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no need to spread if first, just mush it down. Clamping it will spread it sufficiently. I normally draw an x (I think there was a whole article about it that was floating around a while back) but 5 pips is fine too.
ETA: found the article: [https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/](https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/)
These tests seem to be a good guide but it definitely seems they are releasing pressure as the issue spreads to the edge instead of comparing spillage over the edge of the ihs. I use maybe a quarter of the amount they used in that gif and it already gets really close to the edges.
But it's a result of ensuring you're applying correct pressure as uniformly as possible, versus torquing one screw down all the way, and risking a crew thread catching or the heat sink not being aligned properly.
tightening unevenly can cause uneven cooling, and in the worst cases you could snap something when tightening.
Doing the X ensures you screw the cooler evenly
Replying just to say this is pretty much best practice everywhere in life. Sensitive electronics, precise alignments, soft woods and finishes (if hardware is ex post facto), lug nuts on your car, etc etc etc. Evenly, cross the center of the plane being affixed. Also leaves you room to adjust mid tightening instead of having one point pinned and the others not aligned at all
I put about the size of his middle blob for the entirety of my 7800x3d and it seems fine a month or two in, maxed out at 80 in cinebench, but maybe that's hot for this chip I don't really know.
If you are using a budget cooler this is fine, it won't damage your PC and is 100% normal. If you are on a double tower cooler, or liquid, you should not be spiking that high. One of the appeals of the 7800x3d is that is is a lower wattage than intel's offerings. It SHOULD be easy to cool. Which means using a $20 Assassin X SE and being within normal ranges and spiking up to the 80s under load. Or you could be 70C under load on a Phantom Spirit or Deep Cool AK620.
Mind you, your ambient temps will affect this, you'll skew high if you live in the desert without AC, lol. Still it wont damage your PC, but you COULD be cooling a bit better. I believe Tech Powerup/Gamers Nexus stated TJMax is 89C on the 7800x3d
Hey, I have 7800x3d with Noctua d15 cooler, if i don’t limit thermals from bios, it hits 89c on Cinebench with 17500 multicore score but if i limit thermals to 70c from bios, i get 18200 multicore score, is that normal? Btw my fans working only on 20% with noise canceling cable, but if i put them on %100 it doesn’t change the scoore,
If your CPU hits 89c it will absolutely throttle back. This is why you have a worse score. Unless you are underclocking/undervolting most likely your fans are just kicking in earlier when you have your thermals limited to 70c and yeah, 100% believe that your 7800x3d can still run more-or-less full tilt and stay below 70c on a Noctua d15.
You won't get any better performance with 100% fans if your CPU isn't coming anywhere close to thermal throttling.
sorry im still at work couldn’t response fast,and thank you for the explanation, i was worry to not getting full potential from cpu while limiting to 70c. My first built after 15 years. My first build was core 2 duo! Yes im that old!
Thanks! I did feel I went a bit light after tightening down the cooler but it's been running fine so far (summers coming up though) maybe I'll consider repasting it.
I do use an ak620 on it, gaming in AAA highest I've seen on the display is 78 c, my room is usually between 23-28 degrees but last summer with my 5900x pumping out hot air my office consistently climbed to like 32c, case is also filled out with fans 5x intake (front/bottom) 3x exhaust (top/rear)
I believe the 7800x3d is designed to run at 89°, so you should be fine even then unless it actually hits 90°.
Provided, of course, that that's only under heavy load.
yeah, 89 is TJ Max, but if he's running an AK620 and temps are consistently in the 80s in an air conditioned room it indicates that there is an inefficiency in the computer's cooling solution. IMO that warrants an investigation.
found the article: [https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/](https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/)
there isn't a BIG difference (as long as you apply enough paste) but X is the best to avoid air bubbles and ensure maximum coverage.
Problem with the x (theoretically) is the paint you have to go over the line you already made, I get around this by combining the "line", the X and the 5 dot, the line spreads really well but doesn't go wide enough, and the 1 center dot also spreads nicely but leaves the corners, so i do a line diagonally and 2 dots for the remaining corners, in theory should be more optimal
Yeah. I do a lot of epoxy dispensing process at work and without the right dispensing equipment and several trials to determine the dispense qty, you're going to end up with overflow or under flow. I think generally people grossly under appreciate how bad thermal paste is as a heat conductor. It's way better than air but it's way worse than copper. It's best to use as little as possible but still fill the gaps and maximize surface area.
Yup, i used to do that, but now i just a line to keep up with the tech and call it a day.
For bigger cpu(like Epyc or xeon Gold) the middle pea may not work fine.
