Temperature variation when using high-quality thermal paste.
Temperature variation when using high-quality thermal paste.
I used the thermal paste included with my new AIO to ensure proper performance. All was fine. I also purchased high-quality thermal paste for the case mounting. However, I opted to skip repasting and just set everything up without it. My concern is whether doing so would be beneficial or not. What temperature changes are we expecting?
If your AIO and build accumulate dust, you can cite the tear down as a reason to repaste the AIO's cooling block. You mentioned the other thermal paste as top quality, but the specific make and model were not provided.
The pastes examined showed a temperature range of 2 to 3°C, with liquid metal excluded. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwSuyQOzgPo
The temperature difference isn't that significant for performance gains. Does your CPU ever reach its thermal threshold and reduce clock speeds? hwinfo64 includes a feature that indicates throttling when this happens. Regardless of whether it's 10 degrees or 5 degrees below the limit, the clock speed remains consistent. A slight drop of just 1 degree might still matter because it could cause noticeable throttling during brief periods not captured by monitoring tools. I believe with a 360 radiator and your CPU, you're far from the maximum limits.