How-To: Properly Apply Thermal Paste and Install a CPU
How-To: Properly Apply Thermal Paste and Install a CPU
Posted 01/26/2010 at 8:00am
| by Alex Castle
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Building a PC is a many-step process, but one in particular stands out as being intimidating to first-timers: properly mounting a CPU and cooler. Why? Because, generally speaking, that one little cpu chip is simultaneously the smallest, most delicate, and most expensive part of your system. Mount the cooler wrong, or improperly apply the thermal paste and you’re looking at (at best) a drop in performance and system crashes, or (at worst) a $200 disaster.
But don’t worry! It’s actually not terribly hard to install a new CPU, as long as you know what you’re doing. And so that you do know what you’re doing, we’ve put together a quick primer on installing a new CPU. If you’re a newbie getting ready to build a new system, or an old pro looking to make sure your technique is the best, read on to find out everything you need to know about properly mounting a CPU.
So what is thermal paste anyway?
Thermal paste is a type of heat transferring agent that serves to fill in the microscopic gaps that naturally occur when two flat metal surfaces—such as your CPU and cooler—are pressed against one another. These air-filled gaps hinder the rate at which the cooler is able to absorb heat from the CPU, and filling them with thermal material greatly increases performance.
There are several different types of thermal material, including ceramic- and metal-based pastes and solid, waxy thermal pads. Some coolers come with pre-applied pads, but most don’t, and we recommend using a paste. Our two favorites are Arctic Silver 5 and Arctic Silver Ceramique.
Step 1: Prep the CPU and cooler
If you’re using a CPU, cooler, or both that’s already seen a tour of duty, then they’re likely to have some gunky thermal paste residue. Don’t be tempted to just reuse this old paste, as it dries out over time, and you won’t get a clean connection between your CPU and cooler.
So the first order of business is to clean off the old thermal material. Here in the lab we use a two-stage cleanser called ArctiClean, although high-percentage rubbing alcohol will do the job just fine. Just apply a drop or two to the old material and let it sit for a minute while the cleaner breaks up the grease in the thermal paste. Then, wipe it clean with a lint-free cloth. A coffee filter makes a terrific, cheap lint-free cloth. Repeat the process until both the CPU and cooler are totally clean, and then move on.
Step 2: Apply the thermal paste
Looking around the internet, you’ll find a lot of different philosophies about how to apply thermal paste. Some people say you should apply it in a dot, some a line, some two lines, some an “X,” and so on. Truth is, all you’re trying to do when applying thermal paste is to get a paper-thin layer of the stuff over as much of your CPU as possible. For that, a dot is pretty much perfect, since a dot will squish into a circle, which will hopefully reach to all 4 edges of the CPU.
Here’s what we recommend:
First, insert the CPU into its socket on your motherboard.
Next, squeeze out a dot of thermal paste directly onto the center of your CPU. Your dot should be about the size of a BB (as in, what BB guns shoot), or a little smaller than a pea. Next, take your cooler and press it straight down onto the CPU so that the thermal paste spreads evenly in all directions. If you feel comfortable doing it, you can use a very very slight rubbing motion as you press down on the cooler to help spread the paste better.
Ideally, you’re now finished. You simply lock your cooler down (using whatever mechanism yours comes with) and then move on. However, if you’re afraid the thermal paste didn’t get spread properly, you can give it a quick look by lifting the cooler back up, twisting slightly to break the vacuum seal that may have formed. If you’ve got too much paste on the CPU, you can wipe up the excess from around the edges, and if you’ve got too little, you can add some more. Of course, if you somehow totally screwed it up, you can always clean everything up and try again.
Note that we don’t recommend doing this more than once—every time you lift up the cooler, you risk adding more air bubbles into the thermal paste, which will lower you coolers efficiency. Don’t let yourself get too worried about that, though—unless you’re doing some real overclocking, it isn’t going to make or break your system.
And that’s about it. Good luck with your build!