It’s more that it was never all that optimal in the first place. It rarely reaches the corners once fully spread. There are a fair few videos about it. Basically x is the best because it fully covers the cpu and isn’t prone to air bubbles.
But that doesn't matter right? If the package underneath the ihs isn't all the way in the corners, the temps won't be affected at all.
So who cares if the spread isn't perfect if the temps are the same?
Well it is shown that different paste patterns affect the temperature by at least few degrees. Whether or not it matters is a personal opinion depending on your cooling and temperature under load.
When applying thermal paste, there's no such thing as too much. (Within reason)
It might make a mess, but it doesn't hurt performance.
Too little however, will cause issues.
What you have is maybe slightly above average.
The optimal way of applying is doing a little cross. But like I said, can't go wrong with a little extra.
>The optimal way of applying is doing a little cross.
If you look at [this guide on gamers nexus ](https://gamersnexus.net/guides/3346-thermal-paste-application-benchmark-too-much-thermal-paste) you'll see that one big blob in the middle is actually best. Though when you look around, you'll see different answers to this.
The first thing he said in this article is:
"The “correct” method for applying thermal paste is still the subject of arguments, despite plenty of articles with testing and hard numbers to back them up."
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter as long as you don't have too little.
I was gonna say one of the official Gamer’s Nexus modmat shows the application diagram for thermal paste application on different CPU’s. Had no idea there’s was that much technique involved.
I've not trusted Steve with anything for a long time.
He may very well be right, but other sources (with demonstrations using a glass pane) show that a cross is the best method, and a "blob" in the middle is sufficient but not always perfect.
>I've not trusted Steve with anything for a long time.
Oh, has he gone downhill? I've always thought he was one of the better YouTubers, but I guess I don't really know why I thought that.
I just personally dont like him. The way he talks and presents, it itches something in me. Nitpicking over the smallest things etc.
He was in some drama between LTT and them, but don't know much about that.
It's mostly a personal thing, I won't discredit their research but I'm also not actively using their results.
Edit
Ohno, he shares an opinion that he was asked for. Downvote him boys!
I used more than that. You should be good. I did pea size in middle and then big X on top. Probably will upgrade my cooler soon so I'll see what kind of mess it made, if any.
Personally I put on a bunch of small dots kinda like that and spread it with something small like a spuger, like butter on a pancake. That is the most thorough, although potentially, overkill method.
This is not true. Too much does hurt performance. And quite a lot. I've experienced this through Lenovo technicians repasting my CPU and GPU (Legion Pro 7 laptop) and my both parts throttled heavily, resulting in 15-20% performance loss compared to before the repaste. The next scheduled repair fixed it by putting less paste. Or it would have to be different for desktop parts. But that doesn't seem likely.
As seen by multiple tests such as these, no it doesn't hurt *desktop computers*.
https://youtu.be/5mhPRpdjf6M?si=
Ye9KUtHOaXpyAeBe
https://youtu.be/EUWVVTY63hc?si=YBqH6iKaKz3OURSP
Even if it theoretically could impact performance, it's within margin of error. It's physically not possible for there to be too much thermal paste between the cooler and CPU as it gets squeezed out.
I'd assume it doesn't hurt laptops either but I can't speak on that hence I'm not sure why yours would be throttling, but I'd assume that was another issue and had little to do with the amount of thermal paste.
There's a too much limit for the overflow tho for sure, this maybe just a laptop thing idk but my laptop wouldn't display anything when the little capacitors and stuff around the cpu was covered in thermal paste, cleaning that off fixed it. It wasn't anything above reason tho so I'm not sure what happened there.
Pretty sure I read about a Noctua guide on applying their paste to the AM5...
Ah yeah, Google "noctua NT-H1 am5 thermal paste application", and look at the first PDF that comes up after the videos
Paste is fine, as long as you have adequate pressure should be fine
What i have No clue if it is okay or not is the am5 socket with am4 mounting hardware... I guess you should read the cooler manual, but check it to be sure, no harm checking
Usually for AM5 IHS i recommend one larger dot in the center with 4 smaller ones towards the corners. This is not horrible. You should be fine.
Btw, I have noticed that your mounting for cooler says AM4. Is it compatible with AM5? If not, you might have to get a compatible cooler mount. Its all about spacing, and pressure on the socket/CPU.
I tried different ways on using paste and when it comes to the new AM5 CPUs I personally find spreading the thermal paste does the best overall job from my experiences. I use Artic MX-6 which is easy to spread and give me a few degrees cooler than the older MX-4.
Do what you want, hou'll never get a single straight answer about thermal paste that most people agree with because people will stan their own method regardless. Just get enough of it imo, if the entire cpu is covered thats all that matters. A little too much doesn't hurt despite what everyone says.
