Which is the proper way to apply thermal paste for a Quad core?

Are you implying the manufacturers are doing it wrong?

 

WFT are you talking about? You said just putting a small spot in the middle doesn't make sense to you because other components of the CPU need to be cooled. Which they don't. Then you said the IHS would get super hot, which it doesn't. Do you have any clue what you are talking about, do you even listen to yourself posting?

 

I like the John Cleese skit the best: Arguments 5₤'s, please pay in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLlv_aZjHXc

 

not wrong, but not the best way either. your reference Video card GPU will come with very excessive amounts of TIM and its the same for CPU's.

 

http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appmeth/int/hl/intel_app_method_horizontal_line_v1.1.pdf

 

Here's the answer guys
PLEASE WATCH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffK7L0Qj13Q

it appears the biggest no-no is air bubbles.
to avoid them at all cost

 

Agreed, my gtx 460 had a really thick layer of TIM on the core...

 

If you want every scrap of transference, put a thin layer over the whole cpu and whole base of the sink. Scrap it with a CC, then do the dot method, or strips on the sink if it's HDT. That way you can get corner coverage if you think it will really help. Personally I'd call it a waste of paste.

 

for me,
if the base of the cooler isnt lapped,
i place a thin overall layer on one side and push it from side to side with a card.
then place a piece of soft cloth flat on the flor and gently rub the HSF on it, making sure the cloth doesnt wrinkle. all excess TIM will be gone and surely every gap is covered.
then i put a very small (less than pea sized, an under nourished pea maybe?) on the cpu and press in the hsf at one go.

 

de.das.dude

I'm not quite following you..... What do you mean by; "i place a thin overall layer on one side and push it from side to side with a card."?????

 

he probably uses a credit card or something similar to spread the paste out in a even thin layer

 

then he wipes off the excess only filling tiny gaps

 

my cooler master TIM came with a CoolerMaster card for that specific purpose. credit cards work too.

exactly.
then i place a very tiny tiny amount on the cpu and press the HSF onto it.a little rocking from side to side helps in spreading the TIM evenly.

 

this is what i do too "except its smaller than a pea sized" and works fine with really low temps.if you smear it you can get bubbles.

 

Spread method, try to get a uniform layer across the cpu/gpu. You'll know if you get too much when you install the heatsink, then remove it, and check if thermal paste is squirting out the sides.

Remember thermal paste is designed to essentially remove the imperfections between the heatsink and the processor. Thats why it's called Thermal Interface Material as well.

In theory, it should act like a malleable piece of metal that becomes part of the heatsink's base to remove heat as quickly as possible.

 

i never use credit card or something like that, just finger
make thin layer on processor and hsf base, i do that coz its direct touch then snap in
on non direct touch i use put a dop on center of processor spread it little so it wont leak when squeezed by hsf

 

I take my finger and apply a thin layer all over the IHS . Never done any thing ells never had any problems . Cover all you bases and you will never fail .

 

You shouldn't let the surface of your finger directly touch the CPU & TIM because:

1 It's not especially healthy for your skin to rub this stuff into it
2 Oil from your skin gets rubbed into the TIM and reduces its effectiveness

To avoid this, I wrap my finger in one of those clear, thin plastic bags one gets from the supermaket to put vegetables in. I keep it tight against the end of my finger, so that I can spread the TIM properly.

 

Yes I agree most of the time I do this . I should have not omitted it in my post . When pressed for time and too excited I just go for it though . But yes find a zip lock bag or plastic veggie bag to wrap your finger in and spread the TIM on the CPU IHS .

 

Forgot a bit? Hey, it's ok!

And ya know what? The last couple of times I used the bag, the damn thing split and I hadn't realised it - I'm sure they make them thinner nowadays. So there I was feeling all smug and clever, only to have an "Oh shit!" moment when I lifted my finger!

And no, I didn't redo it and it works fine.

What it is really important though, is to clean the CPU & HSF mating surfaces thoroughly with isopropyl alchohol before putting on the TIM. That's even if they look clean. This should be done just before the HSF is put on, so that dust and dirt doesn't have a chance to sneak in.

 

Don't you think it makes more sense to use a credit card to spread it evenly? I've tried the finger method but I'm never satisfied that I've spread it evenly over the entire CPU.

 

Actually no not really . I forgot this , I used to get them rubber gloves at the pharmacy they work great . It is not a matter of being supper even and perfectly thin . It is more a matter of a thin coat of the stuff . I mean you don't want to just blob it all on and have a huge mess of the stuff no , I never really got the hang of the card tried it a couple of times just to go back to using my finger to spread the stuff . I mad more of a mess and felt like a 3 legged cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond :shadedshu , All fumbling around in the case with some card in my hand trying not to mess up in that tight spot with every thing ells in the way . Man just too labor intensive for my taste .

 

What and mess up my credit card?!

And on top of that, the TIM is kinda sticky and doesn't really spread very well, so I can't imagine a hard piece of plastic doing as good a job as a soft finger wrapped in plastic.

 

I use my car insurance card to spread LOL im a spreader! but i have found out with direct heatpipe touch is that when you do a pea size that it fills in like the middle heatpipe and doesnt get onto the others thats why i have been spreading them

 

I've always done a thin layer using a credit card or cutting a square from one of the damned plastic packages some of my new goodies will inevitably come in.