Thermal Jointing Paste

[doctormann]

Hi

My PC is having some overheating problems and I'm pretty sure that the CPU heat-sink needs its thermal compound renewing. System is 6 years old and the CPU heat-sink / fan has never been touched except for cleaning out the dust regularly.

I believe that Arctic Silver 5 is the stuff to use. Has anyone seen it on sale in the Pattaya area? Might be available in TukCom I suppose but it would save me time and aggravation if someone knows where to ask for it.

Thanks,

DM

[tomat]

If your system is six years old it will not matter what specific brand/model thermal paste you use, if you are close to any IT-mall or shop you can easily find it there, if not it's available online also: http://www.invadeit.co.th/product/fans-heatsinks/cooler-master/thermal-grease-p002180/

[Langsuan Man]

Tukcom, third floor, place close to the up escalator that has all the gear in boxes on the floor, they have tubes of it for around 20 Baht

Make sure you clean off the old stuff and bring the cpu back to a shine. Rubbing alcohol works fine

[RKASA]

The cheap stuff works just fine. Save even more use your wife's clear polish remover to clean - it works great.

Even application and the right amount is the key. Google some video if you want to see it done. The lapping is only needed if minor damage to surface of fan heat sink or if your going to be overclocking a lot. Careful what you use to spread it - I use something stainless and clean it first also, that keeps contaminates out of the paste. Anything soft like a swab or plastic can leave things behind..

If it is a stock fan unit and it turns out they had a pad on it - you may find it hard to get the fan tight again as the pad gets removed and you go clean metal on metal with the paste. If that is the case and it can't be adjusted like with some of the push pin type mounting then get a cheap cooler up grade that has mounting bolts in place of the pins. They come in many styles and don't cost that much if the cooling required is stock.

[doctormann]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I guess that my application isn't too critical as I'm only running a P4 at 2.6GHz so I'll just go with the stuff from TukCom. I've seen several videos of how to apply the paste. Methods seem to vary but I'm sure I'll cope.

I've been getting BSOD errors lately but the stop messages are never consistent so I don't think that I'm having driver conflicts. My RAM has also been thoroughly tested and no errors are reported. Could possibly be a Mobo problem but the clincher seems to be that the system is happy in cooler weather and if I run my air-con to get room temperature down to 25 degC I don't get any errors. I don't want to run the air-con all the time though - too darn expensive!

The system dates from 2005 and has had several upgrades over the years. It was built for me by DCO and it's been a good workhorse. Probably time for a replacement soon but I'll try re-seating the CPU first.

DM

[Pib]

Amorn Electronic stores normally in a Lotus mall also sells thermal paste/compound. A small plastic container containing approx 30grams/1 ounce (enough to do many, many CPUs) costs around 30 baht. The thermal paste/compound will next to the soldering irons, wire, flux, etc. I bought one about 6 months ago.

[Supernova]

I wouldn't go too cheap on thermal paste. Opt for something moderately priced, or better yet, go with a well-known brand. They're not too expensive to begin with...

When applying TIM, only use a small amount equivalent to the size of a grain of rice (for older single core CPU's). For modern processors, apply a line of paste on the heatspreader exactly on top of the die. You may also want to apply a tiny amount on the heatsink and then rub the surface with a lint-free cloth. This will fill any microscopic "voids" or tiny gaps on the heatsink surface without leaving excess TIM on the base.