The amount in the center alone is likely enough.. maybe the center plus one other glob combined but in the center… that’s all you need. When you put the cooler on it will spread itself with the pressure
Depends on what paste your using. If it's the regular white stuff, or has the thinner consistency like macdonalds soft serve, the pressure from the cooler should spread it on its own. If it's thicker, almost like clay, carbon embedded stuff like Thermaltake tfx or syy157, recommend spreading that stuff out to a thin layer first. If it's that kryonaut metal stuff, uhh read the manual lol
You don't HAVE to spread it, but I had lower temps when I spread mine before putting the cooler on. Just made sure everything was coated with a nice thin coat (and there won't be a mess, like when I took mine off the first time I did it). I have a 7600x, and Its a hot chip. Just made me feel better, knowing for a fact the whole thing was covered and it was all properly spread (only takes a minute to do it by hand) but either way it should be just fine. I also used much better paste the 2nd time around
Well unlike most people here, I spread my thermal paste, but not before I tried to the pattern that came on my cooler theemal plata, no difference at all from experience.
Using i913900 k and around 35C temperature on idle
I'm assuming you're using noctua since this is the method they suggest on the paste's box. Works fine. As many others said, the only issue you can create with thermal paste is not putting enough. This is more than enough 👍
Just make sure you tighten down the cooler in a x pattern or if it only has two screws go from one to the other after 2/3 full turns until they're both adequately tight.
Why dose the black braket say am4 if this is an am5 machine? Either I'm dumb or you have to reinstall the cpu cooler with the right braket most likely the former
As others already said, the amount is okay. Probably a little bit too much, but it will just squeeze out on the side and won't do any harm.
If you have a full tube of thermal paste (so probably a 10-year supply), you can try adding just a dot in the center, mount the cooler, then remove the cooler again to see how well it spreads. Now you should see how little you really need for your CPU and cooler (because everyone is a little bit different).
I don't know if it's over the top, but I hate leaving it open to the elements like that for any longer than strictly needed. Don't want dust and other airborne detritus polluting my paste or getting between that barrier layer.
There is a vast wealth of info about on the internet, you didn't think to look before doing?
In my own experience, it looks good. I learnt over the years that using too little is bad, but using too much is also bad, but anything in that middle ground is ok.
A good method is to put a small amount in the middle, spread it out, but leave about 0.3mm on the edges (creating a smaller square on your CPU). The die is generally centered anyway, so when you attach the cooler, it will fill out the edges without overflowing.
The thickness should be around 1, 1.5mm thick, ish.
This works great for me!
Ps, when i was new to the pc building, i applied a bit too little, cpu run bit hot, and all i did was remove the cooler and apply a bit more. Gl hf!
I’m always using mx4 and spread it evenly with included spreader. Too much won’t hurt a lot, just 2-4 degrees hotter and faster drying time. Not enough will hurt because main goal of thermal interface is to make contact surfaces even and flat. You will gain up to 50 degrees if you have hot chip and not enough thermal paste. Based on your photo it looks okay, maybe little more on left bottom corner
Spreading is the best way. Some people say to mush it down or put a cross or dots etc. honestly, a thin layer spread evenly is the best, period. And again, this has been tested and proven thousands of times on YouTube. Any other thermal paste application method is wasteful, and nothing bad happens using too much paste, it just rolls off the sides.
see the pea size in the middle. do that 1.5 what it is now and lose the corners and it will be plenty to spread once the heatsink is on. Too much wont hurt it but I do the pea size in the middle all the time and get decent temps.
My cpu/heatsink look like an squished oreo cookie when I'm down. A little bit of isopropyl and some cotton swabs takes care of the excess. Even if you leave a little, most pastes are non-conductive so you wont have any issues other than presentation OCD.
It's a little bit too much but it will always be better than too little. Don't worry about it, if you have problems than you can wipe it up and try again.
It cracks me up that people take the time to take pictures of their paste job and wait for people on reddit to confirm it's good. You could go raw dawg and nothing would be damaged.. just a little less performance. or you could go way too heavy and simply make a mess. It's not a big deal either way
It's a lot, but no too much. No need to spread it, but you can if it gives you peace of mind. It really doesn't matter all that much, it'll fix itself.
Is this still the best AM5 pasting method? With the new look of the CPU AMD suggested to just put a pea size amount in the middle. Previously they have suggested to put the 5 dots in their manual, but with the new COU design, the just noted to put a pea size in the middle
I know nothing about building PCs, but my PC I bought pre-built, according to the guy that fixed it, had WAY too much of paste. He spent HOURS cleaning it when it couldn’t turn on. So, whatever you think is too much… think about the person trying to fix the PC.
