I have a Ryzen 5 9600X, and since its shape is a bit unusual, I'm curious about the best method to apply thermal paste. Should I go for the 'X' method, 'dot', 'spread', or something else? Is there an optimal way to do this that would work better?
3 Answers
There's like a million opinions on this, but in the end, most methods are fine. For your Ryzen, you could just put two dots where the chiplets are. The X method is popular and works great for larger heatsinks. Just remember, it’s not a big deal at all; they all work pretty well!
Using thermal paste isn’t rocket science! Just make sure to use enough. Honestly, the method you choose (dot, X, or spread) doesn’t matter that much for CPUs like yours. Just apply a good amount and you should be good to go.
For a lower power CPU like yours, the method isn’t crucial. If you want a suggestion, the X method is solid because it covers a lot of area, especially for bigger IHS, but even just spreading it evenly works too. Just don't overthink it!

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