Owners of personal computers and laptops who are faced with the problem of low speed and spontaneous shutdown of the device often heard that everything can be solved by replacing thermal paste. Often, thermal paste replacement is included as an additional service when cleaning the computer. Such a pleasure is quite expensive. It's time to find out what thermal grease is for the processor, why you need it, how to replace it yourself and which manufacturer to give your preference when buying.
Going deeper into physics
From the course of school physics, you can recall information about thermal conductivity. There are materials that do not conduct heat, there are those that partially conduct, and those that completely transmit the temperature. For example, an insulating tape has minimal thermal conductivity, so that bare sections of wire are wrapped around it to prevent fire. Computer paste, on the contrary, plays the role of a heat conductor, due to the uniformity of mass and high thermal conductivity, and is able to transfer the heat generated from the processor to the cooling system. That's why thermal paste is needed for the processor.
There is no close contact between the processor and the radiator of the cooling system. There are many microscopic gaps into which air enters during installation. As you know, air is a bad conductor. Therefore, a good thermal paste was developed for the processor, which during installation not only displaces the air, but also provides the device with excellent heat transfer.
Thermal grease requirements
Having figured out what thermal grease is for the processor, why it is needed, and having studied the principle of its action, you need to find out where it can be applied. First of all, when installing a cooling system on a processor in a computer. Also, thermal grease must be applied to the video card, in the places where the chips come into contact with the radiator of the cooling system. If additional cooling radiators are installed on the motherboard of the computer, which are removable, you definitely need to use thermal grease. There is a problem of overheating in laptops. Basically, mobile devices have a single cooling system for all components that produce heat.
A bit about thermoplastic glue
It turns out that if the computer heats up, thermal grease for the processor will help him. Which is the best of all the offered ones, it will be possible to find out a little later, and before buying it is important for the user to know that, in addition to thermal paste, there is also hot glue on the market. Unlike thermal paste, it can change its physical state under the influence of heat and pass at a certain temperature from a solid state to a liquid form. In computer technology, hot melt adhesive is periodically used, especially in laptops. With strong heating, the mixture melts and displaces the air, providing high thermal conductivity, which persists in the future.
In fact, if the processor reaches the melting temperature of thermoplastic glue, then it will burn faster, because 100 degrees Celsius is a lot for crystals. And at operating temperatures of 70-80 degrees, hot melt adhesive shows low thermal conductivity with respect to thermal paste. In addition, before replacing the thermal grease for the processor with thermoplastic glue, you need to know that after several years, when it becomes necessary to replace the heat-conducting component, it may be difficult to clear the heat sink and processor from the glue.
We do a simple job with our own hands.
Replacing thermal paste on the processor for an ordinary user who is far from IT technology will not be difficult. To do this, you need a little desire and, of course, thermal grease for the processor. Everyone knows how to apply butter on bread - the layer should be minimally thin, but cover the entire surface by 100%. Naturally, before applying thermal paste to the processor, you need to clean it with a rag from the remnants of the old paste. The radiator is also cleaned - to the factory shine. Having put a thin layer of thermal paste on the processor, you should lean the heatsink on top and fix it. If during fixing the surfaces are disconnected, the procedure must be repeated anew, from the very beginning.
It is important to remember that you do not need to remove the processor from the motherboard. Having removed the processor from the slot, you can inadvertently bend one of the legs on it or on the motherboard, then it will break easily during installation.
How to dismantle a radiator
Before replacing thermal grease for the processor, you need to remove the cooler. There are three main types of mounts.
- Plastic snap screws. Arrows are drawn on four screws from above, turning the screws in the right direction until they stop, you need to pull them a couple of centimeters up. The latches will work, the radiator can be removed. When reinstalling, you need to return the screws to their original position, and also make sure that the latches on the other end of the screw are installed smoothly, do not bend, otherwise you can not insert them into the narrow connectors on the motherboard without a sharp object. If the installation fails, the thermal grease for the processor always shifts. How to apply again, sorted out.
- Metal screws, which are removed by an ordinary screwdriver from four fasteners, and the cooler can be removed without any problems. Installation is as simple as eating.
- A screwless latch was actively used on older processors and is now out of use. With a light touch of fingers on the special handle of the latch, the mechanism is released, releasing the radiator from the "captivity" of the latch. Installation is performed in reverse.
Video adapter cooling system
Good thermal grease for the processor is also used in the cooling system of video cards. After all, if we turn to statistics, due to overheating, video adapters burn more often than processors. For some reason, often service centers when servicing a computer change the paste only on the processor.
Removing the cooling system on a video card is very simple, since it is almost identical for all manufacturers. In game models, the radiator is bolted to the case with spring-loaded screws, while cheap models are mounted on metal latches. Having removed the radiator, it will not hurt to go out into the open air and blow it away from dust and debris. Unlike the heatsink on the processor, an expensive video adapter with a turbine becomes very dusty. As in the case of the processor, you need to carefully clean everything with a napkin or rags, apply a thin layer of thermal paste and carefully assemble the structure.
About fans of overclocking processors and video adapters
Those who want to increase the performance of their computer for the performance of the next game have to resort to the so-called overclocking of the processor and video adapter. During acceleration, the voltage in the chip increases, and, accordingly, the temperature. Many users on social networks discuss which thermal grease to choose for a processor or video adapter, which will work 20% faster than normal mode. Trying to overcome the problem of heat release using thermal paste is considered stupid. First of all, you need to look towards changing the cooling system.
At least for small finances, it is worth installing a solid cooler with a copper core, copper tubes and a fan that can drive a strong air stream. If finances are not limited, you can install water cooling, which will solve all issues with overheating. Finally, no one forbids using a liquid nitrogen cooling system . But there can be no talk of any discussion of thermal paste for overclocking systems. The difference in thermal conductivity is a couple of degrees Celsius, but not tens at all.
What is the difference between products from different manufacturers
The choice of thermal paste for the processor should not be complicated by an abundant number of various offers on the market. Differences between thermal paste from different manufacturers are small, and the efficiency is almost identical. Let the manufacturers claim that only their product completely transfers all the heat from the processor to the heatsink, however, judging by the numerous reviews and tests, there is not much difference between the manufacturers. The only difference is in the price of thermal grease for the processor. It’s hard to say which one is better, it’s easier to describe the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of most thermal pastes on the market, and let the buyer decide for himself which brand to prefer.
Domestic manufacturer
It is unlikely that sellers in computer stores in the post-Soviet space will quickly name foreign-made thermal paste labels, but without exception, everyone is familiar with the Russian products KPT-8 and Alsil-3. The first option is made in tubes and jars, and the second is sold in a syringe. Although different values and composition are written on the container, but judging by the substance, smell, color and test, it is very likely that this is the same thermal paste for the processor. It’s hard to say which one is better, but judging by user reviews, the “KPT-8” in the tube at a low price contains more paste, so it lasts for a long time.
Foreign Thermal Pastes Market
All foreign-made thermal greases, such as Zalman, Thermaltake, Titan, Gigabyte and Fanner, differ only in color. The tubes are identical - in the form of a disposable syringe with a twisting hat instead of a needle. The dye added to the thermal paste has a bright color, it is very difficult to erase from the surfaces and is washed from the hands. It can be stated that this is the world's best brand of thermal grease for the processor. Which one is better, it’s definitely hard to say, because each of the listed companies has been on the market for several decades and knows for sure about cooling systems.