Thermo-paste for the processor: which is better and why is it needed?

Owners of personal computers and laptops that are faced with the problem of low speed and spontaneous shutdown of the device, often had to hear that everything can be solved by replacing the thermal paste. Frequently replacement of thermal grease is included as an additional service when cleaning the computer. This pleasure is quite expensive. It's time to find out what is the thermal paste for the processor, why it is needed, how to replace it by yourself and which manufacturer to give its preference when buying.

Deep in physics

From the course of school physics you can remember information about the thermal conductivity. There are materials that do not conduct heat, there are those that are partially carried out, and those that fully transfer the temperature. For example, an insulating tape has a minimum thermal conductivity, so that it wraps bare sections of the wire to prevent a fire. Computer paste, on the contrary, plays the role of a conductor of heat, due to the homogeneity of the mass and high thermal conductivity, and is able to transfer the heat from the processor to the cooling system. That's why the thermal paste for the processor is needed.

There is no close contact between the processor and the radiator of the cooling system. There are many microscopic gaps in which air enters during installation. As you know, air is a bad conductor. Therefore, a good thermal paste for the processor was developed , which during installation not only displaces the air, but also provides the device with excellent heat transfer.

Requirements for thermal grease

Having understood what thermal paste for a processor is, why it is needed, and having studied the principle of its action, it is necessary to find out where it can be applied. First of all, when installing a cooling system on a processor in a computer. Also, the thermal paste should be applied to the video card, in places where the chips come into contact with the cooling system radiator. If additional cooling radiators are installed on the computer motherboard, which are removable, you should definitely use thermal paste. The problem of overheating is also in laptops. Basically, mobile devices have a single cooling system for all the components that produce heat.

A little about thermoplastic glue

It turns out that if the computer heats, it will help the thermal paste for the processor. Which is best of all offered, you can learn a little later, and the user before buying it is important to know that, in addition to thermal paste, the market has hotmelt. 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 is periodically used, especially in laptops. With strong heating, the mixture melts and expels air, providing high thermal conductivity, which is retained in the future.

In fact, if the processor reaches the melting temperature of the thermoplastic glue, it will burn faster, because 100 degrees Celsius - for crystals this is a lot. And at operating temperatures of 70-80 degrees, the hot hot melt shows a low thermal conductivity with respect to the thermal paste. In addition, before you replace the thermal paste for the processor with thermoplastic glue, you need to know that after a few years, when there is a need to replace the heat conductive component, it may be difficult to clean the radiator and the processor from the glue.

We do simple work with our own hands

Replace the thermal paste on the processor to an ordinary user, far from IT technology, will not be a big deal. This requires a little desire and, of course, thermal paste for the processor. How to apply oil on bread, everyone knows - the layer should be minimally thin, but cover the entire surface by 100%. Naturally, before applying thermal paste on the processor, you need to clean it with rags from the remnants of the old paste. The radiator is also subjected to cleaning, to the factory brightness. Applying a thin layer of thermal paste on the processor, it is necessary to lean the radiator from above and fix it. If the surfaces are disconnected during fixation, the procedure must be repeated anew, from the very beginning.

It's important to remember that you do not need to extract a processor from the motherboard. If you remove the processor from the slot, you can unintentionally bend one of the legs on it or on the motherboard, then it will easily break during installation.

How to remove the radiator

Before replacing the thermal paste for the processor, you need to remove the cooler. There are three main types of fastening.

1. Plastic screws with a latch. On top of the four screws, the arrows are drawn, turning the screws in the desired direction until they stop, you need to pull them up a couple of centimeters. The latches will work, the radiator can be removed. When installing in place, you need to return the screws to their original position, and also make sure that the latches at the other end of the screw are set exactly, do not bend, otherwise they will not be able to be inserted into narrow connectors on the motherboard without a sharp object. If the mounting is unsuccessful, the thermal paste for the processor is always shifted. How to apply again, figured out.
2. Metal screws, which are twisted by a conventional screwdriver of four fasteners, and the cooler is removed without any problems. Installation is as simple as eating.
3. The latch without screws was actively used on old processors and now comes out of everyday use. A slight pushing of the fingers on the special latch handles opens the mechanism, releasing the radiator from the "catch" of the latch. Mounting is performed by the actions opposite.

Video card cooling system

A good thermal paste for the processor is also used in the video card cooling system. After all, if you look at the statistics, because of overheating, video adapters are burned more often than processors. For some reason, often service centers when servicing a computer the paste is changed only on the processor.

Remove the cooling system on the video card is very simple, because it is almost identical to all manufacturers. In game models, the radiator is screwed to the body with spring-loaded screws, and cheap models are mounted on metal latches. Removing the radiator, it does not hurt to go to the open air and blow it from dust and debris. Unlike the heatsink on the processor, an expensive video adapter with a turbine is clogged with dust very much. As in the case of the processor, you need to carefully clean it with a tissue or rag, apply a thin layer of thermal paste and assemble it neatly.

About fans of overclocking processors and video adapters

Those wishing to improve 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. In the process of overclocking, the voltage in the chip increases, and accordingly, the temperature. Many users in social networks are discussing what thermal paste to choose for a processor or video adapter, which will work 20% faster than the nominal mode. Trying to overcome the problem of heat release using thermal grease is considered stupid. First of all, you need to look towards changing the cooling system.

At least with small financials it is worthwhile to install a solid cooler with a copper core, copper tubes and a fan that can drive a strong stream of air. If the finances are not limited, you can install water cooling, which solves all issues with overheating. Finally, no one prohibits the use of a cooling system with liquid nitrogen. But there is no question of discussing the thermal paste for overclocking the systems. The difference in thermal conductivity is a couple degrees centigrade, but not tens.

What distinguishes products from different manufacturers

The choice of thermal paste for the processor should not be complicated by the abundant quantity of various offers on the market. Differences between thermal paste at different manufacturers are small, and the efficiency is almost identical. Let the manufacturers and declare that only their product completely transfers all the heat from the processor to the radiator, however, judging by the numerous reviews and tests, there is no particular difference between the manufacturers. It differs only in the price of thermal paste for the processor. Which is better to say, it is difficult to say, it is easier to describe the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of most of the thermal pastes on the market, and let the buyer decide which brand to give preference to.

Domestic producer

It is unlikely that sellers in computer stores in the post-Soviet space will quickly name the labeling of foreign-made thermal paste, but without exception they are 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. Let the container write different values and composition, but judging by the substance, smell, color and test, it is very likely that this is the same thermal paste for the processor. Which is the best of them, it is difficult to say, but judging from the feedback of users, "KPT-8" in a tube at a small price contains more paste, respectively, it is long enough.

Market of foreign thermal pastes

All foreign thermo-pastes, such as Zalman, Thermaltake, Titan, Gigabyte and Fanner, differ from each other only in color. Tubes are identical - in the form of a disposable syringe with a twisting cap instead of a needle. The dye added to the thermal paste has a bright color, it is very hard to wash off the surfaces and wash off from hands. It can be stated that this is the most trademark in the world of thermal paste for the processor. Which is the best of them, it is unequivocally difficult to say, because each of the listed companies has existed for several decades on the market and knows exactly what is the use in cooling systems.