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How do you apply your thermal paste?

How do you do it?

  • "Pea size" method

    Votes: 31 39.7%

  • "Grain of rice" method

    Votes: 19 24.4%

  • "Square" method

    Votes: 4 5.1%

  • "4 point star" method

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • "Line" method

    Votes: 4 5.1%

  • "Double line" method

    Votes: 3 3.8%

  • Other, mention in comments

    Votes: 17 21.8%
  • Total voters
    78
I apply a layer of thermal paste to the whole heat spreader.

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i make a circle. and then in that circle i try to make another circle...
 
Pea when I just don't care. X when I do. Gives a little bit fuller coverage which was important for gpus before the return of bare die chips. For direct HDT coolers I do lines on the heatsink itself between the heatpipes.
 
i just get my JCB and slap a big dollop of thermal all over the place :)..... nah i put a pea sized blob then with a plastic food bag stretched over my finger gently spread it evenly over the chip
 
:laugh:It appears that thermal grease can be a very personal thing
 
At the end of the day you want a thin and even layer of TIM between the two surfaces.
TIM is meant to replace the air pockets between two imperfect surfaces, as long as you don't end up with a mess it is fine.
 
i use my index finger on my left hand and me feelings about the layer of thermal paste i have never got me wrong before so i am still doing it, even did that on my i5-2500k and it's running great ^^

the drop is like a pea or something small so i can cover the hole surface.
 
Off of the back of what Zubasa said, I'm going to experiment with tinting I think. Going to see what kind of difference just tinting it makes.
 
scaminatrix said:
Off of the back of what Zubasa said, I'm going to experiment with tinting I think. Going to see what kind of difference just tinting it makes.
Click to expand...

I've tried it temperatures are okay if you get it right but it's you know, takes more time then just doing a blob :laugh:
 
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Sasqui said:
Same here, 1/2 way between rice and pea sized blob, then spread over the IHS or chip surface with a razor blade, paper thin.

I also usually dab a little on the heatsink, rub around and wipe off excess completely, as I read this will fill in micro-holes in the surface.
Click to expand...

ahh you follow a similar version of my method!
 
de.das.dude said:
ahh you follow a similar version of my method!
Click to expand...

Cool, I've always done it that way to make sure there is 100% coverage - especially important when there is no IHS. Ultimately, the proof is when you take the heatsink off and see what gaps exist. ...And for OEM installations, how much extra they put on that has run all over the edges, lol. I have seen some *really* sloppy factory jobs.
 
I voted Other, as my Zalman STG1, i just put all over the CPU, but thin. I always put also the rest less than on the CPU on the heatsink, and I got a 2-3C less.

If I use my zalman STG2, itwill be a pea :D
 
Depends on the application really, i have used all the methods listed plus 1 or 2 i thought would work lol Usually just dab some in the center of the IHS and let the HSF do the work
 
With my HDT cooler, I put some in the gap between the heatpipe and the aluminum piece that holds them together and then run a very thin line down every heatpipe.
 
I empty a whole tube in my mouth and mix it with my saliva, then spit it onto the cpu, cuss at it and walk away.. It better work.. Or else..

I've always wondered which way is REALLY the best.. The credit card or the pea..
Wish someone would test that.. XD
 
D007 said:
I empty a whole tube in my mouth and mix it with my saliva, then spit it onto the cpu, cuss at it and walk away.. It better work.. Or else..

I've always wondered which way is REALLY the best.. The credit card or the pea..
Wish someone would test that.. XD
Click to expand...



When I first joined TPU there was a review on another site floating about

Generally the small dot ( not pea, pea is to much) and letting the IHS/pressure do the job gave the most consistent results.

( Not best, they all gave similar thermal performance, but the blob method resulted in less bad mounts)
 
D007 said:
I empty a whole tube in my mouth and mix it with my saliva, then spit it onto the cpu, cuss at it and walk away.. It better work.. Or else..

I've always wondered which way is REALLY the best.. The credit card or the pea..
Wish someone would test that.. XD
Click to expand...

Here's something... no actual thermal tests that I could find, just visual results:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1

Edit, HERE'S the beef! With results! http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/What-is-the-Best-Way-to-Apply-Thermal-Grease-Part-1/1303/10
 
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Personally i squeeze out a small thin line of TIM then use an old credit/debit or I.D card to spread it to its evenly spread.

I dont always do it this way though. If im rushing or dont have much time then i just squeeze out a small/medium sized blob and just let the heatsink do the rest of the work when its mounted.

Not really noticed a serious difference in temps which ever method i use so I doubt it really matters.....

either im real anal about it and do it properly or i do it the lazy way and achieve the same result.
 
Pea Method or Grain of rice method :D
 
After how many x amount of years is thermal paste good for? Thought I'd pose this question in here instead of starting a new thread for it. Just got my CM Hyper 212 EVO today, wondering if I should just use the paste they shipped with it, or use my good ole AC MX-2 that is 5+ years old?
 
I did the line method with the 2500K to follow the die, along with the Q6600.
In saying that I feel it was not the right choice of TIM application though due to the gaps in the CM Hyper 212+'s heatsink and probably better to apply to the TIM thinly to each heat pipe and let the TIM spread from each one.
My old AMD dual cores I used the pea method and was using a Tuniq Tower so worked about as good as it should.
 
I spread it over the entire surface.
 
I was interested to read that AS5 should be applied in a line on SB-E. It might have something to do with how wide the CPU is, maybe the pea method doesn't cover the furthest edges. Not that I've noticed, my temps have been pretty good. Maybe one of these days I will go on a cleaning and tuning extravaganza if I can find some time. Intake filters are starting to get a little mucked up with dust. Better the filters than the CPU or GPU coolers though.
 
I voted "Other". For me it really depends on what it is I'm applying paste to.
 
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