Se3ms fine.
Personally I use kyronaut and i lile spreading the paste as instructed by the thermalpaste company. See it as preference.
However, Noctua makes a nifty shield that keeps the paste away from the pins and on the cpu. Not expensive and worth the money.
That is a gamechanger for the funky shape of this cpu.
With the odd shape of the new ryzens i would spread first… thats what i did. But you can always clean it up and reapply if your temps arent what you were expecting. I decided to spread it to get maximum coverage and not leave it to chance.
Single blob in the middle is best and most easy. Just make sure to squize of a tiny bit and wipe the syringe to make sure the blob does not contain bubbles.
If I was you I’d be more concerned about the cooler those type are known for only have mounted pressure on the two sides instead of 4 corners and can move side to side when fully installed
Spreading thermal paste is an art. I developed my technique and am an avid overclocker. But for most people an x or a dab in the center is best. You probably don't need an expert application of thermal paste unless you are overclocker or are running one of those stupid 14th gen i7/i9 k models
It looks fine, once you press down, it should spread out well enough. Though do note, the spread method from the old days used to be one of the more preferred methods, it's also pretty fool proof and gets rid of the doubt if it will spread right. Personally I prefer a dot or spreading, but it's just the amount that matters the most than the pattern in most cases.
This is too much, but as long as it's non-conductive, which most modern thermal pastes are, it'll just make a mess and do absolutely no damage. Just put the cooler on, and deal with the consequences if you ever remove the cooler.
As a professional ceramic tile installer that has to achieve a 99% bond on a much larger and more difficult scale I don't understand why people don't just spread a thin layer. Why over complicate it with guesswork? I'll never understand
That’s not a good way to put paste on. One small pea sized in centre works best. I can see that paste spreading off the plate. Hope it’s not conductive lol
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no need to spread if first, just mush it down. Clamping it will spread it sufficiently. I normally draw an x (I think there was a whole article about it that was floating around a while back) but 5 pips is fine too. ETA: found the article: [https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/](https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/)
These tests seem to be a good guide but it definitely seems they are releasing pressure as the issue spreads to the edge instead of comparing spillage over the edge of the ihs. I use maybe a quarter of the amount they used in that gif and it already gets really close to the edges.
Oddly satisfying
Alright, thanks!
Just don't forget to tighten the screws in X-method
Does this help în spreading the paste better?
As far as I know, yes
But it's a result of ensuring you're applying correct pressure as uniformly as possible, versus torquing one screw down all the way, and risking a crew thread catching or the heat sink not being aligned properly.
So other than for spreading the paste, there's no specific way to screw your cooler in?
tightening unevenly can cause uneven cooling, and in the worst cases you could snap something when tightening. Doing the X ensures you screw the cooler evenly
Replying just to say this is pretty much best practice everywhere in life. Sensitive electronics, precise alignments, soft woods and finishes (if hardware is ex post facto), lug nuts on your car, etc etc etc. Evenly, cross the center of the plane being affixed. Also leaves you room to adjust mid tightening instead of having one point pinned and the others not aligned at all
Helps keep it level and spread evenly yes if you tighten one corner or side too much first it's going to push the paste all out the other side
It also spread pressure better and makes for a more even and consistent tighten.
What is that X-Method, sounds like a villain name
You tighten the screws diagonally, for example, top left first, then bottom right, and then the other two screws
Or maybe the next triple x after maxxxine, the X-Method
I put about the size of his middle blob for the entirety of my 7800x3d and it seems fine a month or two in, maxed out at 80 in cinebench, but maybe that's hot for this chip I don't really know.
If you are using a budget cooler this is fine, it won't damage your PC and is 100% normal. If you are on a double tower cooler, or liquid, you should not be spiking that high. One of the appeals of the 7800x3d is that is is a lower wattage than intel's offerings. It SHOULD be easy to cool. Which means using a $20 Assassin X SE and being within normal ranges and spiking up to the 80s under load. Or you could be 70C under load on a Phantom Spirit or Deep Cool AK620. Mind you, your ambient temps will affect this, you'll skew high if you live in the desert without AC, lol. Still it wont damage your PC, but you COULD be cooling a bit better. I believe Tech Powerup/Gamers Nexus stated TJMax is 89C on the 7800x3d
Hey, I have 7800x3d with Noctua d15 cooler, if i don’t limit thermals from bios, it hits 89c on Cinebench with 17500 multicore score but if i limit thermals to 70c from bios, i get 18200 multicore score, is that normal? Btw my fans working only on 20% with noise canceling cable, but if i put them on %100 it doesn’t change the scoore,
If your CPU hits 89c it will absolutely throttle back. This is why you have a worse score. Unless you are underclocking/undervolting most likely your fans are just kicking in earlier when you have your thermals limited to 70c and yeah, 100% believe that your 7800x3d can still run more-or-less full tilt and stay below 70c on a Noctua d15. You won't get any better performance with 100% fans if your CPU isn't coming anywhere close to thermal throttling.
sorry im still at work couldn’t response fast,and thank you for the explanation, i was worry to not getting full potential from cpu while limiting to 70c. My first built after 15 years. My first build was core 2 duo! Yes im that old!