More like this
dschnizzy
January 19, 2012 at 8:54pm
I have only used the stock cooler on one build, I have always bought a better cooler. One thing I learned, is this article has it wrong when it comes to spreading the compound. I typically used Arctic Silver 5 just because its been solid and has provided good temps. When you put down the thermal paste, about half a pea size to start, you take a lint free cloth and a little bit of Isoproply alcohol high proof rubbing alcohol, clean a new razor blade so its clean, any dirt or debris on the blade will interfere with the compound. Use the sharp edge of the blade and evenly spread the thermal paste over the top of the chip. I remember reading and article a long time ago to spread the paste evenly, doing whatever you can to keep the paste smooth on the chip.Just my two cents, but its kept my temperatures lower on well over twenty builds.
nodice2014
April 13, 2010 at 2:10pm
Re-apply thermal paste only if you have broken the seal, after it has dried.
sdbshb
February 14, 2010 at 10:47am
I see a couple people have asked how long before re-applying the thermal paste on their CPUs. The Answer is easy... The majority of pastes require an annual reapplication like AS5 and Tuniq... if you really want to know look on their official website. There are few pastes that last longer than that officially... one being arctic cooling's MX2 or MX3 which lasts eight years. Once again I suggest going to the official site of whatever paste you are currently using and check. Again you get what you pay for!
nodnol
December 16, 2010 at 8:59am
I had an AMD Duron computer for 9 years and never reapplied thermal paste. CPU temps were stable the whole time. It was the most stable system I ever worked with. I don't think anybody would buy a compound that would require dismantling the CPU/heatsink every year for cleanup and reapplication.
TheZomb
March 12, 2011 at 12:42pm
Unless your doing overclocking it should be fine to never reapply thermal paste. Every computer has a different setup too. You typically don't have to worry about reapplying and low to midrange procs,as long as you keep your comp dust free you should be fine. If you but a high end processor or even a last gen high end proc which might now be midrange, you should monitor your temps and if they get to high try reapplying.
Justinius Maximus
October 11, 2010 at 1:56pm
I just got off the phone with Colin, a tech support guy with Arctic Silver. It turns out that NONE of AS's thermal paste products require reapplication, unless the contact between the chip and the heatsink has been compromised in some way. (This includes excessive vibration, such as might happen when transporting a PC with a spring-loaded heatsink.) Further, the recommended way to apply the thermal paste varies by CPU. For example, to apply AS5 to an Intel CPU: http://www.arcticsilver.com/intel_application_method.html#
Helps to go to the source instead of parroting what you read in some forum.
TheAngryMoose
September 29, 2011 at 4:53am
I'm loving the first rule of artic silver compound in the link you provided.
Arctic Silver Thermal Compound Precautions:
1) Don't put it in your mouth.
Metalmorphasis
February 09, 2010 at 10:45pm
Right dead in the center. Works perfect all the time no crap!
Alperian
February 05, 2010 at 4:59am
If I were a company selling these 'preparations', I would probably recommend using 25 gallons per virtual core. The whole article above was summed up in the line:
"...agent that serves to fill in the microscopic gaps that naturally occur..."
All this BB sized stuff is inaccurate and excessive. One does not need to be an engineer in thermodynamics, or quote the second law to know that just a thin smear is all that is needed.
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice Doggy' until you can find a rock.
nodnol
December 16, 2010 at 9:05am
Do you think the term "thin smear" is more accurate than the term "BB sized" ? In terms of quantity, I find "BB sized" to be far more graphically representative. Also, explain why you think "BB sized" is excessive.
QuakindudeMod
February 12, 2010 at 3:14pm
Maybe you should contact the guys who make ICD7 and teach them something. Because the way the article you've commented on recommends to do it is correct. It's also the way just about every manufacturer of thermal interface material recommends to apply it. And for a general, all around method of application, you can't go wrong using it.
