Thermal paste: What is it, what is its function and how to replace it in your computer?

There is a principle of physics that says that to join two elements a third is needed. This is what happens between a processor and the heat sink, a thermal paste must be used so that the work carried out by the cooler is more efficient.

Many people are unaware of the existence of this very important hardware inside a computer.since it is not visible if the heatsink is not removed.

Being an important piece of hardware, we will develop everything related to it in this article. We will teach you the steps you must do to be able to replace the paste on your computer and what are the best pasta that you will find to replace the current one.

What is a thermal paste and what is this hardware for?

Thermal paste is a component that is used to perfect the union between the heatsink and the processor of a computer. Their colors can be white or metallic, depending on the chemical composition with which these elements are formed.

Thermal paste should be used between the chip and the heatsink, which are made of copper or aluminum (two metals that are very good conductors of heat) because they are not perfectly smooth. So to join two surfaces that have imperfections, a soft element must be used to cover these microscopic spaces and thus be able to transfer heat more efficiently so that the heatsink works better.

In this way it is achieved that the temperature of the processor is that recommended by the manufacturers. It will depend on the materials of the paste so that you can lower the temperature up to 5° Celsius. It is important to clarify that the thermal paste is not the hardware in charge of cooling the chip.but it delivers to the heatsink the maximum amount of calories that the processor has.

Therefore, it is necessary that within the characteristics of the thermal paste it must have lowest possible temperature resistancesince this will prevent the heat from remaining in the paste and it can pass faster to the heatsink.

A thermal paste should also be characterized by its Thermal conductivity, since the more power it has, the better the way it transmits its heat. In addition, the viscosity and density are also factors that must be analyzed so that the ability to join the particles of the two metals is better.

Components of thermal paste What are the most important elements?

After what we have mentioned in the previous point, the need arises to analyze thermal paste from the point of view of its chemical composition. This will determine if the materials used in their general composition and toxicity can be electrically conductive.

Ceramic-type thermal pastes can be found, which are prepared with a suspension-type ceramic powder and are generally white in color. They are used in processors that have low performance, since it is not recommended in another type of processor due to its low quality.

There are also the thermal pastes for metallic components. They are made with copper or zinc oxide, all mixed with silicone bases. They are gray in color and are characterized by greater durability and withstanding much higher temperatures. Its thermal conductivity can reach between 4 and 13 degrees Kelvin. These are the most used and are a little more expensive than the previous ones that we have mentioned.

Liquid metal thermal pastes are another type. These are characterized by being composed of materials with much more conductive characteristics, its main components are copper and nickel.

But if you want to find more faces you can also find those that are composed in silver and gold, these being one of the materials that conduct the most heat. As you will already realize, they are the most expensive that exist and can have a thermal conductivity of up to 80W/mKexceeding up to 6 times the paste of copper or zinc.

Lastly, they would be pasta in sheets They are not a thermal paste per se, but can be considered as a component to transmit heat between the processor and the heatsink. This type of hardware called thermal padare thick and at the same time flexible sheets made of a silicone material that can have almost the same conductivity rate as ceramic pastes, among 2 and 11 W/mK.

Why is it important to keep my computer’s thermal paste in good condition?

Few people take into account the important work that a thermal paste does. If this did not exist between the chip and the heatsink, the conductivity efficiency would not be the same. Therefore, the processor would work at temperatures much higher than those recommended and would produce a malfunction in the medium or short term.

If you don’t pay attention to this problem, could cause major failures within the chip and until it breaks completely. When the processor is damaged, it will cause the user experience to be seriously affected, since the tasks will take longer than normal to interpret the instructions and deliver the information requested by the operator.

Steps to change the thermal paste of my computer easily and quickly

In order to change the thermal paste of a computer you will have to follow the following steps:

unplug the computer

The first thing you should do is disconnect from the electrical current and from any other power source to the computer. Then you will have to look for a screwdriver and disassemble a part of the cover of the casing or box of CPUs.

disconnect the wires

If you see that you cannot have easy access to the board in which the chip or processor is located whose thermal paste you want to change, you will need to disconnect the cables and any other component that prevents you from easily accessing the hardware.

Pull out the heatsink

Since the heatsink is located above the processor, you will have to unscrew the first component to be able to access the chip cover. For this you must locate the screws that hold the cooler hardware and you must carefully remove it.

Remove old paste

Once you have the heatsink loose, you will have to move the old paste very carefully and extract it. You will see that the paste has turned a dark gray or reddish color and has also become hard. You must do this step on both devices very carefully.