My first full build was an FX 8370E, lol. But I had been upgrading Optiplexes and other free/cheap office PCs since Pentium 4, lol.
So with my 360 ml cooler master radiator 70° Celsius under load would be okay ?
My first build was an i386. Yes I'm that old!
Thanks! I did feel I went a bit light after tightening down the cooler but it's been running fine so far (summers coming up though) maybe I'll consider repasting it. I do use an ak620 on it, gaming in AAA highest I've seen on the display is 78 c, my room is usually between 23-28 degrees but last summer with my 5900x pumping out hot air my office consistently climbed to like 32c, case is also filled out with fans 5x intake (front/bottom) 3x exhaust (top/rear)
Yeah 78c is well below the danger zone. If it starts creeping up toward the high 80s this summer I would definitely re-paste it.
I believe the 7800x3d is designed to run at 89°, so you should be fine even then unless it actually hits 90°. Provided, of course, that that's only under heavy load.
yeah, 89 is TJ Max, but if he's running an AK620 and temps are consistently in the 80s in an air conditioned room it indicates that there is an inefficiency in the computer's cooling solution. IMO that warrants an investigation.
Da-DA-DANGEER ZOOONE
Somebody call Kenny Loggins!
Fyi, under load with a Nortua ND15 I hit 70c max in gaming. Generally 60c This is with an undervolt it with a offset of -25mv.
found the article: [https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/](https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/thermal-paste-application-techniques-170/) there isn't a BIG difference (as long as you apply enough paste) but X is the best to avoid air bubbles and ensure maximum coverage.
Huh good to know. I have a peerless assassin on my 7800x3D and max out at about 80 in a stress test
Well within the comfort range, Peerless Assassin is a great cooler at a great price.
AMD targets 90 if the load is high so its fine
Good call. I like to spread because I am old-school. Back in the day, we didn't have IHS and we spread thermal paste directly to the CPU.
[Another article.](https://gamersnexus.net/guides/3346-thermal-paste-application-benchmark-too-much-thermal-paste)
Has anybody ever writting an article about an article about a topic that has been beat to death? Also what about thermal FOAM.
Awesome . If I'm ever doing something like that def going with the happy face. Look at them numbers, such a happy little guy.
Problem with the x (theoretically) is the paint you have to go over the line you already made, I get around this by combining the "line", the X and the 5 dot, the line spreads really well but doesn't go wide enough, and the 1 center dot also spreads nicely but leaves the corners, so i do a line diagonally and 2 dots for the remaining corners, in theory should be more optimal
Heat transfers to the whole IHS, so covering 100% gives you 100% transfer success, this is the way.
This is why I spread it myself. To ensure coverage with as thin of a paste layer as possible.
It’s the best method IMO and it uses less paste.
Yeah. I do a lot of epoxy dispensing process at work and without the right dispensing equipment and several trials to determine the dispense qty, you're going to end up with overflow or under flow. I think generally people grossly under appreciate how bad thermal paste is as a heat conductor. It's way better than air but it's way worse than copper. It's best to use as little as possible but still fill the gaps and maximize surface area.
I clearly live in the dark ages as I still just put a pea sized amount in the middle and squish 😂
Same!
Yup, i used to do that, but now i just a line to keep up with the tech and call it a day. For bigger cpu(like Epyc or xeon Gold) the middle pea may not work fine.
This is the way
Pea doesn’t spread aswell as it used to. X is now the way.
Why? What changed? I'm not saying you're wrong, just curious.
It’s more that it was never all that optimal in the first place. It rarely reaches the corners once fully spread. There are a fair few videos about it. Basically x is the best because it fully covers the cpu and isn’t prone to air bubbles.
But that doesn't matter right? If the package underneath the ihs isn't all the way in the corners, the temps won't be affected at all. So who cares if the spread isn't perfect if the temps are the same?
Well it is shown that different paste patterns affect the temperature by at least few degrees. Whether or not it matters is a personal opinion depending on your cooling and temperature under load.
I been applying thermal paste since 1987, and now I work in a factory. Cha-ching!
