recommend regular changing of the TIM?
I would recommend take the cooler off to clean it. (it probably needs it)
I also agree - If the cooler needs cleaning out a fresh re-TIM of it won't hurt a thing
Sorry, but those comments make
no sense at all! ABSOLUTELY, if the cooler needs cleaning, then ABSOLUTELY, clean it! And make sure the rest of the case interior is clean of heat-trapping dust and dirt too.
But there is absolutely NO REASON the cooler needs to pulled to clean it! Take the computer outside and blast the cooler, fans and the rest of the case out of compressed air - preferably with a properly equipped/filtered air compressor. But if that's not available, cans of compressed dusting gas and a soft, natural-bristled dust/paint brush will do.
I say it again, AS LONG AS the cured bond is not broken, the TIM does not need to be replaced just because it is X years old. I will concede that I am assuming the TIM was properly applied in the first place, and that it has been doing its job effectively - as it appears to have done here.
As far as "
a fresh re-TIM of it won't hurt a thing", I never said or even implied otherwise. What I said was, there is a significant risk of damage from "
accidental mishandling and/or ESD". I also said there is the risk of mistakes due to improper cleaning of the mating surfaces or applying too much TIM.
So how does the cured bond get broken? Typically through abuse - dropping the computer on the floor or rough handling during transport. This is especially a problem with tall coolers in tower cases, and why I recommend they be removed for transport or shipping - particularly if the computer will be out of your possession/care and watchful eye.
Ironically, we have seen many times in the shop where the cured bond was broken by the user twisting the cooler to see if the cooler was loose! They ended up breaking the bond in the process!
If the cured bond is broken, or you suspect it might be broken, then absolutely, pull the cooler, thoroughly clean the mating surfaces, properly apply a fresh, new, thin-as-possible" layer of TIM - while observing properly ESD precautions. But if the cured bond is not broken and you are crossing thermal protection thresholds, you have other, more urgent cooling needs to deal with first.
And if the cooler is caked with dust mixed with cat oily hair and cigarette smoke residue, you still don't have to remove the cooler (thus breaking the bond) to clean it.
Doh! Indeed you did. It's those tiny 3 letter words my mind too often skips right over that get me every time.
