Best Thermal Compound/Paste application methods

[Tech Tweaker]

Been trying the blob/dab of paste method on my AMD 939 CPU's again lately. Seems to be working better than it used to, maybe it just didn't work with the paste I was using when I first tried it.

I'll say this much, if nothing else it's much faster than having to spread it with a credit card. Temps seem about the same as spreading it beforehand.

 

[Conumdrum]

Still alive, cool........

 

[General_Kerr]

I've got a little plastic piece that I use to spread it even and thin.

After I spread it (very thin) with the plastic piece, I put my cooler on without mounts and move it in a figure 8 (people used to lapping/sanding correctly know why) until the layer of paste is extremely thin. Then I move it to center and attach the mounting hardware.

 

[manu2b]

I've tried all methods with something like 200 mounts (thin layer, with card,blob, pea, rice, vertical line, X...).

The one I find the most efficient with both Intel and AMD 4 cores is a 2cm long, 1 mm wide vertical line in the middle with 4 VERY SMALL dots (1mm diameter) on the four corners like this:

EDIT: it's also a sign for calling visitors from outer space!

 

[Aldakoopa]

I've got a little plastic piece that I use to spread it even and thin.

After I spread it (very thin) with the plastic piece, I put my cooler on without mounts and move it in a figure 8 (people used to lapping/sanding correctly know why) until the layer of paste is extremely thin. Then I move it to center and attach the mounting hardware.

I don't know what you mean by "sanding correctly". I'm an automotive painter and we have to sand everything (usually several times) to get a completely smooth painting surface with sand scratches for paint to hold on to, and to get a smooth as glass finish for buffing after it's painted. We always sand in a straight line If we sanded in a figure 8 I don't think we'd ever get those scratches buffed out. Maybe it's different for somebody working with wood or whatever, but not for what I'm used to.

 

[Aldakoopa]

I've tried all methods with something like 200 mounts (thin layer, with card,blob, pea, rice, vertical line, X...).

The one I find the most efficient with both Intel and AMD 4 cores is a 2cm long, 1 mm wide vertical line in the middle with 4 VERY SMALL dots (1mm diameter) on the four corners like this:

Thanks for that tip manu2b! I'll have to remember that next time I put on a heatsink.

 

[freeagent]

I make a division symbol.. a line with a dot above and below heheh..

I also still use AS5 cuz its still pretty good, its just not as easy to get a good mount with it as it is with some of the newer stuff

I have tried many popular ways, wasted many tubes, my metheod works best for me

 

[Black C5 Z06]

I've tried blob, I've tried spreading, I've tried a couple of different ways.

For me it always seems to work best when I randomly put many small dots all around.
May seem stupid, but it works for me...quite well, I might add.

 

[aerick]

I too was wondering about this. +1 thank Tech for the bumping this thread. I do the blob I wanted to know that the difference in Degrees would be for the different methods.

 

[General_Kerr]

I don't know what you mean by "sanding correctly". I'm an automotive painter and we have to sand everything (usually several times) to get a completely smooth painting surface with sand scratches for paint to hold on to, and to get a smooth as glass finish for buffing after it's painted. We always sand in a straight line If we sanded in a figure 8 I don't think we'd ever get those scratches buffed out. Maybe it's different for somebody working with wood or whatever, but not for what I'm used to.

err, not what I meant.
I've been taught to sand in a figure 8 to produce a flat surface.

(something about rotational motions canceling eachother...)

sorry I should have stated more specifically what I meant.

 

[wagex]

blob, im too lazy for the others haha

 

[unijabnx2000]

 

[drka0tic]

BB size drop of Shin-Etzu works great for me.

 

[LennyRhys]

Single blob works perfectly fine... you're really not going to see a huge difference in actual heatsink performance between the different application methods anyways.

I used to spread but haven't done for at least a year now.