How to apply thermal grease

How does thermal paste work? The matter is that the case of the processor and a radiatorThey are adjacent to each other loosely due to a not perfectly flat surface. Therefore, there may be air between them, because of which the heat removal from the processor falls by 15-20%. Filling this gap, the thermal paste allows to cool the processor better due to its high thermal conductivity.

Thermopaste can be purchased in a computerstore (however not in any store it can be found) or on the radio market. It is inexpensive, and given that one matchbox thermo paste can last for 60 processors, applying thermal paste will cost you a mere pittance. When choosing thermal grease, pay attention to such an indicator as thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity of thermal paste is measured in wattsper meter, multiplied by Kelvin (W / m * K). In the most common types of thermal paste, this figure is 0.7-0.8, but in some brands it can reach up to 2.

Some thermal greases contain finely dispersed metal powders that help to better conduct heat. but thermal grease based on metal can cause the closure of contacts, if inaccurately applied. By density of thermal grease you can judge the ease of application: the thicker the thermal paste, the heavier it will be. Pay attention to form of release of thermal paste. If you are going to apply thermal paste for the first time, choose a thermal grease in a tube (syringe) - this will facilitate the dosage and application of thermal paste.

Good thermal grease should have the least thermal resistance(correspondingly, the greatest thermal conductivity), maintain its properties over time in a wide temperature range (-40 to 200 ° C), do not change the consistency, it is convenient to be applied and easy to flush.

So, in order apply thermal grease, you will need the actual thermal paste, softcloth, screwdriver and ... toilet paper. I'm not kidding. The fact is that when applying thermal paste it is almost impossible not to get dirty, but it's best to wipe your hands from thermal paste with toilet paper.

Before applying thermal grease, prepare a workplace. Ideally, this should be smooth, goodlighted table. The computer should be turned off (we do not doubt that you know this, but it's better to say all the nuances). Then the entire periphery is disconnected from the system unit, the side wall is removed, and it is put to one side on the table. The CPU cooler is disconnected from the power supply and is removed from the processor.

Having removed the cooler, clean it of the remnants of the old thermal grease, if any, with a soft cloth. Some computer owners clean and polish the surface of the processor, so that the cooler is closer to it, but it's better not to do it, if you are not sure of the result - you can stay without a processor. Now you can apply thermal grease.

The layer of thermal paste should be very thin, so that the distance between the padprocessor and cooler was minimal. An excessively thick layer will not conduct heat well, and the processor will begin to overheat due to insufficient cooling. It is possible to apply thermal paste in various ways. Manufacturers advise to level the thermal paste with a piece of plastic, but with this method, thermal paste can accumulate not on the surface of the processor, but on plastic. Therefore, it is possible to apply thermal paste in a second way, squeezing small portions of thermal paste from the syringe onto the contact surface of the processor. When you install the cooler, the thermal paste will spread evenly. Take care that the thermal paste does not go beyond the boundaries of the contact pad and does not fall on the motherboard.

After making sure of the optimum thickness of the thermal paste layer(this will have to be done by eye), install the cooler on the processor with the applied thermal paste, carefully fix it (the coolers of different manufacturers can have different fastening systems) and connect it to the power supply. Assemble the system unit and the computer can be used again.

Apply thermal paste is necessary when replacing the processor or cooler, drying out the old thermal paste, buying a new processor without previously applied thermal paste or once a couple of years for prevention. If you are not sure that you can apply thermal paste yourself, without harming your computer, it's best to contact a specialist.