*****MaximumPC Moderator. Report inappropriate/SPAM comments to
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reflect the opinions of MaxPC or Future US*****
Justinius Maximus
October 11, 2010 at 2:06pm
Maybe you should check with the manufacturer of a particular thermal paste before making a blanket statement. As I posted above, Arctic Silver has varying application recommendations depending on the CPU. Check it out: http://www.arcticsilver.com/intel_application_method.html#
The author of this article would be well-advised to direct interested readers to the manufacturers' pages instead of making simplistic, blanket statements about such things as thermal paste application methods. This is the sort of inaccurate junk that ends up being parroted all over anonymous forums, to the detriment of its members and the public at large.
Audie
February 03, 2010 at 3:32pm
I'm lazy but tidy. I use masking tape to create a square exposed area on the CPU about 1/8th inch from its edges. I lay a bead of paste on one side of the masked square and use a credit card to spread a think, consistent layer of paste. Remove the masking tape and you are good to go, just like the pre-applied pastes. When I remove a sink, I find the pressure has typicall spread the paste exactly to the edges of the CPU. The scraper tends to accumulate paste and it can be a little wasteful. One of these days I reckon someone will create and market little masks.
LD
February 03, 2010 at 3:30pm
Arctic Silver has specific instructions for the Core i7 and i5. You don't use a single dot in the center of the CPU. Instead you use a small line of paste oriented according to the cores.
ironious
February 01, 2010 at 11:17am
You mean you dont use 3 tubes and spread it all over the heat pipes like inside my laptop?
schneider1492
February 06, 2010 at 7:57pm
sounds like something apple's authorized techs would do. lol
Athlonite
February 01, 2010 at 3:38am
I'd like to ya try the bb / pea size drop with Shin-Etsu's thermal compound LOL you'd push your CPU throught to the other side of you mobo and on to china befor it spread like that
ASUS M3A32MVP-DELUXE AM2+, AMD Athlon x2 7750BE @ 2700MHz + Tuniq Tower 120
2x Corsair Dominator Twin2x2048C5D-8500 (4x 1GB) DDR2-1066MHz 555-15CL2 2.10v
HIS Radeon HD5770 FAN 1GB DDR5 cclk/850MHz memclk/4800
2x WD2500AAJS Raid0 Boot/
nekollx
February 01, 2010 at 10:09am
i just used a pea sized square then lowered the fan on.
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
rludwic
January 31, 2010 at 9:57am
I'm using a Prolimatech Megahalem and find the 2 line divided by thirds on the CPU works out best for me. I also found that OCZ Freeze works much better than AS5 and my previous favorite Zalmans Super Thermal Grease 1. The OCZ Freeze has my overclocked I7 (4.2GHz) running at idle at 34C and at 100% load in LinX at 76C. Pretty decent temps for an air-cooled 4.2GHz I7 (1366 pin).
pl4t0
January 29, 2010 at 7:55pm
when i apply the paste, i always go through a meticulous process of using a credit card to spread it very evenly, just right. I used to use the method displayed in the article, but once I was very careful and cautious about how it was spread, it LITERALLY lowered my CPU temps by about 8-9 degrees.
Carlidan
January 28, 2010 at 1:59am
I was wondering how long does thermal paste last before you have to reapply it?
“Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal.”
pl4t0
January 29, 2010 at 7:57pm
because it's a grease, if I'm not mistaken, I don't think you ever have to reapply it, because it'll never harden or substantially change its state. But there is the definite possibility i'm mistaken, this is just in my own experience.
mikebravo
January 26, 2010 at 7:36pm
Say Yull, why not pop down to the local liquor store and buy Everclear or the equivelent. At 190 proof it will clean most anything, including your stomach lining.
JohnP
January 26, 2010 at 4:29pm
The best stuff for removing old paste is Goof-Off, available in Home Depot and probably grocery stores. That is not Goof-off 2 or whatever its called. Follow the cleaning up with isopropyl alcohol.
