Effective cooling - how to apply thermal paste to the processor

Many probably noticed that after several years of service, the personal computer gradually lost its maximum performance. One of the main reasons for this unfavorable phenomenon lies in the clogging of components with dust, which largely hinders cooling. But there is one more important circumstance - the old thermal paste, which has lost its former condition (heat conductivity). Today we'll figure out how to apply thermal paste to the processor and what you need to know for this.

An important component

Thermo-paste is an essential component in providing a full-fledged and efficient cooling system. Its purpose is to connect the surface of the CPU and the radiator, ensuring maximum thermal conductivity. With its help, a significant part of the heat is transferred to the cooling device, resulting in a decrease in the operating temperature of the components. Proper application of the thermal paste ensures a significant reduction in the heating of the processor. It is a kind of gray-white viscous liquid, easily spreading under pressure. If the device is interfaced with the radiator without applying thermal paste, then some air is formed between them (where a thin and smooth layer of the heat-conducting mixture must be applied), which significantly reduces the cooling efficiency (by 15-20%).

Installation and removal

Before you figure out how to apply thermal paste to the processor, you need to understand how to remove the old one. First of all, you need to remove the radiator, which, as a rule, is not difficult to disconnect. Further, it is desirable to wool, you need to carefully remove the layer of old thermal paste. It is important that there is no trace left of it. After these simple movements, you can begin to apply a new layer. How much thermal paste do I apply to the processor? So much that it was enough to cover the whole of its area, but at the same time not so much that it crawled along the edges under the influence of pressure (when the radiator is attached to the processor, a fairly good clamping force is created).
In other words, the layer must be thin and cover the entire surface. Do not apply 1 layer to the surface of the radiator, and 2 - to the processor! It is enough to place it on a single plane. How to apply thermal paste to the processor? The best thing for this business is a plastic card or something in a different way. Its flexibility and density will help to effectively and quickly apply a uniform layer. It is important that the layer is not large and greasy - this can adversely affect the cooling. Many are used to doing this: the more, the better. Maybe in other situations it works, but not here. Try to buy high-quality thermal grease, for example, CoolerMaster. Its thermal conductivity is several times higher than the Chinese counterparts. It even comes with an instruction on how to apply thermal paste to the processor. In addition, the kit includes a plastic card. Change the thermal paste is recommended with a certain periodicity - every 3-4 months. I hope that the information on how to apply thermal paste to the processor helped you.