Where is thermal grease applied

There is, but some guidance and common sense will enable you to apply the ideal amount in an appropriate way. It is important to know that some CPU coolers come with a pre-applied thermal paste. The usual rule of thumb applies here: the more expensive the thermal paste, the better it will perform. As always, there are some exceptions to this rule, but this approach will generally apply.

You want to have a higher quality thermal paste to conduct heat from your CPU to the heatsink more efficiently, although a cheaper one will usually perform its role well enough. Another helpful feature is that the thermal paste usually comes in its own container that resembles a medical syringe, which enables you to apply the paste slowly and precisely.

This means you can only apply too much paste if you intentionally squeeze out too much. The paste will be placed on top to conduct heat to the heatsink and it has absolutely no relation with the connectors. In any case, you should consult a manual for your specific motherboard model. You simply place it down and try to make it equal on all sides.

A good rule of thumb for this method is to look at the capacitors around the CPU and try to keep the paste about that size. You draw a straight line from one corner to the opposite corner, then repeat the process and connect the other two corners, with the two lines intersecting in the middle.

The lowering of the heatsink is pretty much identical to the other method, with equal distribution of force. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary.

Part 1. Choose a good thermal paste. Most of the basic thermal greases contain silicone and zinc oxide, while more expensive compounds contain heat conductors such as silver or ceramic. Silver or ceramic thermal greases facilitate more efficient heat transmission. However, the basic thermal grease will sufficiently fill the needs for most applications. If you are planning on overclocking your computer, try to get thermal paste composed mainly of silver, copper, or gold.

These are the most conductive metals commonly used in thermal paste. Clean the CPU and heat sink surfaces. Wipe the surface lightly with a cotton ball or cotton swab dampened with isopropyl alcohol. The higher the percentage of alcohol the better. Sand the heat sink and processor surfaces if necessary. Ideally, the two touching surfaces will be perfectly flat, which would completely eliminate the need for thermal paste.

If your heat sink base is rough, you can wet-sand it with fine grit paper or emery cloth it to make it smoother. Thermal paste is designed to fill in the gaps and imperfections on the surfaces that you are joining. Since modern production techniques cannot make surfaces without imperfections, thermal paste will always be necessary.

Part 2. Place a tiny drop of thermal paste to the center of the cooler base. The bead of paste should be smaller than a BB or a grain of rice. There is no need to spread the paste for circular coolers, as the pressure of being applied will spread it evenly across the surface.

Attach the heat sink to the processor. Install the heat sink with even pressure from all sides, and the bead that you placed on the surface will spread over the entire contact surface. This will create a thin, even layer that will fill any gaps but avoid excess build up. As heat is applied, the paste will become thinner and spread more towards the edges. This is why using a small amount of paste is important, as a little goes a long way. Avoid removing the heat sink after installing it.

It can be difficult to check if your paste has been applied correctly. If you break the seal that is created when you install the heat sink, you will need to restart the process, first cleaning off the old paste and then reapplying it.

Reconnect the fan to the motherboard. The CPU fan wire should be plugged in the CPU fan socket because it mostly has the PWM function which allows the computer to adjust the fan speed automatically without changing voltage. Boot the system. Check that the fan is spinning. Part 3. Apply paste to the base of the cooler.

Applying paste to a square cooler is a bit more challenging than a round one, because simply placing a dot and applying pressure will not result in full coverage. The lines should be parallel and spaced so that they are each placed a third of the width of the processor.

The length and thickness of the lines should be the same as the previous method. Featured Guide. Time Required. Application of thermal paste is essential to keep the processor cool and happy. Follow this general guide to reapply thermal paste after removing a heat sink or CPU during a repair. For more advanced directions, specific to your CPU, check out Arctic Silver's page of application methods. Thermal paste is responsible for conducting heat from the processor to the heat sink.

Reassembling a computer without applying thermal paste will cause the processor to overheat, resulting in permanent damage. Before applying a new layer of thermal paste, you must first remove any old thermal paste from both the processor surface and the heat sink.

Use the flat end of a spudger to scrape off as much solidified thermal paste from the copper core s of the heat sink as possible. After scraping off the solidified thermal paste, a residue is still present on the copper core s.

Use a coffee filter or a lint-free cloth and a little isopropyl alcohol a. Once the surface is clean, use a fresh piece of coffee filter or cloth and a little more IPA to remove any oils and prepare the surface.

Do not touch either the chip or the heatsink, or allow any dust or debris to get on them. Even a fingerprint can be a major obstacle to thermal transfer on a chip. Use the flat end of a plastic spudger to remove any solidified thermal paste from the surface of the processor s. Do not use any metal objects for this procedure.

Be careful not to break any components on the processor's surface, or get any thermal compound loose on any components conductive pastes could cause problems. Again, use a coffee filter or lint-free cloth and a little IPA or ArctiClean Thermal Material Remover to clean any thermal paste residue off the processor surface.

Use a fresh piece of coffee filter or cloth and some IPA to remove any remaining oils and prepare the surface. To apply new thermal paste, use the application method recommended for your specific processor type —vertical line, horizontal line, middle dot, or surface spread.

Wrap the tip of your index finger with a piece of plastic such as a sandwich bag or Saran wrap. Use your finger to gently smear the thermal paste over the entire processor core s.