• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Cooler Master Redesigns its TIM Packaging so Parents Don't Think Their Kids are Doing Drugs

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,355 (7.68/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Applying thermal interface material (TIM) properly is a simple task that is under-documented or sometimes even misrepresented by the press. A bad application harms, rather than help your thermals. Their application varies from either the "pea drop" method, where you squeeze the TIM syringe or sachet to put out a tiny pea size blob onto your chip, letting the pressure from the heatsink spread the TIM out; or using an included spatula or plastic card to spread the TIM out to a very thin film. Of course when minors have plastic cards and syringes lying around in their rooms, parents sometimes get the wrong idea.

Cooler Master, in a tweet confirmed that it redesigned its TIM packaging to address exactly this: that TIMs supplied in syringes that look and function identical to medical syringes, make parents think their kids are doing drugs. "We didn't change the shape of the syringe to make applying thermal paste a lot easier, but because we we're getting tired of having to explain parents that their kid isn't using drugs," reads the Cooler Master statement. The new packaging by Cooler Master looks closer to a highlighter or Play Doh tube than it does a medical syringe. It still uses a syringe-like manual piston to dispense TIM, but the nozzle is wide and flattened to put out a layer of TIM directly on your chip. It's no longer round, and you can no longer attach injection needles. This nozzle also takes away the need for plastic cards or spatulas. The design, however, has a downside: the "pea drop" application is impossible, and a somewhat sub-optimal method is being forced upon users. Did Cooler Master just give in to pressure from an uninformed section of the market? Could a printed disclaimer on a conventional round syringe have helped instead? Tell us in the comments below.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Messages
6,431 (1.44/day)
Location
Florida
System Name natr0n-PC
Processor Ryzen 5950x/5600x
Motherboard B450 AORUS M
Cooling EK AIO 360 - 6 fan action
Memory Patriot - Viper Steel DDR4 (B-Die)(4x8GB)
Video Card(s) EVGA 3070ti FTW
Storage Various
Display(s) PIXIO IPS 240Hz 1080P
Case Thermaltake Level 20 VT
Audio Device(s) LOXJIE D10 + Kinter Amp + 6 Bookshelf Speakers Sony+JVC+Sony
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 80+ Gold 650W
Software XP/7/8.1/10
Benchmark Scores http://valid.x86.fr/79kuh6
Parents who can read labels and recognize a tube/syringe sitting in a pile of pc parts are perhaps intelligent parents.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,759 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software Gentoo Linux x64
I agree the packaging is suboptimal. But I also don't give a crap, as the difference is negligible. If it's chiefly minors who make up coolermaster's marketbase, maybe it's a good thing.

Parents who can read labels and recognize a tube/syringe sitting in a pile of pc parts are perhaps intelligent parents.

Maybe they don't always sell to intelligent parents. Just a thought.
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
7,124 (1.45/day)
Location
Rīga, Latvia
System Name HELLSTAR
Processor AMD RYZEN 9 5950X
Motherboard ASUS Strix X570-E
Cooling 2x 360 + 280 rads. 3x Gentle Typhoons, 3x Phanteks T30, 2x TT T140 . EK-Quantum Momentum Monoblock.
Memory 4x8GB G.SKILL Trident Z RGB F4-4133C19D-16GTZR 14-16-12-30-44
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 7900XTX + under waterblock.
Storage Optane 900P[W11] + WD BLACK SN850X 4TB + 750 EVO 500GB + 1TB 980PRO[FEDORA]
Display(s) Philips PHL BDM3270 + Acer XV242Y
Case Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Fractal Design Newton R3 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk
Keyboard Razer BlackWidow V3 - Yellow Switch
Software FEDORA 39 / Windows 11 insider
Does it come with a price increase?
 

Cheeseball

Not a Potato
Supporter
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
1,839 (0.33/day)
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
System Name 2023 AMD Work & Gaming Rig
Processor AMD Ryzen™ 7 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi
Cooling ID-COOLING SE-207-XT Slim Snow
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 2x16GB DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) ASRock Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB GDDR6 (MBA)
Storage 2TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe
Display(s) AOpen Fire Legend 24" 390Hz (25XV2Q), Alienware 34" 165Hz (AW3423DWF), LG C2 42" 120Hz (OLED42C2PUA)
Case Cooler Master Q300L V2
Audio Device(s) Kanto Audio YU2 and SUB8 Desktop Speakers and Subwoofer, Cloud Alpha Wireless
Power Supply Corsair RM850x White (2021)
Mouse Logitech Pro Superlight (White), G303 Shroud Edition
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB TKL Champion Series / Wooting 60HE / NuPhy Air75
VR HMD Occulus Quest 2 128GB
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-bit 22H2 Build 22621.1992
Well, can't jack up anymore. :roll:
 

