Too much thermal paste?

Setting Sun · Sep 29, 2013

Did I put too much thermal paste on my 4770k CPU? I put a xspc raystorm Waterblock ontop of it

Skeefers · Sep 29, 2013

I'm not sure if the amount is wrong, but that may not be the best place to put it. You want to place it in the center of the CPU so that the pressure from installing your cooling solution spreads the paste across the entire chip evenly. The video linked below shows the proper way to apply thermal paste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gu2359FNDU

Setting Sun · Sep 29, 2013

Skeefers :

I heard x method was the best for Haswell CPU's. honestly I'm hoping this is one of those situations where it won't matter all that much and only make a couple degree difference in temperatures

shadow32 · Sep 29, 2013

Setting Sun :

Skeefers :

I heard x method was the best for Haswell CPU's. honestly I'm hoping this is one of those situations where it won't matter all that much and only make a couple degree difference in temperatures

I though so too until I watched this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4

giovanni86 · Sep 29, 2013

Live and learn. Try it out and check the temps. I usually do a thin layer evenly across the chip using some plastic lunch bags and a credit card. Been using that method for almost a decade now. Not saying its flawless but i seem to think it does the job and i'm usually satisfied.

melikepie · Sep 29, 2013

You could have gotten away with less, but that much shouldn't hurt. If you can't get good temps (which since your using a water cooling loop, you should), you should try and use just a blob in the middle.

Anyway, it should work fine.

Hope this helps!

4Ryan6 · Sep 29, 2013

Actually your CPU core underneath the heat spreader is rectangular shaped and runs perpendicular to the clamping tabs, IMO the best application would be a thin line directly over the core.

From my own testing with my 3770K which is aligned the same as your 4770K, using the thin line over the core has yielded closer core comparative temperatures.

In all actuality the least thermal compound you can possibly use and get away with, the better, you're only filling the imperfections between the two surfaces anyway.

The pea size in the center is better than the X, the X method may build up too much on the corners and keep the center from excellent contact.

Contact directly over the core area yields the best temperature conductivity.

Those that have gone to extremes and delidded their CPUs have done the rest of us a great service by letting us discover exactly how the core is running under the heat spreader, and that's where the heat is generated.

My 2 Cents on this subject! Ryan

The link below shows exactly how the core is oriented under the heat spreader, I'm not posting this link because I am an advocate of delidding as I am not, just to 100% clarify my core alignment meaning.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?286340-4770k-4670K-IHS-Removals

Setting Sun · Sep 29, 2013

4Ryan6 :

Thanks for the input Ryan. Hopefully the application I did doesn't yield high temperatures, I think I'll be fine though. The Waterblock went on there pretty dang tight to get the screws threw the motherboard. And the Arctic Silver 5 I used will be sitting at room temperature under the block for a couple days before the computer gets powered on hopefully curing.

4Ryan6 · Sep 30, 2013

Setting Sun :

FYI, Artic Silver 5 takes about 200 hours under heat load to fully cure, no offense but that's the last thermal compound available I would have spent any money on.

Website Quote:

Due to the unique shape and sizes of the particles in Arctic Silver 5's conductive matrix, it will take a up to 200 hours and several thermal cycles to achieve maximum particle to particle thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on the heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) On systems measuring actual internal core temperatures via the CPU's internal diode, the measured temperature will often drop 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period. This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer as long as the computer is turned off from time to time and the interface is allowed to cool to room temperature. Once the break-in is complete, the computer can be left on if desired.

The worst thing you can do with AS5 is mount it and not run the machine to begin the curing process.

Check this out when you get some time.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274824-29-thermal-compound-roundup-2011

Gaidax · Sep 30, 2013

Best way to do it is to take ear bud and then apply a thin(!) layer all over the CPU plate.

Setting Sun · Sep 30, 2013

4Ryan6 :

Setting Sun :

FYI, Artic Silver 5 takes about 200 hours under heat load to fully cure, no offense but that's the last thermal compound available I would have spent any money on.

Website Quote:

Due to the unique shape and sizes of the particles in Arctic Silver 5's conductive matrix, it will take a up to 200 hours and several thermal cycles to achieve maximum particle to particle thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on the heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) On systems measuring actual internal core temperatures via the CPU's internal diode, the measured temperature will often drop 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period. This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer as long as the computer is turned off from time to time and the interface is allowed to cool to room temperature. Once the break-in is complete, the computer can be left on if desired.

The worst thing you can do with AS5 is mount it and not run the machine to begin the curing process.

Check this out when you get some time.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274824-29-thermal-compound-roundup-2011

You've got me scared now. Should I take off the block and reapply a different thermal compound before booting the PC for the first time? Or should I just see If I get decent temps first

4Ryan6 · Sep 30, 2013

Setting Sun :

You're talking to someone that never puts his system into service until I've pulled the heat sink and inspected the thermal footprint, just to see if I have the coverage I need.

Thermal compound to me is an expendable item, that's why I have about 6 tubes of various brands on hand, but my hardware is not expendable.

So I always remove the heat sink after mounting, inspect the thermal footprint, remove the thermal compound, and apply it fresh, and remount the heat sink exactly the same, if the footprint is adequate.

If the thermal footprint is not adequate I adjust the thermal application until I'm satisfied the clamping thermal spread results will be exactly the same.

Then there is no question, or wondering if it was properly done, because I know for sure!

But as far as what you should do, that's totally up to you.

Setting Sun · Sep 30, 2013

4Ryan6 :

Setting Sun :

You're talking to someone that never puts his system into service until I've pulled the heat sink and inspected the thermal footprint, just to see if I have the coverage I need.

Thermal compound to me is an expendable item, that's why I have about 6 tubes of various brands on hand, but my hardware is not expendable.

So I always remove the heat sink after mounting, inspect the thermal footprint, remove the thermal compound, and apply it fresh, and remount the heat sink exactly the same, if the footprint is adequate.

If the thermal footprint is not adequate I adjust the thermal application until I'm satisfied the clamping thermal spread results will be exactly the same.

Then there is no question, or wondering if it was properly done, because I know for sure!

But as far as what you should do, that's totally up to you.

Can I pull my Waterblock off if I've already mounted my MoBo into the case? Or will I have to take out the motherboard

4Ryan6 · Sep 30, 2013

Setting Sun :

OK you have an XSPC Raystorm water block!

If you screwed the Raystorm mounting screws all the way down until they hit the stops, don't worry about it, that's about a full 35lbs of clamping pressure.

That waterblock clamping assembly is one of the better ones out there, don't give it another thought.

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