You can use a little isopropyl alcohol on a clean cloth (or tissues) and with gentle movements, without spilling the liquid, you must degrease and clean both surfaces.

Put the new thermal paste

You are now ready to place the pasta. But prior to this you must prepare the syringe or any other application device that brings the viscous liquid together. You will need to pierce the syringe and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

When you have this stage ready, all you have to do is place the new paste on the processor. You must be careful not to spill in any area, so it is recommended to place the liquid in the center of the chip so that when you press the heatsink the thermal paste is evenly distributed.

Do the same in the contact area of ​​the heatsink.

Reassemble all hardware

Once you have placed the thermal paste, you will have to follow the reverse steps to the ones you came doing. That is, you place the heatsink on top of the processor and then screw it on. When you have attached these components, you’re going to have to join the wires, if you disconnected any, to finish mounting the cabinet lid.

Tips to extend the life of the thermal paste of my devices

As you know, liquids, dust and heat are the main enemies that a computer has. Therefore, avoiding contact with these or reducing them as much as possible will be the most important advice you should consider.

But to dig a little deeper, and you can take care of thermal paste in a more efficient way, you will need to clean periodically every six months or a year your computer inside. You can do this with a brush and you just have to uncover the CPU box and extract all the dust you can.

In those moments you will realize if your equipment works with too much heat. If you don’t know how to determine this, you can download a program that will measure the internal temperature of the hardware you have installed.

You can use “OpenHardwareMonitor” either “Speed ​​Fan”, both will show you the internal temperature of the computer and you can also regulate the speed of the coolers to improve cooling. These programs will help you to keep a record of the behavior of the temperature. If you see that it is increasing progressively over time, it means that the thermal paste is not working properly, so you will need to replace it.

In addition, you should consider that it is always recommended keep your computer in cool places. This will considerably increase the useful life of the paste, since the processor will take temperatures of 1 to 3 degrees less.

Lastly, you need to be pay attention to processor performance. You will be able to see this in your daily work with the PC, since you will begin to notice that its performance drops as time goes by. Therefore, it is necessary to clean and check the operation of the thermal paste.

Download Open Hardware Monitor Windows

Download Speed ​​Fan Windows

List of the best thermal pastes that I can buy for my desktop or laptop

We have already discussed that a thermal paste needs to have as its objective that its thermal conductivity is as high as possible, as well as its resistance is as low as possible. These two elements are measured in one meter of material per degree Kelvin (W/mK)for the first and cm2/W for the second option.

We have not named that also the viscosity and density, measurements in Poises (cP) and g/cm3 respectively also count an important factor. In this way it will be possible to know if it is more or less dense and viscous, so they will be composed of water or liquid metal. This needs to be clarified, since in the following paragraphs you will find units of measurement that are unusual. for those people who are not acclimated to electronic functions.

After this, and in order not to confuse you anymore, we will present you the best thermal pastes that you can buy in our country:

Corsair TM30 – CPU/GPU

This is viscous liquid is based on component of zinc oxide and has a conductivity of 3.8W/mK. It is easy to apply and is designed for chips that do not have many performances, that is, the temperature should not exceed 195 ° C. The useful life reported by the seller is 5 years, but it is recommended to change it within the first 2 years of use.

Noctua NT-H1

It has two presentations, one of 3.5 grams and the other, a 10-gram syringe. Its premium chemical components give this hardware recognition among users. It has a viscosity of 2.49g/cm³ with a useful life of more than 5 years. The temperature conductivity reaches 8W/mK.

Its application is simple. It has the characteristic that its removal when you want to change it is very easy, you just have to use a kitchen paper.

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut

It is ideal for chips that exceed 250° C and can reach 350° C. The thermal conductivity of this paste is 12.5 W/mK and its density 3.7 g/cm³.

It is offered on the market with a 1.5 ml syringe. It is characterized by having a useful life of more than 5 years and is ideal for those hardware that are permanently in full operation.

Cooler Master Master Maker

The thermal conductivity is 8W/mK and a resistance of 0.032°C/cm2, which allows it to be applied to any high-performance processor. Its chemical compound allows it to not be a conductor of electricity, thus avoiding short circuits.

Regarding the density, we can say that its cP is ideal for preventing spills in unwanted places.

SilentiumPC Pactum PT-2

Density 2.67g/cm3 allows to work in temperature ranges between -40 to 240°Cwhich makes the thermal conductivity 5W/mK. In this way, efficient heat dissipation is achieved, especially for those processors that are required to the maximum and their temperatures cannot be higher than 90 ° C.