hat

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
21,731 (3.42/day)
Location
Ohio
System Name Starlifter :: Dragonfly
Processor i7 2600k 4.4GHz :: i5 10400
Motherboard ASUS P8P67 Pro :: ASUS Prime H570-Plus
Cooling Cryorig M9 :: Stock
Memory 4x4GB DDR3 2133 :: 2x8GB DDR4 2400
Video Card(s) PNY GTX1070 :: Integrated UHD 630
Storage Crucial MX500 1TB, 2x1TB Seagate RAID 0 :: Mushkin Enhanced 60GB SSD, 3x4TB Seagate HDD RAID5
Display(s) Onn 165hz 1080p :: Acer 1080p
Case Antec SOHO 1030B :: Old White Full Tower
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro - Bose Companion 2 Series III :: None
Power Supply FSP Hydro GE 550w :: EVGA Supernova 550
Software Windows 10 Pro - Plex Server on Dragonfly
Benchmark Scores >9000
Uhhhh... yeah... reminds me of this:


Anyway, this is complete and total nonsense. Any idiot should be able to see past it...

1. Thermal compound, by comparison, is cheap. I don't think I can get a syringe full of any street drug for $7.99?
2. Street drugs do not come packaged in the same way thermal compound would. How often do you hear of dope dealers selling clean syringes full of their, erm, product, complete with plastic clamshell casing?
3. Street drugs do not come with directions for applying them to CPUs and whatnot.
4. I've never heard of a drug dealer named "Cooler Master"... :laugh:

I mean, my god... is April 1st early this year?
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,355 (7.68/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
My suggestion to our minor readers is: when you buy a TIM in syringe, leave it in its blister packaging, show the blister-packaged TIM to your parents, inform them what it is and what it does, ask them to look up the product on the Internet, and then unpack your TIM in front of them.
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
6,743 (1.68/day)
My suggestion to our minor readers is: when you buy a TIM in syringe, leave it in its blister packaging, show the blister-packaged TIM to your parents, inform them what it is and what it does, ask them to look up the product on the Internet, and then unpack your TIM in front of them.
And then sniff it just for lulz :nutkick:
 
Joined
Nov 22, 2018
Messages
567 (0.29/day)
Location
PL, Krk (JPN, Tokyo)
System Name Nilin
Processor Ryzen 9 5800x
Motherboard Asus Rog Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi
Cooling Lian Li Galahad AIO 360
Memory G. Skill TridentZ Neo 32gb 3600Mhz CL16-16-16-36
Video Card(s) Asus TUF RTX 3080
Storage Samsung Evo 960 250gb (System), Samsung Evo 860 500gb (Misc), Samsung 990 Pro 1Tb (Games)
Display(s) LG 27" UHD IPS, LG Ultragear 27" WQHD Nano IPS
Case InWin 303 (7x Fractal Prisma 120mm)
Power Supply Tt Toughpower Grand RGB 850W
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate
Keyboard SteelSeries Apex 3
Benchmark Scores https://www.3dmark.com/fs/21022952 (old system)
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
20,902 (5.97/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
Processor i7 8700k 4.6Ghz @ 1.24V
Motherboard AsRock Fatal1ty K6 Z370
Cooling beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200/C16
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 830 256GB + Crucial BX100 250GB + Toshiba 1TB HDD
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse XTRFY M42
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
Software W10 x64
My suggestion to our minor readers is: when you buy a TIM in syringe, leave it in its blister packaging, show the blister-packaged TIM to your parents, inform them what it is and what it does, ask them to look up the product on the Internet, and then unpack your TIM in front of them.

I really hope you're joking.

I really hope the article's a joke

This is beyond stupid and if there are seriously these parents, the apocalypse is very close, it just has to be. WTF
 
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
1,530 (0.81/day)
System Name Personal Gaming Rig
Processor Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI X670E Carbon
Cooling MO-RA 3 420
Memory 32GB 6000MHz
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 ICHILL FROSTBITE ULTRA
Storage 4x 2TB Nvme
Display(s) Samsung G8 OLED
Case Silverstone FT04
Next One:

We changed our packaging again so kids won't treat it as a SNACK bar.
 

