Thermal paste questions and case fan advice?

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Mintschubert

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So I just finished my first build (in part thanks to this site at least as far as hardware selection goes) and I made the mistake of reattaching the stock cooler for my i5 4690k a couple of times. The first time my cable wasn't reaching the header and on the second the intel logo was sideways... In the bios I am getting temps of around 45 C and fan speeds of 1300-1400ish. Should I be concerned and/or get some thermal paste?

If I do need thermal paste how should I go about applying it? I've read many conflicting things about thermal paste application. While the received wisdom seems to lean towards the pea method, there is also talk of the line being better suited to haswell processors, while others say they actually got better temps doing something like an x. Other sources would suggest the extra thermal paste used in making an x could actually degrade performance. Wat do?

My other question is about case fans. I have an nzxt 410 phantom with one 140mm intake, one 140mm plus two 120mm exhaust. I plan to add a 120mm intake fan on the bottom when I find a way to do so (mounting one of the stock nzxt fans taken from the front.) My question is whether or not this set up would be enough. I do have an MSI r9 290 so my pc should generate a pretty decent amount of heat. Would i want to put 2 120mm on the front at all? (Case allows for either 2 120mm on front or 1 140mm .) Advice on how to mount the thing would be appreciated as well. The provided screws are too thin/short.

Thanks!!
 
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lfkfkfkffs

lfkfkfkffs

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You don't need really expensive thermal compound to get good performance, what matters more is only handling it by the edges and never touching the lid. If you do you will need to clean it off with Isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol works better. The people who think there really is a huge difference between compounds need to get their heads checked. Just buy some that has a good amount the stuff from noctua is of great value http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-thermal-paste-nth1 I can guarantee you if some scientist took samples of each one the contents would pretty much be the same. The cores for intel are all located in the middle and goes pretty much from the bottom of the lid to the top vertically, with amd they put their cores on the 4 corners of the processor so the x method works best for AMD.
 
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Mintschubert

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I was thinking I'd go with mx4 or something if I were to get some. But is the consensus that I do need to replace the thermal paste then? I would be replacing it because I reattached the cpu cooler a couple times not because I feel the need to upgrade from the stock intel.

The thing about where the cores are in the intel is sort of what I was looking for! Picture in the thermal compound article seems to confirm it. Have actually seen that article before, but must have skipped over that part.

I'll take a look at the fan article. I may go ahead and move my fans around then if I feel like my temperatures are poor.

Edit: The thing about how positive pressure being better for gpu temps was interesting.. I was under the impression that in general negative pressure tended to be a bit cooler, but worse for dust than positive. Will be something to keep in mind while figuring out fans. May want to buy an extra 120mm
 
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lfkfkfkffs

lfkfkfkffs

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If you don't think you will be applying more within the next 2 years the MX4 should be just fine even a small tube will get you up to 10 apps. Just to cover your fan question quickly. You want good quality fans not the cheapo $5 ones with the lights etc... Heatsink fans always need to be Static pressure optimized not matter how high you set the rpm on a cheap non pressure optimized fan you wouldn't get anywhere close to the amount of cooling a low rpm SP fan could produce. This also would apply where you have dense hard drive cages like in the corsair 200r. If there isn't anything restricting the airflow a fan like the corsair AF 120mm would be appropriate. Generally I like to keep my computers all silent or near, over 1100rpm is to much for me, so get some quite edition fans because the cooling coming from a good fan at a low rpm will be a lot better than a cheap high spinning fan. Corsair twin packs are also a great deal. Just try not to buy non pwm fans or fans that go over 1500rpm
 
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Mintschubert

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I have a couple 140mm noctuas (nf-a14 and nf-p15) in addition to the stock fans. Don't believe either is pwm, but they are hooked up to my case's fan controller. My cable management isn't exactly perfect (lack of a place to route the cpu cable through to the upper left and middling length of pci cable doesn't help), but it's not bad. Any thoughts on the noiseblocker m12-2?

Edit: As far as cpu fans go I wasn't planning on upgrading mine anytime soon, but when I feel the need to overclock I'll probably go for a 212 evo unless I feel something pricier is necessary.

Edit: The corsair ones definitely look pretty decent for the price.
 
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lfkfkfkffs

lfkfkfkffs

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The noctuas are probably better than those, they are also my favorite fan. Also just a note look at your temps with something like hardware monitor or the intel extreme tuning utility. The temp reading in the bios I've found most of the time just to be false. Also as long as you are under 50c you are just fine. As far as just heat in your case in general I would just get a twin pack of the corsair AF 120mm quite edition fans for about $27. Unless your front intake is restrictive if it is like a case door etc... get a twin pack of the SP fans. You can also supplement your cases airflow by getting something like an aftermarket heat sink if you don't already. that will help cool your processor even more and also help push more air through your case if you go with an air cooler.
 
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Mintschubert

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The noctuas get good reviews but they are not 120mm which is all I have room for. An,d at least according to silentpcreview, the Noiseblocker's compare rather favorably to Noctua's 120mm offerings. For now I think I'll try to mount my 120mm fan on the bottom of my case for 2 intake (140mm front 120mm bottom) and 3 exhaust (2 140mm top 1 120mm back) for now unless temps don't look very good. I'll take your advice about using something like hardware monitor as soon as I install windows. You guys have been a lot of help! Thank you!!

Edit: more pictures of post application thermal compound is always good! I'm thinking I'll do a line atm although the temperature results of the x beg me to do otherwise..
 
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lfkfkfkffs

lfkfkfkffs

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People just pressing acrylic glass across the processor isn't a real test. Most of the bubbles are removed the first time the processor gets turned on the heat moves out most of the bubbles. The pressing it to see where it goes method isn't that great, just spread it or line.
 
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lfkfkfkffs

lfkfkfkffs

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Yeah the line method should work just fine or spreading it, I use either those little latex things for your fingers or a piece of scotch tap to spread it. Most of the bubbles go away once it gets hot enough, it still isn't even the end of your system to have a few. The degrees difference would be within the margin of error. I think a lot of the people who are nuts about the whole spread method and air bubbles is like the people who think you should never build on the top of an anti static bag which has been tested by a engineer on a youtube channel and has been proven false. As far as solution goes you just uneselect current solution. Also make sure if you go the bottom mounted fan option it is filtered, or else your computer will be like a vacuum for your desk.
 
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Mintschubert

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Heh I was thinking of putting my pc on a surface by my desk or on the floor on top of a sheet of plexiglass or something. There is a whole set of dust filters for like $50 just for the nzxt 410 but that seems like a bit much. Can try to find one for the bottom though definitely
 
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