Artic Silver 5, a highly rated paste, will not work well with a wipe on technique as it is very sticky. The best way is with a sharp metal edge. I use an old box cutter blade that I dulled up some.
WaterRabbit
May 19, 2010 at 2:18pm
Just wanted to add something to your "box cutter blade idea" the factory coats all of those blades with oil to prevent rust and sticking. If you still plan to use them I suggest a really good cleaning and rinse with alcohol to remove the oil and then clean everything you touched. Take Care.
ghen
January 26, 2010 at 1:46pm
I much prefer the ziplock bag method. This way I can make sure I get a nice even spread before plopping down the heatsink. No second guessing. It takes a while to get perfect, but I'd rather take the time than worry when I push the OC'ing boundries.
HeartBurnKid
January 26, 2010 at 10:32am
I usually use a plastic bag to smear the thermal paste evenly around the CPU. Never tried just letting the weight of the HSF do it for me. Wonder how the techniques compare... this one is definitely less work.
Athlonite
February 01, 2010 at 3:41am
tis all good if your using a fairly runny type of TIM anything thick like the shin-etsu stuff and you need to spread it first
ASUS M3A32MVP-DELUXE AM2+, AMD Athlon x2 7750BE @ 2700MHz + Tuniq Tower 120
2x Corsair Dominator Twin2x2048C5D-8500 (4x 1GB) DDR2-1066MHz 555-15CL2 2.10v
HIS Radeon HD5770 FAN 1GB DDR5 cclk/850MHz memclk/4800
2x WD2500AAJS Raid0 Boot/
Modred189
January 26, 2010 at 10:29am
As another tip, when i clean off my CPU TIM, after using alcohol to get the old TIM off, I use a bottle of compressed air to evaporate any remaining cleaner.
Tophar
January 26, 2010 at 10:18am
I would really love to see more articles like this targeted at first time computer builders.
Gaius Octavius
January 21, 2011 at 4:34am
We novices that are picking this knowledge up and comparing opinions really appreciate more technical tips, comments and articles to learn from. Articles from one author's viewpoint are fine, but the responses from other techies are incredibly valuable.
WaterRabbit
May 19, 2010 at 2:24pm
Yes, I agree I learn so much from the articles and the comments are both informative and entertaining! More Tech Tips, More Tech Tips, More Tech Tips......................
nekollx
January 26, 2010 at 10:29am
i always though their walk thoughts for building their custom pcs covered all the main points. Only this was really missing details..
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
DBsantos77
January 26, 2010 at 10:07am
Meh, Arctic Silver 5 is good, but way outdated. I switched to Gelid Extreme Compound, keeps my 3.6 Ghz Phenom @ 17 C on Idle, 35 C 100% load with Prime. Gelid is five degrees lower in both scenarios, respectively. I also did avery sloppy job on spreading it, I'm probably going to follow this tut when I get home and re-apply the compound.
Gelid kicks AS5's ass when cooling, but it's pricey, I paid $18 for my compound from the 'egg.
Also, Gelid's compound doesn't require the "set-in" time that AS5 requires, which is four to five months for the compound to work at peak performance...pretty long time if you ask me. I clean out my machines dust every month, including the CPU heatsink.
-Santos
nsvander
March 04, 2010 at 12:29am
By my estimates, 17C is around 63*F and 35C is around 94*F, so how cold do you keep the room where your PC is?
nekollx
January 26, 2010 at 9:17am
How timly, I JUST not my new CPU yesterday, and am hoping the new HDDs arrives today for a new build of the family pc.
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Spartacus
January 26, 2010 at 8:26am
Welcome to 2005... What about Tuniq TX-2, 3, and IC Diamond 7? Swapping a cooler's paste from AS5 to TX-2 lowered temps by 4C and from TX-2 to IC Diamond 7 dropped another degree. AS5 was the best. Keyword: was.
Lummoxx
January 26, 2010 at 6:01am
In response to some of the questions, the end goal is to have a thin as possible layer of thermal paste between all contact points of the heat sink and CPU.
