Correct Thermal Paste application on i7 3770k ivy bridge? Using NT-H1

[travishill02]

I'm going to be using the NT-H1 compound of thermal paste that came with the NH-D14 noctua CPU cooler I bought, cpu and cooler are brand new and the cooler came with The NT-H1 thermal compound.

I was reading the application of thermal paste sticky and elsewhere and it seems to call for a vertical line application on the ivy bridge CPUs, however in the noctua instructions it calls for a 5mm dot in the center(for Intel CPUs).

But the manual that comes with it is out dated, it doesn't mention being compatible with socket 1155 only 1156, so I think this came out before Ivy bridge.


I don't want to apply it incorrectly using outdated instructions and possibly damage the CPU, can anyone link to the correct way or describe it please. I also don't want to buy different paste, i'm not OCing just want it to run as cool as possible at stock clock rate.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

i just did the same thing, have nt-h1 with an i5 3570k, I applieda liberal amount due to the hyper tx3's heat pipes that leave a concave gap beween the copper pipes and the surrounding metal. I thought it would be bst to fill this gap with the compound, and then scrape the excess off with something (i used a small flat piece of aluminium sheet i had lying around, plastic would do also). Really you just need enough so the paste spreads evenly between the cpu and heatsink. a 5mm dot in the middle probably wont reach the edges of the cpu, best to spread it out i think. But i can say, from prior use, the nt-h1 is the best value for money paste around. You can always put a smaller amound, attach the heatsink, and take it off again, and look how it spreads. if it is not spread out enough then apply a little more.

 

[manofchalk]

Most common and recommended is the pea method.

Small glob of paste, about the size of a pea. When you apply the heatsink, the pressure will spread the paste across the CPU. Its worth also sliding the heatsink around a bit before screwing it down, to further spread the paste.

Video of the various methods. Ignore the general retro-ness of the video :lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffK7L0Qj13Q

 

[maestro0428]

I have tried multiple methods and the most coverage comes from spreading a thin layer across the entire cpu heatspreader with your finger in a plastic bag. Then use a card to even it out as the top is usually concave. Some people will disagree, but the pea method doesn't get the same coverage and I have been using this method for years.

 

[travishill02]

Best answer selected by travishill02.