Thermal Compound - Is One Better Than The Other?

[Dude]

Antec Formula 6 nano diamond is another good choice

 

[Solarstarshines]

Antec Formula 6 nano diamond is another good choice

I used 6 and 7 they seem to have the reverse effect i spread it properly with the spoon too

just didn't give me good temps like the Arctic for what ever reason i thought it was way better :shock:

Right now i have like 4 tubes laying around the 6 and 7 Arctic and some off brand Dynex

 

[Layback Bear]

I have found in most cases when someone uses a quality compound there is maybe 2 deg. difference.
The biggest problem I find is people using to much of the compound.
You really don't know how little is needed until you do a few and look at the coverage of the compound to really understand the amount required.
After a few installs of the cpu cooler one get a good idea of the proper amount to use.

 

[kbronski]

So you'd agree an amount about the size of a grain of rice is all that's needed? My new mobo came today, so I'm going to order the stuff pretty quick here.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Cooked grain of brown basamati rice and not long grained wild ! jus saying........

 

[Layback Bear]

No two cpu's and coolers are the same.
I install the cpu cooler with compound and run it a few days and monitor the temps. Remove the cpu cooler and examine then make adjustments to the amount and method used with the compound. Then monitor the temps some more. Most would say this is over kill but it's what I do.
Here is a good read to give guidance.

Arctic Silver, Inc. - Instructions

 

[sygnus21]

To me they all give about the same performance, its just a matter of hype and packaging. What it all comes down to is application of compound, components, and temps being handled.

Anyway I'm still using what's left of my MX-3, plus I also still have an un-opened tube of it I bought 2 years ago. Guess I need to get rid of it fast since there's no way I'll use all of it anytime soon

 

[Solarstarshines]

So you'd agree an amount about the size of a grain of rice is all that's needed? My new mobo came today, so I'm going to order the stuff pretty quick here.

What i do and this is not everyone's method ,I usually put a pea size dot in the middle and take my cooler clean surface of course and push it down on the cpu and it spreads as well sometimes when adjusting the cooler i purposely slide it around the CPU when tightening down the screws

I found it most effective that way and temps are excellent

 

[sygnus21]

What i do and this is not everyone's method ,I usually put a pea size dot in the middle and take my cooler clean surface of course and push it down on the cpu and it spreads as well sometimes when adjusting the cooler i purposely slide it around the CPU when tightening down the screws

I found it most effective that way and temps are excellent

That's the way I've been doing lately myself. I used to use the line method but found I tended to use too much paste.

 

[madcratebuilder]

This youtube vid shows how the different application methods spread.

How Thermal Compound Spreads - YouTube

 

[kbronski]

Oh, thank you!!

This will help a lot, in fact.

 

[kbronski]

The compound came today. Swapped my CPU over to the new motherboard (in my laptop), installed the new motherboard, hooked everything up for a test, and it works! My laptop lives!


But, um, now, I have a question. I'm not planning to do much with my laptop QUITE yet, until my new fan and heatsink module arrive (yeah, this whole dead-mobo problem resulted from me just wanting to get the part number off my fan module to order a new one, story of my life). So, is there anything I need to do, like cleaning the old compound off my CPU before applying new compound? I'm not sure how to do that, if I need to at all.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...So, is there anything I need to do, like cleaning the old compound off my CPU before applying new compound? I'm not sure how to do that, if I need to at all.

Remove the old compound using 90% (or stronger) isopropyl alcohol on a lint free cloth or paper towel (many people us coffee filters). Avoid scratching the surface. In other words, don't try to scrape the compound off; just be patient.

 

[kbronski]

...So, is there anything I need to do, like cleaning the old compound off my CPU before applying new compound? I'm not sure how to do that, if I need to at all.

Remove the old compound using 90% (or stronger) isopropyl alcohol on a lint free cloth or paper towel (many people us coffee filters). Avoid scratching the surface. In other words, don't try to scrape the compound off; just be patient.

Should I do this with the CPU on the motherboard? And, being a laptop board with a built-in separate AMD GPU, should I clean up the GPU as well?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...So, is there anything I need to do, like cleaning the old compound off my CPU before applying new compound? I'm not sure how to do that, if I need to at all.

Remove the old compound using 90% (or stronger) isopropyl alcohol on a lint free cloth or paper towel (many people us coffee filters). Avoid scratching the surface. In other words, don't try to scrape the compound off; just be patient.

Should I do this with the CPU on the motherboard? And, being a laptop board with a built-in separate AMD GPU, should I clean up the GPU as well?

The less you disturb the CPU, the better. You can do it with the CPU on the board. Just don't pour the alcohol onto the CPU. Put some on the rag, coffee filter, whatever (you just want to moisten it, not drench it), and just keep at it with fresh sections of whatever you use until it comes clean.

I'm a strong proponent of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" so, if the GPU is behaving itself, I would just leave it alone.

 

[kbronski]

I'm a strong proponent of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" so, if the GPU is behaving itself, I would just leave it alone.

Yeah, after my dumb motherboard issue, I'm starting to become a proponent of the same thing... jeeze.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm a strong proponent of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" so, if the GPU is behaving itself, I would just leave it alone.

Yeah, after my dumb motherboard issue, I'm starting to become a proponent of the same thing... jeeze.

How do you think I became one?

 

[kbronski]

I'm a strong proponent of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" so, if the GPU is behaving itself, I would just leave it alone.

Yeah, after my dumb motherboard issue, I'm starting to become a proponent of the same thing... jeeze.

How do you think I became one?

Haha, duly noted. We all make our mistakes. Better we make them with our own equipment than with somebody else's, though!