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The Official Thermal Interface Material thread

P4-630 said:
Nicely done, it seems your TIM is a bit better spreadable then the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme I used.
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Yea that stuff is tough.
 
TFX was the thickest I have used so far. But it was the dead of winter and my house was cold. Nearly impossible to spread. It worked really well.. but man it sucked to apply. SYY performs pretty close, so I just stuck with it. And its cheap compared to TFX.
 
freeagent said:
TFX was the thickest I have used so far. But it was the dead of winter and my house was cold. Nearly impossible to spread. It worked really well.. but man it sucked to apply. SYY performs pretty close, so I just stuck with it. And its cheap compared to TFX.
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I don't know how you and everyone else who uses thick, unwieldy pastes do it, but personally I (used to) put on a rubber glove and spread it with my finger. Use a little time, let the paste warm up as you manhandle it and the heat lets it spread more easily. Come to think of it that's how I've spread all the pastes I've ever used, thick or thin.
 
Shrek said:
Given what Gallium does to aluminum I was concerned about Indium, but looks like things are OK

Galvanic Corrosion of Indium and Aluminum....Is it Really a Concern??? | Eric Bastow | Indium Corporation Blogs | Indium Corporation
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Getting a 403 error on that link. Got an alternate source?

Shrek said:
Thicker might be good for reusability.
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Very likely. Durability would be a factor to consider. Indium is a stronger metal than most, so it'll be interesting to test.
 
Weird, it works for me.
 
Shrek said:
Weird, it works for me.
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Here's a screen shot.
403Error-IndiumLink.jpg
Even the base domain gives the same result.
 
The paste application on my Vega card went bad again. The block doesn't seem to want to sit perfectly flat on the gpu for some reason even though I've got springs on the mounting hardware.

20230921_164400.jpg

So I decided to forgo the paste and use my extra IC Graphite pad on it instead. GPU & HBM temps are within a degree or two of paste although the Hotspot is at least 10-20C higher than a fresh paste application but still totally within usable margins. I don't mind this at all if it means I don't have to touch it ever again.

Screenshot (45).png
 
DR4G00N said:
The block doesn't seem to want to sit perfectly flat on the gpu for some reason even though I've got springs on the mounting hardware.
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Pretty sure it's the tubing prying on the block. I took it off and again it was barely making contact on the top area. Man I wish I just had a full cover block but it's just not worth paying the price for one.

I just ended up sticking the stock blower back on before I hurt something. Back to 70c gpu / 80c hotspot.
 
What is the current state of SYY-157? I ordered some syringes a while ago and the consistency was like mainstream easy applyable paste unlike before where it had a consistency similar to Shin-Etsu X23-7921-5 which is hard to find in large sizes and not cost effective for repasting lots of basic laptops (only have an option to import 1KG for around 1200€ with likely alot of tax added on top, for that price importing multiple 160X400 sheets of PTM7950 will be a lot more cost effective).
I used it as a cost effective solution for Direct-die applications where thick viscosity is preferred.
-I work at a laptop refurbishment and high level repair store
 
Phenos said:
What is the current state of SYY-157? I ordered some syringes a while ago and the consistency was like mainstream easy applyable paste
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Yup, that's how it is now. Apply thin, let it sit for 15 and plant the cooler. Have you tried TFX? The last time I used it, it was super thick, and was as good or maybe a little better than SYY.. been awhile so I should buy a new tube.
 
freeagent said:
Yup, that's how it is now. Apply thin, let it sit for 15 and plant the cooler. Have you tried TFX? The last time I used it, it was super thick, and was as good or maybe a little better than SYY.. been awhile so I should buy a new tube.
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I know TFX but it's too expensive when you need to fix multiple laptops daily. I'm searching for something with a large volume like 30ml syringes and acceptable price. Maybe Arctic-MX-6 but the largest tube is 8ml. Most of the laptops are probably used for everyday basic tasks like browsing, email or YouTube videos. Gaming laptops or Direct-die high turbo chips get the PTM treatment.
 

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80-watt Hamster said:
I thought GD900 was unfavorable for bare die.
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It has an high amount of silicone binder for easy application, I have that stuff as well. Silicones combined with high temperature gasses out of the paste leaving porous dry and cracked crumbly material filled with air-pockets (That's what I see in many laptops). I prefer around 8 to 10% silicone binder for laptop pastes and most mainstream pastes have around 20 to 35%
 
GD900 is fantastic for anything with an IHS but I agree it has no business being on direct die applications. Try GD-2. It's thicker and would probably work better on direct die stuff.
 
DR4G00N said:
The paste application on my Vega card went bad again. The block doesn't seem to want to sit perfectly flat on the gpu for some reason even though I've got springs on the mounting hardware.

View attachment 314887

So I decided to forgo the paste and use my extra IC Graphite pad on it instead. GPU & HBM temps are within a degree or two of paste although the Hotspot is at least 10-20C higher than a fresh paste application but still totally within usable margins. I don't mind this at all if it means I don't have to touch it ever again.

View attachment 314880
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Try a kryosheet (put some paste on the ram thermal pads for contact). I have one on my 4090 - i had the same problem - paste would pump out after a few months in one spot and i would have 104C hotspot with 71C GPU temps and the card was sounding like a jet and throttling. Kryosheet now for a few months - temps rock stable, no chance of pump out.

PTM7950 will just squeeze out again - I reapplied twice.
 
Phenos said:
It has an high amount of silicone binder for easy application, I have that stuff as well. Silicones combined with high temperature gasses out of the paste leaving porous dry and cracked crumbly material filled with air-pockets (That's what I see in many laptops). I prefer around 8 to 10% silicone binder for laptop pastes and most mainstream pastes have around 20 to 35%
Click to expand...

I'm a little confused, siicone oil can be good to 500°F (260°C)
 

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