Caring for your computer is an important thing that is often forgotten and neglected. From here we meet with the main problems that comprehend the system. And it’s good that if the processes that happened are reversible, when you can clean the board from dust, lubricate the cooler and change the thermal grease, and everything will work. It’s much worse when one of the devices burns out, or the whole system.
What is it?
Before proceeding to how to find out the expiration date of thermal paste, you need to understand what it is and what is the purpose. So, thermal grease is a kind of “ointment” for the computer, which has a heat-releasing composition, contributes to efficient heat transfer between the element, which is heated and the radiator. As a result, if there is a high load on the processor or video card so that they do not burn out, this heat is removed through thermal grease and the heatsink, and then it is accelerated by the cooler.
This substance is often represented by a homogeneous mass of white or gray. Sometimes there are silver or blue shades.
For what?
Interestingly, before, few people thought about the shelf life of thermal paste. This is due to the fact that it was practically not used in a PC. The processors were produced “cold”, they did not overheat the system, the temperature of indicators at high loads was in the normal range. It was overclockers who drew attention to the benefits of this substance.
Over time, manufacturers began to produce such chips that work at the limit of their capabilities, generate a lot of heat. And due to the microroughness of the surface of the “crystal” and the radiator, the heat output has noticeably worsened - by 15-20%.
Appointment
Most people consider the presence of thermal paste in the system useless and unnecessary thing. Nevertheless, it sometimes plays an important role, and if it disappeared from the surface of your processor, then you will notice overheating, freezes and other errors. Before you understand what is the average shelf life of thermal paste for the processor, you need to tour some models.
The assembly of the system is not always of high quality. Sometimes the processor core and the base of the radiator are deprived of perfect smooth surfaces, so they may not touch in some places. So such a skew will lead to the fact that there is a local overheating, and then either the PC freezes or a "fatal outcome".
The choice
The question of whether a thermal paste has an expiration date brings us to its properties and choice. But it is better to immediately answer: "Yes, there is." In our world, almost every product has an expiration date - even salt. Everything will depend on storage conditions.
You need to understand that the paste itself must be resistant to high temperatures and oxidation, non-combustible, resistant to corrosion, harmless to health, have dielectric and hydrophobic properties, as well as high thermal conductivity.
Do not immediately look at the expiration date of thermal paste when choosing it. It is better to pay more attention to the main characteristics. So, of the above, the main is thermal conductivity. It is different for everyone, although the difference is small. Here you have to proceed from the purpose of the computer. If you have a regular office PC, then he does not need an advanced model. If you decide to build a gaming system, then all the elements will have to be taken care of as much as possible, and even such a trifle as thermal grease should be the best.
Abundance
Now it is not difficult to find thermal grease on the market. There are examples of good domestic ones: KPT-8 or Alsil-3. They have an average thermal conductivity of 0.7 - 0.8 W / (m · K). Speaking of Zalman, Gigabyte and similar foreign models, it becomes clear that this option is ideal for a powerful system, since their thermal conductivity is on average 2 W / (m · K).
Most domestic pastes are sold in ordinary syringes or tubes. The manufacturer rarely indicates the expiration date of thermal paste. Alsil-3, for example, can live 5 years, but in practice it turns out to be much more time. It all depends on the state of the paste.
Problems
Now it’s not a problem to find a good thermal grease that will last several years in a row. Now it is much more difficult to choose the correct genuine composition. Often even buying a new tube leads to the fact that the user unpacks it, begins to apply it to the processor, and the substance immediately crumbles and crumbles. It also happens that the application process went fine, and after a couple of months you began to notice that the system was slowing down, getting to the processor and seeing that its temperature was elevated. You open the case, and thermal paste as it was not: dried up and crumbled.
Unfortunately, no one is safe from such terrible things. Recently, users began to observe how there is a massive substitution of the domestic product KPT-8 and Alsil-3. Both pastes were previously created by one manufacturer, now when buying somewhere on unofficial sites or in China, the user receives a spoiled product that at first glance looks normal, but in reality it needs to be changed once a month, which, naturally, is not good.
To choose thermal grease, it is better to consult with friends. Surely you had friends who already bought this substance. They could check the quality of this model on their own PC and advise you. Also, the purchase of foreign options from branded manufacturers of cooling and peripherals Zalman and Gigabyte will bring you only a quality option. But it will cost you many times more expensive than domestic.
Comparison
At one time, a couple of models were compared and were tested in testing for thermal conductivity. So, among them was Alsil-3 and Alsil-5. The first option is presented in a more liquid white state. There are no problems with drawing on the processor. The substance contains micropowder of aluminum nitride so that the paste has viscous characteristics, silicone is added. An option was sold in a syringe with 3 grams. The cost is up to 100 rubles, and the shelf life of thermal paste is 5 years. Alsil-5 is not really our client. It refers to hot melt adhesives. The thermal conductivity is slightly better than the previous version, but for the average user, the difference is small.
The next instance is KPT-8, which we have already talked about. This is the most famous option among all domestic models. There was a delivery both in a tube and in a syringe. The manufacturer indicated that the shelf life is 5 years, but in fact, if a successful copy came across, it served more than 10. She is also very cheap, 60-70 rubles.
The best viewed pastas are overseas options. It is especially convenient when a tube of this substance is supplied with the processor. Among these there are excellent options from Gigabyte, which are in boxes with coolers from the company. Moreover, there are even several options under this brand, they differ in color and some characteristics.
Another company also performed very well. The expiration date of Titan thermal paste is easy to determine. All information is on the tube, on average it is also 3-5 years. Thermal grease usually comes with coolers from this manufacturer. It can be used both for the processor and for other components, if required.
Now the situation with the purchase of foreign branded products has become freer. Finding options from Zalman or Fanner has become much easier than ten years ago. You are especially lucky if you decide to buy a cooler for the processor, and in a box you will find a tube of high-quality thermal paste.
Mindfulness
In general, in order to understand the shelf life of the thermal paste in the tube, you just need to open it and apply it to any surface. If you notice that it is not squeezed out well or is immediately strewed, then most likely it is already unusable. Alternatively, you can also apply it to the processor, and after a month check the condition.
Many users believe that thermal paste needs to be changed every six months. Of course, it all depends on its quality. But in general, such a statement is fundamentally false. If you bought a PC, then try to track the longevity of thermal paste on the processor. Usually users do not change it for 5 or 7 years. Although, as we know, the packaging often indicates an expiration date of up to five years.
To understand whether thermal grease needs to be changed, monitor the temperature of the system. When you understand that the PC began to slow down, freeze, and utilities indicate an increased core temperature, it is worth disassembling the system and looking. The problem may be not only that the cooler is clogged, the board is dusty, but also that the thermal grease has become unusable. But it is worth remembering that if you remove the radiator, most likely the paste will partially be removed.
findings
So, as practice shows, it is difficult to accurately determine the expiration date of thermal paste, regardless of manufacturer. On average, if you have a new system in front of you, and it does not indicate any problems with the temperature regime, thermal paste can be replaced even three years later. Replacement in laptops is carried out more often, since in order to get to the cooler, you will have to disassemble the cooling system, and accordingly remove the paste. On desktop computers, cleaning is easier.
The shelf life of the product may also depend on the correct application. If you covered the processor not according to the rules, then not only expose the chip to danger of overheating, but also spoil the part of the paste that you applied. It is important to know that you do not need to apply a lot of substance, usually it is a little more than an apple seed, but you need to distribute all this volume with a thin layer over the entire metal surface of the processor.