I'm putting together my first AMD setup since the days of the Athlon XP 1800 in 2003. After 20 years on Intel, I'm curious about the best way to apply thermal paste on the x3d CPUs, especially since they have those fins around the edges. I usually do a thin, even layer on Intel IHSes, but I'm not sure what to do with this one. Should I just use a pea-sized drop in the middle? Or spread it out? If I do spread it, do I need to cover the fins on the outside or just the center? Any advice would be appreciated!
5 Answers
Check if your cooler manufacturer has recommendations; if they do, follow that! If not, pretty much any method will work. Pea-sized drops and X patterns are both good options. You don’t need to cover the fins.
Honestly, I think you might be overthinking it! I just put a small amount on and use a spatula or my gloved finger to spread it evenly over the entire surface, including the fins. You might get some paste squishing out the sides when you mount your cooler, but that's totally okay.
There's no wrong way to do it, except for not using enough paste! You really only need to worry about the inner square; the fins don’t need to be covered. I usually go for an X-pattern instead of just a pea-sized blob.
Honestly, the method doesn’t matter all that much. You’ll get similar results no matter how you do it. Just make sure to monitor your temps and don't stress over the application too much.
Everyone has their unique way of doing things, but what really matters is having enough paste. The pressure from the cooler will spread it out properly. For my peace of mind, I like to take off the cooler to check that I’ve put on enough, especially in the center.
So, just the inner square and skip the fins completely?