Update: I used to think thermal paste brand didn't matter until I saw a 15 degree drop on a Ryzen build

I was helping my buddy build a PC for his son last weekend and he insisted on using some cheap $3 tube he got off Amazon. I told him it was fine, same stuff right? He ran Cinebench and his temps hit 95C almost immediately. I swapped it with some Arctic MX-6 I had in my bag and after a 10 minute burn-in the temps settled at 80C. Found a Gamers Nexus video later that showed the same thing with a bunch of pastes tested. Has anyone else seen a big difference on newer chips or was that just a bad batch of paste?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean4810d ago

Was it the application method or just crappy paste causing that jump?

lee.cora10d ago

Both, honestly. I slapped it on like I was frosting a cake and figured the paste would do the heavy lifting. Turns out thermal paste isn't magic and my CPU decided to take a vacation from reality. Maybe shoulda watched a YouTube guide instead of winging it.

emma_lee229d ago

Respectfully @sean48 I gotta disagree. Even cheap paste works fine if you do it right. The application method was definitely the main problem here. Slapping it on thick like frosting is gonna cause air pockets no matter what you use.