13thmonkey :
Roland Of Gilead :
Gam3r01 :
Are your temperatures too high? Is the cooler louder than usual?
Nobody can tell you when to change your paste, replace as needed, not on some arbitrary schedule.
what's arbitrary about looking after your PC on a regular basis?
on the basis of your statement 'no one can tell you when to change your paste', then 'arbitrary' becomes moot, no?
Certainly after 3 years, I'd have changed mine, and as mentioned, for good housekeeping and always wanting to have my temps low (i like to OC my systems) then it's a good thing to do more regularly than every 3 years! Or would you not agree?
I guess though it is a subjective thing.
I've not touched mine since built in may 2012, OC'd and used for long periods very day, temps are nominally the same as when built.
Do it when you see symptoms. Of course it varies by paste.
That's great for you. But not the same for everyone. Okay, maybe there's a point in there, that unless its required then there's no need. As I mentioned above (and this doesn't apply for everyone either) there are times when it's needed for a hardware swap, or perhaps just to lower temps further, these are just a couple of reasons why I've done it. I've also done as part of 'good housekeeping'. From the point of view of my costly hardware, I want it to run well, and at peak efficiency. And I will admit, that last reason is arbitrary.
With all of that said, a couple of other variables come into play, for example the type of paste used. You should be able to look up the recommended life and reapplication period for most thermal compounds used. And it varies from product to product. In addition, the compounds used, some of them (the cheaper ones) degrade over time. So it's advisable to consider that.
When I said, I do it once a year, well - that was for my own personal reasons (OC'ing, Moving the PC, perhaps even foolishly dislodging the Cooler
yeah, it's happened, I'll hold my hand up
) It wasn't a recommendation, rather an overly cautious approach in my end, and some info for the OP to consider.
@ 13thMonkey If i had your system, I'd be having an OCD meltdown thinking about that 5 yr old thermal paste
@ Gam3r01 Yeah, i hear ya. It's not necessary to do re-apply thermal paste if there ain't much wrong. Similarly, it wouldn't be good practice to 'wait till it fails' and then do something. A little pre-planned housekeeping helps. Would you not agree?
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