From what I understand, the "perfect" heat transfer occurs between the metal to metal contact, and the paste is intended to fill any gaps. For example, a truly perfectly flat heatsink, mated to a truly perfectly flat CPU, would require no thermal paste at all. And by perfectly, I mean exactly that. Since even the cleanest cut by the most modern equipment still looks like a jagged forest under magnification, this is a currently unattainable ideal, and hence, the use of thermal paste.
I remember when lapping the heatsink was often brought up in these conversations, I guess it's fallen out of favor? It was done since even the best heatsinks had visible grooves from the manufacturer. I spent quite a bit of time once giving a heatsink a near mirror contact surface. Not saying it was time well spent, but... :)
Stomy
January 26, 2010 at 6:15am
Oh god, don't reminde me of lapping, not that it's gone to the way side but most of the "air cooler" click argue the point of it as it can be hard to judge peoples results. I sill recomend it for the water cooling and above (hey if your going to put that much effort into a cooling solution you might as well go all the way. but yeah my friend and I falt myself fo not watching him as he did it, but he laped a hole into his first old P4 prossesor I still regret not taking a picture of it lol.
Devo85x
January 26, 2010 at 5:42am
Do you have any tips on removing it? I am upgrading my liquid cooling setup and need a way to get the paste off the cpu so I can change the waterblock, any tips?
m1k3_flrs
January 26, 2010 at 9:10am
Its on step one. High percentage alcohol will work on removing the residue of old thermal paste....
Yull
January 26, 2010 at 6:56am
Use isopropyl alcohol!
In most cases - at least here in Europe - rubbing alcohol is made with ethyl alcohol mixed with water or acetone or methyl alcohol, these additives decrease somewhat the capacity of grease removal...
K0BALT
January 26, 2010 at 6:40am
When I do it............. I wipe off the old paste with a dry, lint-free cloth. Then get another clean cloth and use rubbing alcohol to finish it off. Acetone works well also.
_______________________________________________________________________________
~ i7 920 @ 4.4GHz, (2) GTX295's Quad-SLI, EVGA X58 3X SLI, 6GB DDR3 OCZ Gold ~
K0BALT
January 26, 2010 at 5:26am
... the 'X' pattern of paste on the cpu tends to spread better than the traditional dot, in my experience. I actually just tested both ways last night with my i7 and a waterblock.
Heatpipe coolers should use 2 lines about half the width of the cpu on the base in between the pipes.
_______________________________________________________________________________
~ i7 920 @ 4.4GHz, (2) GTX295's Quad-SLI, EVGA X58 3X SLI, 6GB DDR3 OCZ Gold ~
brotherj
January 26, 2010 at 4:55am
"Don’t be tempted to just reuse this old paste, as it dries out over time"
If I don't do any upgrades to cooler, cpu, or mobo for a couple years, how long would you recommend I wait before putting on a fresh coat?
Athlonite
February 01, 2010 at 3:30am
unless it says how long a life it has on the packaging then every 12~24 months dependent on the quality of the product your using
"i ride sheep"
ASUS M3A32MVP-DELUXE AM2+, AMD Athlon x2 7750BE @ 2700MHz + Tuniq Tower 120
2x Corsair Dominator Twin2x2048C5D-8500 (4x 1GB) DDR2-1066MHz 555-15CL2 2.10v
HIS Radeon HD5770 FAN 1GB DDR5 cclk/850MHz memclk/4800
2x WD2500AAJS Raid0 Boot/
Stomy
January 26, 2010 at 5:17am
thats a hard question to answer for a few reasons, some thermal paste clame their product works best after it "cures". Some can degrade over time all though that is very rare. I would recomend running something like Speedfan- www.almico.com/speedfan.php do a through cleaning and record the temps, after a few months do another cleaning and compair. If after a while you notice a increase in temp then hey go ahead and redo your paste and see if that helps.
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