Are you sure you didn't use too much thermal paste? Checking videos shows others apply much less.
Are you sure you didn't use too much thermal paste? Checking videos shows others apply much less.
I followed the instructions carefully, but videos from others suggest using less adhesive. Did something go wrong? The cooler isn’t fully seated yet—consider removing it slightly to adjust the paste, or reapply it after cleaning. If unsure, start with a lighter touch.
It’s best to avoid overdoing it; too much causes issues and makes the setup costly and complicated. There used to be advice about using only a little paste, but not having enough costs more than having too much, so it’s better to err on the side of more.
Take it to the next level—personally I use way more than that, but mainly because gd007 is super affordable. Nothing wrong with applying extra paste, especially when the material itself is cheap (like 5 dollars for a 30g tube). And always go wild when putting paste on GPU dies or chipset dies; you don’t want any part of the die exposed. So I just use lots because it’s inexpensive and it mostly ensures full coverage of the entire die. For pricier pastes, don’t go overboard since you only get a small amount—except for bare dies, of course.
The downsides of applying too much thermal paste are significantly less serious than those of using too little. It’s nearly impossible to gauge the impact of excess paste with today’s processors; you could imagine raising the average temperature by just 0.1°C compared to ideal paste application. With fans that automatically adjust speed, the difference becomes invisible. Modern chips have larger surfaces, so it’s better to use a consistent pattern rather than a uniform blob. A solid X shape is preferable to a single dot, because the fan’s pressure might not compress the paste evenly across the whole chip. Applying enough paste ensures good coverage without squeezing it too tightly. For large processors like Threadripper, using a larger X with additional dots between diagonal lines helps spread the paste effectively. Avoiding sharp shapes prevents air pockets from forming, which could hinder heat transfer when cooling is reduced. In reality, perfect flatness isn’t achievable, so minor imperfections are usually undetectable and won’t noticeably affect performance.
It's possible to insert it into the socket, which could lead to problems.