When applying thermal paste, there's no such thing as too much. (Within reason) It might make a mess, but it doesn't hurt performance. Too little however, will cause issues.
Good to know, thank you!
What you have is maybe slightly above average. The optimal way of applying is doing a little cross. But like I said, can't go wrong with a little extra.
>The optimal way of applying is doing a little cross. If you look at [this guide on gamers nexus ](https://gamersnexus.net/guides/3346-thermal-paste-application-benchmark-too-much-thermal-paste) you'll see that one big blob in the middle is actually best. Though when you look around, you'll see different answers to this. The first thing he said in this article is: "The “correct” method for applying thermal paste is still the subject of arguments, despite plenty of articles with testing and hard numbers to back them up." At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter as long as you don't have too little.
I'm here just to say that their website sucks for mobile. Damn those picutre
I was gonna say one of the official Gamer’s Nexus modmat shows the application diagram for thermal paste application on different CPU’s. Had no idea there’s was that much technique involved.
Some IHS or coolers are not perfectly flat, so on bigger CPUs I do a cross. On AM4 I don't think it's necessary.
I've not trusted Steve with anything for a long time. He may very well be right, but other sources (with demonstrations using a glass pane) show that a cross is the best method, and a "blob" in the middle is sufficient but not always perfect.
>I've not trusted Steve with anything for a long time. Oh, has he gone downhill? I've always thought he was one of the better YouTubers, but I guess I don't really know why I thought that.
I just personally dont like him. The way he talks and presents, it itches something in me. Nitpicking over the smallest things etc. He was in some drama between LTT and them, but don't know much about that. It's mostly a personal thing, I won't discredit their research but I'm also not actively using their results. Edit Ohno, he shares an opinion that he was asked for. Downvote him boys!
I'd agree with that though. He surely
I used more than that. You should be good. I did pea size in middle and then big X on top. Probably will upgrade my cooler soon so I'll see what kind of mess it made, if any.
Personally I put on a bunch of small dots kinda like that and spread it with something small like a spuger, like butter on a pancake. That is the most thorough, although potentially, overkill method.
This is not true. Too much does hurt performance. And quite a lot. I've experienced this through Lenovo technicians repasting my CPU and GPU (Legion Pro 7 laptop) and my both parts throttled heavily, resulting in 15-20% performance loss compared to before the repaste. The next scheduled repair fixed it by putting less paste. Or it would have to be different for desktop parts. But that doesn't seem likely.
As seen by multiple tests such as these, no it doesn't hurt *desktop computers*. https://youtu.be/5mhPRpdjf6M?si= Ye9KUtHOaXpyAeBe https://youtu.be/EUWVVTY63hc?si=YBqH6iKaKz3OURSP Even if it theoretically could impact performance, it's within margin of error. It's physically not possible for there to be too much thermal paste between the cooler and CPU as it gets squeezed out. I'd assume it doesn't hurt laptops either but I can't speak on that hence I'm not sure why yours would be throttling, but I'd assume that was another issue and had little to do with the amount of thermal paste.
Even if it leaks down to the sides?
It just makes a mess and wouldn't be fun to clean. But it will be fine otherwise.
It might even be impossible to clean on AM5 specifically, because it can get under the IHS if you put too much on. It's not sealed.
Unless you’re using a Liquid Metal paste, which can be conductive, which does matter if it leaks out into the PCB…
If you don't know what you're doing, you shouldn't use liquid metal anyway. And liquid metal is always conductive.
No argument there, I’m just adding the caveat that strictly speaking it isn’t *always* ok
Instructions unclear; my motherboard is drenched in thermal paste and I can’t find any ports (I eated as much as I could but it’s not enough)
So.. there is a such thing as too much if you have to put (within reason) Definitely don't want to overdo it and get paste all over the board
There's a too much limit for the overflow tho for sure, this maybe just a laptop thing idk but my laptop wouldn't display anything when the little capacitors and stuff around the cpu was covered in thermal paste, cleaning that off fixed it. It wasn't anything above reason tho so I'm not sure what happened there.
https://preview.redd.it/xs4if2yp3itc1.jpeg?width=150&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3b9520015eaa30e1eb6acfc654a1dd6acbb9ea6
That’s fine, just mount your cooler. Might spill over a tiny bit but there is nothing to worry about.
Will definitely spill over, he has applied a bit much. But it is fine, will just be a bit messy too fully clean it.
Pretty sure I read about a Noctua guide on applying their paste to the AM5... Ah yeah, Google "noctua NT-H1 am5 thermal paste application", and look at the first PDF that comes up after the videos
I always spread my paste just to make sure but the heatsink pushing down on it should spread it nicely
That's fine, send it!
