For my last build over a decade ago I used Arctic Silver 5 TIM paste (I still have some left, probably gone off by now) and applied it as a narrow strip across the centre of the CPU, then clamped down the cooler. Seemed to work fine but that CPU is a fair bit smaller than the Ryzen 5900X I'll be building with. I've looked looked at the bit-tech article on this but judging by the comments, it's not necessarily the best way to apply and spread the TIM. Anyway, what's the current recommendation for TIM paste? The cooler will be a Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black which comes with a 3.5g tube of Noctua's NT-H1 paste. Is that any good for the 5900X or should I use something else? Also, what about TIM cleaner? Any recommendations? I've seen the 2 bottle ArtiClean stuff or there are wipes from Akasa and Noctua. Finally, what's the best way to apply the stuff? Do the surfaces of the cooler heat spreader and of the CPU need to be pre-treated or cleaned before applying the paste? EDIT: added Artic Silver Thermal Compound application method guide - looks like a useful document
I've a 2700X, and I used Noctua... something. Maybe NT-H1, maybe not. I forget. Applied it the same way I've always applied it: using a business card to spread a thin layer evenly over the heatspreader. Takes a little longer than the pea method, maybe, but it's ever so satisfying. I cleaned the stock stuff off the heatsink with isopropyl alcohol, 'cos I've always got that stuff to hand. Works a treat. EDIT: Ah, yes, it was NT-H1. It's been installed since late March 2019, never given me a moment's trouble.
The horrible truth about thermal pastes... is that they're basically all fine. Noctua's in the box paste is fine, I've used a NH-D14 for years and switched to Thermal Grizzly only because I lost the tube. For cleaning it's another vote for Isopropyl Alcohol, it's cheap and it works. If the cooler and CPU are new there should be no need to pre-clean the surface, if they're second hand they'll only need cleaning if there's old paste or some other crud present. For application I put a blob in the middle and squish it with the contact plate. Everybody seems to have there own way of doing this bit, it's always worked for me.
I've found this to be very true. Also I've tried the X line, blob, spreading and over gooping and found it makes little to no difference whatsoever So long as you have enough and a good contact with the cooler you're good Clean with isopropyl alcohol. With my Ryzen I think I did a combo blob mini spread or cross, can't remember (just because the layout of the CPU). Yeah the noctua goop will be fine.
Isopropyl alcohol and then MX4 for me(only because of its no conductive properties) with a credit card. The little loyalty cards you get to go on your keyring are ideal due to there size. As said before they are all pretty much the same unless your getting into extreme overclocking and 0.1 of a degree really matters.
IPA and MX-2 usually for desktops/NUCs. I've tried loads over the years and nearly went to MX-4 but MX-2 is the best to apply for me and there's only a few degrees difference between the ones I've tried apart from Liquid Metal. IPA and Liquid Metal for laptops
I've had great success with this and either mx4 or cheap gd900 thermal paste. https://level1techs.com/video/dotting-better-ryzen-3000-thermals
Only thing with that is liquid metal can have a habit of flowing ocasionally, I know Asus made a gasket for their laptops, so something to keep in mind. But just to say whateveryone else has, everything is basically fine these days. Even cheese slices are 'fine' as they're better than air, but all proper TIM will be withing a 10C range, which will be fine seeing as OC'ing is basically dead these days. The only times it matters is when you need non conductive ones, or to do funky things like lateral conduction with graphine sheets (I've seen them used as funky heatspeaders, and could potentially be useful for fixing Intels heat concentration problems), but I digress. That Noctua stuff is regarded as one of the bests.
Pretty much the same opinion as the consensus here, in that it doesn't really matter that much. Gamers nexus did a piece on the different application methods and found that as long as you use enough, that doesn't matter either. I prefer to spread the paste on the IHS because I know then that every bit is covered and gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. I use thermal grizzly kryonaut because "it's the best" or rather has the highest W/mK rating of non conductive pastes, and while again it gives me untold pleasure in that knowledge, deep down I know it makes bugger all difference. It's also very thick and a pig to spread. I'm more than happy to use most of the bundled pastes that come with coolers, other than the stuff that's pre-applied to coolers. Don't know why but I just don't like it.
I use Thermal Grizzly. I remember a way of doing this years ago in Custom PC I still use. Blob in the middle, then index finger covered in cling film and gently spread across the entire IHS.
