Old thermal pastes composition from 1998 ?

[user33331]

Hello
I have an old laptop from 1998. (233MHz AMD)
Should I replace the processor heat sink's thermal paste with Noctua NT-H1 thermal conductivity=8.9W/mK or will the old grease from 1990s still be good\better ? If I replace it with NT-H1 how long does it last before I again have to add a new paste ?

Do those old silicon and such based 1980/-90 industrial thermal pastes last longer in use ( bigger longevity ) than modern NT-H1 ( shorter longevity ) ? Or do they last the same ?
Do NT-H1 have shorter lifespan because it has bigger thermal conductivity ? Max.cool = short durability.

 

[_JP_]

Technology advances, so TIM too. Whatever is there, unless it's a thermal pad (and even so, by now you should replace it), should definitely be replaced.
Just make sure that the TIM/pad you use is dense enough in case there's a bigger gap than usual between the die and the heatsink.

 

[jsfitz54]

Are you looking for a technical response or a practical response?

If it were me, I would just replace with new TIM of any variety.

 

[EarthDog]

Agreed. No need to split hairs here. Get new paste on it. By the time the new paste goes bad, that laptop will look even more like an abacas than it does already.

 

[peche]

Pretty Simple:
1. Take apart >
2. Clean or dust off >
3. Re-paste (what ever is available at the moment.) >
4. Assemble back >
5. Test it : Call it done