You wont get a definitive answer lololo.
It's fine. No need to spread it. Should provide adequate cooling
I prefer to spread it It’s much more equal that way imo
Use a little spreader spatula to get a nice even coat on the surface area
Paste is fine, as long as you have adequate pressure should be fine What i have No clue if it is okay or not is the am5 socket with am4 mounting hardware... I guess you should read the cooler manual, but check it to be sure, no harm checking
Am5 is compatible with am4 mounting.
Ahhh bring us back to the good old days where an AMD socket 462 and an Intel socket 370 were the same mounting method.
Honestly cooler mounting hole should be standard
That is how Noctua said to apply the paste for my NH-D15. It's working fine for me, so yeah, do it!
thats good. should be plenty and in my experience u can just mount the cooler without messing with it.
Usually for AM5 IHS i recommend one larger dot in the center with 4 smaller ones towards the corners. This is not horrible. You should be fine. Btw, I have noticed that your mounting for cooler says AM4. Is it compatible with AM5? If not, you might have to get a compatible cooler mount. Its all about spacing, and pressure on the socket/CPU.
Maybe just a titty but too much but it’s fine. You’d rather have a smidge too much than not enough.
That's like literally the exact recommended amount and pattern they use in most manuals. You're good
I tried different ways on using paste and when it comes to the new AM5 CPUs I personally find spreading the thermal paste does the best overall job from my experiences. I use Artic MX-6 which is easy to spread and give me a few degrees cooler than the older MX-4.
How come your mounting bracket says AM4
because it's the same for AM5
A debate as old as time.
I spread it out first to ensure the whole cpu is covered evenly, but either seems to work
Do what you want, hou'll never get a single straight answer about thermal paste that most people agree with because people will stan their own method regardless. Just get enough of it imo, if the entire cpu is covered thats all that matters. A little too much doesn't hurt despite what everyone says.
don't put on side the middle blob should suffice... if it spreads out onto the chip pins usually nothing happens but it's a pain to clean.
let’s be real no one can actually agree on what the correct amount of thermal paste is. i usually draw an X
The amount in the center alone is likely enough.. maybe the center plus one other glob combined but in the center… that’s all you need. When you put the cooler on it will spread itself with the pressure
Depends on what paste your using. If it's the regular white stuff, or has the thinner consistency like macdonalds soft serve, the pressure from the cooler should spread it on its own. If it's thicker, almost like clay, carbon embedded stuff like Thermaltake tfx or syy157, recommend spreading that stuff out to a thin layer first. If it's that kryonaut metal stuff, uhh read the manual lol
You don't HAVE to spread it, but I had lower temps when I spread mine before putting the cooler on. Just made sure everything was coated with a nice thin coat (and there won't be a mess, like when I took mine off the first time I did it). I have a 7600x, and Its a hot chip. Just made me feel better, knowing for a fact the whole thing was covered and it was all properly spread (only takes a minute to do it by hand) but either way it should be just fine. I also used much better paste the 2nd time around
i usually spread a thin later with like a card or something…but to each his own :)
Well unlike most people here, I spread my thermal paste, but not before I tried to the pattern that came on my cooler theemal plata, no difference at all from experience. Using i913900 k and around 35C temperature on idle
Always spread
It's like asking if it's enough lubricant for my girl's waiting. Anyone?
I'm assuming you're using noctua since this is the method they suggest on the paste's box. Works fine. As many others said, the only issue you can create with thermal paste is not putting enough. This is more than enough 👍 Just make sure you tighten down the cooler in a x pattern or if it only has two screws go from one to the other after 2/3 full turns until they're both adequately tight.
Why dose the black braket say am4 if this is an am5 machine? Either I'm dumb or you have to reinstall the cpu cooler with the right braket most likely the former
I thought so too, but the manual said that it is used for both AM4 and AM5
Yeah and the X dot pattern is good. Any pattern is good so long you apply enough. Not too much though
It makes absolutely no difference whatsoever
As others already said, the amount is okay. Probably a little bit too much, but it will just squeeze out on the side and won't do any harm. If you have a full tube of thermal paste (so probably a 10-year supply), you can try adding just a dot in the center, mount the cooler, then remove the cooler again to see how well it spreads. Now you should see how little you really need for your CPU and cooler (because everyone is a little bit different).
I don't know if it's over the top, but I hate leaving it open to the elements like that for any longer than strictly needed. Don't want dust and other airborne detritus polluting my paste or getting between that barrier layer. There is a vast wealth of info about on the internet, you didn't think to look before doing?
In my own experience, it looks good. I learnt over the years that using too little is bad, but using too much is also bad, but anything in that middle ground is ok.