W1zzard

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 14, 2004
Messages
27,029 (3.71/day)
Processor Ryzen 7 5700X
Memory 48 GB
Video Card(s) RTX 4080
Storage 2x HDD RAID 1, 3x M.2 NVMe
Display(s) 30" 2560x1600 + 19" 1280x1024
Software Windows 10 64-bit
This was sent as a joke and you guys totally fell for it! LOL!
Source? I see nothing on their Twitter timeline about this being a joke

Back in the days my mom actually started "the syringe talk" with me
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
2,180 (0.53/day)
Location
Deez Nutz, bozo!
System Name Rainbow Puke Machine :D
Processor Intel Core i5-11400 (MCE enabled, PL removed)
Motherboard ASUS STRIX B560-G GAMING WIFI mATX
Cooling Corsair H60i RGB PRO XT AIO + HD120 RGB (x3) + SP120 RGB PRO (x3) + Commander PRO
Memory Corsair Vengeance RGB RT 2 x 8GB 3200MHz DDR4 C16
Video Card(s) Zotac RTX2060 Twin Fan 6GB GDDR6 (Stock)
Storage Corsair MP600 PRO 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD
Display(s) LG 29WK600-W Ultrawide 1080p IPS Monitor (primary display)
Case Corsair iCUE 220T RGB Airflow (White) w/Lighting Node CORE + Lighting Node PRO RGB LED Strips (x4).
Audio Device(s) ASUS ROG Supreme FX S1220A w/ Savitech SV3H712 AMP + Sonic Studio 3 suite
Power Supply Corsair RM750x 80 Plus Gold Fully Modular
Mouse Corsair M65 RGB FPS Gaming (White)
Keyboard Corsair K60 PRO RGB Mechanical w/ Cherry VIOLA Switches
Software Windows 11 Professional x64 (Update 23H2)

silentbogo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 20, 2013
Messages
5,473 (1.44/day)
Location
Kyiv, Ukraine
System Name WS#1337
Processor Ryzen 7 3800X
Motherboard ASUS X570-PLUS TUF Gaming
Cooling Xigmatek Scylla 240mm AIO
Memory 4x8GB Samsung DDR4 ECC UDIMM
Video Card(s) Inno3D RTX 3070 Ti iChill
Storage ADATA Legend 2TB + ADATA SX8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s) Samsung U24E590D (4K/UHD)
Case ghetto CM Cosmos RC-1000
Audio Device(s) ALC1220
Power Supply SeaSonic SSR-550FX (80+ GOLD)
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Modecom Volcano Blade (Kailh choc LP)
VR HMD Google dreamview headset(aka fancy cardboard)
Software Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
LoL. Our nation-favorite TIM mix of crayons and vegetable oil, called КПТ-8, still comes packaged in actual generic pharma 1ml/2ml/5ml syringes in retail. I don't think my grandma ever thought of it as drugs, when I used this crap extensively back in college. I'll make a pic once I get to my office. I still use it for FETs in power circuits.
Kids, don't do drugs :nutkick:
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2017
Messages
595 (0.25/day)
Source? I see nothing on their Twitter timeline about this being a joke

Back in the days my mom actually started "the syringe talk" with me
If you're seriously suggesting that CM should have ended it's tweet with "DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A JOKE" then I think you might well be advocating for the end of comedy.

CM's twitter is full of referential humour and jokes like this. Not 10 tweets down from this they advertise their Respawn mouse with the line "Hey, as long as reboots are in these days, we might as well get in on the action too. ". Below that they shared a picture of a white-themed PC with the joke "This PC is so white, the windows startup sound is a coldplay song".

CM's twitter is full of humour in exactly this vein, and if this were serious marketing copy, and not just a twitter joke, I'd have hoped CM would have thought to proofread it, instead of saying "We we're tired of".
 
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
449 (0.14/day)
System Name Specs Last Update: 8/April/2024
Processor Intel Core i5 9400f 2.9GHz/4.0 Turbo (NoOC)
Motherboard Gigabyte Z370M D3H rev. 1.0
Cooling be quite! Dark Rock Slim 180W TDP (The Silent Wings 3 120mm Fan)
Memory Corsair Red Line 8x2 16GB 3000MHz (NoOC) DDR4-3000 15-17-17-35 (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15R) V1.35 ver 4.24
Video Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce MSI 980 Ti Golden Edition (NoOC)| Spare: GTX 650 Ti 1 GB
Storage Samsung 870 EVO 4 TB | Samsung 860 EVO 1 TB | Cold Backup: WDC Black 930 GiB WD1003FZEX
Display(s) Asus VG248QZ 1920x1080 144hz 24" (Current: 60hz)
Case Corsair Air 540
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC892
Power Supply Corsair 850W RMi
Mouse Logitech M187 wireless (First day of use 30-9-2021)
Keyboard Logitech K270 wireless
Software Windows 10 21H2 LTSC 2021 / Linux: Candidates: Bazzite - Linux MX - Tuxedo - Kubuntu
I really hope you're joking.

