Hardware How TIM Works & How To Apply It Correctly

Taking the 5 seconds required to smear some paste over your CPU isn't worth the chance that your temps will be lower, even if only by 1 degree?

How lazy are you? It's not as if the article suggests undertaking 5 hours work or anything... jeez!

So far as I'm concerned it IS a recommended method... just by applying logic and physics.

I stress again: The worst that can happen is no improvement at all... and at best, an improvement.

Why would you NOT want to do it? You're all just being stubborn on some principle, or because the god like figures at Arctic Silver haven't told you so. If this info suddenly appeared on the AS website you'd all be citing it as gospel.. strangely, it appears on a well respected hardware website that is run, edited, and produced by some of the leading experts in the field, and it's suddenly a pile of crap advice and you all complain.

LOL


SHeesh.. people huh?

 

i'm gona stick to the rice/pea method, get me iree, and hold it daaaahn blud

jacob know what best for he heatsink ya kno?

(apologies, wanted to add some light-hearted comedy to this otherwise stress-filled thread. in my eyes, some of you need to get out more, just a thought)

 

Don't be too provocative. I said your logic is right as in the above and moreover I didn't mention that conventional squeezing method works better than the method described in this article. Read carefully what I wrote again and plz don't do overact.

Your argument maybe along with the logic behind this article, but as I said we cannot say it will hold after installing heatsink. Why don't you try to apply your physics laws and see what happen after mounting it? I'm majored physics and hence understand your point well enough but I still can't sure it will be effective in the end. I strictly mention again. You and bit-tech's approach work great before mounting it. But after do that, it becomes meaningless due to the surface conditions of the heatsink base and unavoidable movements during the mounting procedure.

 

If you still keep wanting to argue your firm, god-tone logic, plz give me counter-evidences of the problem; applying your idea to the whole procedure including not only pasting TIM but also installing heatsink. I don't think my logic has some pitfalls either, like you. Without that, I don't think Bit-tech finishes the job, and also, your saying.

 

Lol, i really like how for we are taking this

In theory i think the "blob" method will give you a better spread. Here's why:

If you spread out the paste on the cpu before applying the heatsink, there will be little pockets of air between the thermal paste and the heatsink at the first moment the two touch. These pockets are caused by imperfections on the side of the HSF, but much more so on the fact that the "finger method" does not leave an even finish on the top.

The "blob" method also has a lot of air between the Heatsink and the IHS.

At this stage, both the "finger and the "blob"method have a lot of air to push out. However, the blob method offers a free escape path for this air, whereas the finger method needs to push this air out through parts where paste is already in place. It would need to release this air much in the same fasion that you and i release unwanted air from our biological system from day to day
[mode=Dr.Evil]I shall call this release of air the "fingerfart". [/mode]

Thus, on a thoretical level the blob method is far superior. However, this assumes that neither your heatsink nor the IHS is convex or concave, and that your heatsink mounting movement is perfectly vertical, and that the viscosity of the thermal paste is perfectly evenly distributed, and that the blob has no air pockets in it. If you fail to meet one or more of these requirements, the only valid conclusion can be:

 

WoW I would take this article down, you dont want to mis-inform people on how to apply TIM correctly. The rest was decent but the application of TIM is way off.

 

+1 for unnecessarily complicated recommended method - not necessarily worse but just not anymore likely to get better results.

My theory:

Surface of CPU and HSF are uneven, TIM is there to fill in gaps. Therefore logic dictates that using another uneven surface (i.e. your finger) to spread the TIM will not fully compensate for previous unevenness. Only logical solution is mild oversaturation of TIM between surfaces (to fill in gaps) and an application method that forces air outwards. I.e. the blob in middle method.

My tuppence.

 

yup. Your theory weighs better than that of the article. Maybe the amount of a grain of rice is not sufficient to fill in any possible curvatures between the two surfaces. Certainly, this article looks like misguiding naive people... just my thoughts.

 

I used a small amount and then spread it around as per the article, but unfortunately even as we speak there are flames coming from my computer.


Not.



I can see reason behind trying to force the air out with the blob and smoosh method, but it's inconsistent. The method in the article is much more repeatable, and doesn't depend on getting the right amount not to flow out the sides or cover inadequately.

 

jw, can you use a condom or plastic/saran wrap instead of a plastic sandwich bag? l o l

 

This was the worst part about building for me. I was so nervous when this part came in building my PC, because it was my first time, that I got it virtually everywhere around the socket.. I just really didn't want to put too much or too little on and completely screw up the parts I'd just bought. I used my finger in a plastic bag, which gave me plenty of control to deal with it, though, and It was fine in the end. Shame my RAM had to then bugger up down the line.

 

I have to agree with Tim, the article cpemma links to does not cover the spreading of the TIM in the same method as the article on bit so you can't effectivly compare them.

I've always used the bit article method and never had an issue, small tiny blob spread very thin and evenly across the heatspreader/core then clamp down the heatsink.
However, I don't imagine there will be a great deal of difference in thermal values based on any of the methods cpemma links to or the bit article one.

 

I've always used the method in the article too. Apply a small blob and work it in. I've tried the method of just putting a blob on there then applying the heatsink, and while I've never had any problems, there's always part of the IHS which isn't covered. To me, even the smallest part without TIM on it just isn't efficient.

At the end of the day, most methods work alright, but if it really bothers you then do it your own way. As long as that way isn't like the Macbook (or whatever model it was) method where almost an entire tube was used per chip

 

In all honesty I've used many different methods for applying TIM including the 'blob' method and the one featured in the article and the difference in temps is non existant.

The only real rules to follow are to ensure both the heatsink and cpu are clean before application, and don't apply too much paste - everything else just comes down to preference.

 

I always remember reading this: http://www.dansdata.com/goop.htm This article made me think of it

 

Okay great but what movie is the ticket stub for? It won't work if it's a chick flick because the tears contaminate the stub.

 

I swear by my credit card reason being even if you just use a blod the size of a grain of rice,and finished applying it perfectly you can push the credit card flat against the processor and pull towards yourself and remove some more,and still retain the perfect finish,just my 2c

 

Put the motherboard and CPU into a dishwasher with white spirit or meths.

 

One thing ive noticed with a few different TIM's is once they've been sat for a while they tend to separate out into like an oil and the substance.

I found this worst with some AS5 just make sure you throw away the first rice size grain out the syringe and its usually ok then.

 

My theory is that you use TIM.

Judging from other people's experiences, that seems to work fairly well.