I really hope the article's a joke

This is beyond stupid and if there are seriously these parents, the apocalypse is very close, it just has to be. WTF
I assure you that many if not most people, don't even know that "thermal pastes" exist. They could know there is a CPU and memory mostly for a computer. So for them to see those tubes along side computer parts, they will be like; "Those don't belong to computer parts?!" .. They then could just ask or push the paranoia even further which is not bad in my opinion. They want to protect and make sure their sons are okay.
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2017
Messages
595 (0.25/day)
I assure you that many if not most people, don't even know that "thermal pastes" exist. They could know there is a CPU and memory mostly for a computer. So for them to see those tubes along side computer parts, they will be like; "Those don't belong to computer parts?!" .. They then could just ask or push the paranoia even further which is not bad in my opinion. They want to protect and make sure their sons are okay.
Just gonna point out you're treating this as a serious method of disseminating product information when the same twitter account constantly posts things like this:

1579256800909.png
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
2,729 (1.18/day)
Location
Buenos Aires, Argentina
System Name System V
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Prime X570-P
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 // a bunch of 120 mm Xigmatek 1500 RPM fans (2 ins, 3 outs)
Memory 2x8GB Ballistix Sport LT 3200 MHz (BLS8G4D32AESCK.M8FE) (CL16-18-18-36)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580 8 GB
Storage SHFS37A240G / DT01ACA200 / WD20EZRX / MKNSSDTR256GB-3DL / LG BH16NS40 / ST10000VN0008
Display(s) LG 22MP55 IPS Display
Case NZXT Source 210
Audio Device(s) Logitech G430 Headset
Power Supply Corsair CX650M
Mouse Microsoft Trackball Optical 1.0
Keyboard HP Vectra VE keyboard (Part # D4950-63004)
Software Whatever build of Windows 11 is being served in Dev channel at the time.
Benchmark Scores Corona 1.3: 3120620 r/s Cinebench R20: 3355 FireStrike: 12490 TimeSpy: 4624
I really hope you're joking.

I really hope the article's a joke

This is beyond stupid and if there are seriously these parents, the apocalypse is very close, it just has to be. WTF

You do realize there are anti-vax movements around the world, right? With parents not allowing their children to get vaccinated against a bunch of stuff because they think the vaccines are dangerous, a control system by the government or something? Why would "parents thinking their children are doing drugs because they bought thermal paste in a syringe and have credit cards or similar things lying around covered in such paste" be all that strange?
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2017
Messages
595 (0.25/day)
You do realize there are anti-vax movements around the world, right? With parents not allowing their children to get vaccinated against a bunch of stuff because they think the vaccines are dangerous, a control system by the government or something? Why would "parents thinking their children are doing drugs because they bought thermal paste in a syringe and have credit cards or similar things lying around covered in such paste" be all that strange?
Because it's a sudden, serious issue of parenting and drug abuse being brought up by a twitter account whose purpose is marketing and making jokes?
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
1,485 (0.29/day)
Location
Azalea City
System Name Main
Processor Ryzen 5950x
Motherboard B550 PG Velocita
Cooling Water
Memory Ballistix
Video Card(s) RX 6900XT
Storage T-FORCE CARDEA A440 PRO
Display(s) Samsung UE590
Case QUBE 500
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z623
Power Supply LEADEX V 1KW
Mouse Cooler Master MM710
Keyboard Huntsman Elite
Software 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://hwbot.org/user/damric/
This may make me innerflect on my life choices for a day, but probably won't deter my TIM habit in the long term.
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
20,902 (5.97/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
Processor i7 8700k 4.6Ghz @ 1.24V
Motherboard AsRock Fatal1ty K6 Z370
Cooling beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200/C16
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 830 256GB + Crucial BX100 250GB + Toshiba 1TB HDD
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse XTRFY M42
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
Software W10 x64
You do realize there are anti-vax movements around the world, right? With parents not allowing their children to get vaccinated against a bunch of stuff because they think the vaccines are dangerous, a control system by the government or something? Why would "parents thinking their children are doing drugs because they bought thermal paste in a syringe and have credit cards or similar things lying around covered in such paste" be all that strange?

Yes, and flat earthers. Its just more evidence of Darwin's evolution theory. They're not the fittest and it will pass.

Where it gets problematic is when we start accomodating them, in doing so, we create our own evolutionary failures and enlarge them.

Strange mix of hilarious and frightening, isn't it.
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2017
Messages
852 (0.33/day)
Location
Italy
Processor i7 2600K
Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V PRO/Gen 3
Cooling ZeroTherm FZ120
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws 4x4GB DDR3
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1060 6G Gaming X
Storage Samsung 830 Pro 256GB + WD Caviar Blue 1TB
Display(s) Samsung PX2370 + Acer AL1717
Case Antec 1200 v1
Audio Device(s) aune x1s
Power Supply Enermax Modu87+ 800W
Mouse Logitech G403
Keyboard Qpad MK80
That honestly sounds like a joke, a joke to cover most likely a price increase, besides thermal past should never be spreaded, and with this they're basically forcing me to. Not that i'd ever buy CM thermal past since there's better at the same cost, or cheaper at the same quality...
 
Top