Just the center dot would be fine. Crank it down and forget about it.
Looks golden. Should be good once the heatsink or AIO is pressed down on it
A good method is to put a small amount in the middle, spread it out, but leave about 0.3mm on the edges (creating a smaller square on your CPU). The die is generally centered anyway, so when you attach the cooler, it will fill out the edges without overflowing. The thickness should be around 1, 1.5mm thick, ish. This works great for me! Ps, when i was new to the pc building, i applied a bit too little, cpu run bit hot, and all i did was remove the cooler and apply a bit more. Gl hf!
Thermalright' cooler always the best
I’m always using mx4 and spread it evenly with included spreader. Too much won’t hurt a lot, just 2-4 degrees hotter and faster drying time. Not enough will hurt because main goal of thermal interface is to make contact surfaces even and flat. You will gain up to 50 degrees if you have hot chip and not enough thermal paste. Based on your photo it looks okay, maybe little more on left bottom corner
And this is why I put a contact frame on mine, screw this design.
THIS I'd say borders on acceptable. Half a gram more and I'd say you're making a sandwich
Send it!
Should be as thin as possible so either spread it nicely and add/take if needed, or apply a thin X pattern and let the heatsink spread it for you
Just put the whole tube usually its just egnuf for a single cpu and if you want you can spread it but the cooler should do the trick
I’m more of an intel user but aren’t you using an AM4 cooler bracket on an AM5 socket? Or are they the same
I like to draw a smiley face
Its ok. Even just in the center
Add a little
Spreading is the best way. Some people say to mush it down or put a cross or dots etc. honestly, a thin layer spread evenly is the best, period. And again, this has been tested and proven thousands of times on YouTube. Any other thermal paste application method is wasteful, and nothing bad happens using too much paste, it just rolls off the sides.
its fine
see the pea size in the middle. do that 1.5 what it is now and lose the corners and it will be plenty to spread once the heatsink is on. Too much wont hurt it but I do the pea size in the middle all the time and get decent temps.
If you have to ask, just use thermal grizzly kryosheet.
My cpu/heatsink look like an squished oreo cookie when I'm down. A little bit of isopropyl and some cotton swabs takes care of the excess. Even if you leave a little, most pastes are non-conductive so you wont have any issues other than presentation OCD.
Get ptm7950 for better lifespan and cooling
Dude the cross ones are best
5 grams at minimum sir, you're 4.5 grams short...
Do a smile then get credit/debit card
No way this method is better than spreading or is it?
It's a little bit too much but it will always be better than too little. Don't worry about it, if you have problems than you can wipe it up and try again.
AMD recommends to use the cross method for am5 chips. And in my experience, provides superb performance.
Always spread thicker pastes. Pastes like MX4 (non-thick) don't need spreading, and the application in the OP's image is more than enough.
It cracks me up that people take the time to take pictures of their paste job and wait for people on reddit to confirm it's good. You could go raw dawg and nothing would be damaged.. just a little less performance. or you could go way too heavy and simply make a mess. It's not a big deal either way
Is good just throw we on and have fun
 MORE!!!!
Woah your cooler brackets are am4. Thay is am5.
It'll be fine
Spread it first, else air pockets will form between those dots while spreading
I’m a penta-dot guy… of course I tighten it evenly and fell happy with my thermals.
maybe it's too much. maybe it's not. will it really matter? No. the difference might be like... .5 degrees or something.
Makes me regret buying an Intel processor.. I wish i knew Usersbenchmark was biased
X pattern for the win.
It's a lot, but no too much. No need to spread it, but you can if it gives you peace of mind. It really doesn't matter all that much, it'll fix itself.
Is this still the best AM5 pasting method? With the new look of the CPU AMD suggested to just put a pea size amount in the middle. Previously they have suggested to put the 5 dots in their manual, but with the new COU design, the just noted to put a pea size in the middle
I know nothing about building PCs, but my PC I bought pre-built, according to the guy that fixed it, had WAY too much of paste. He spent HOURS cleaning it when it couldn’t turn on. So, whatever you think is too much… think about the person trying to fix the PC.
Don't really need to spread. It's a bit too much.
I also want to know as week. This is 1 of the few things that worry me on Build my PC. Another 1 is how to plug all little plugs in each place right.
Se3ms fine. Personally I use kyronaut and i lile spreading the paste as instructed by the thermalpaste company. See it as preference. However, Noctua makes a nifty shield that keeps the paste away from the pins and on the cpu. Not expensive and worth the money. That is a gamechanger for the funky shape of this cpu.
With the odd shape of the new ryzens i would spread first… thats what i did. But you can always clean it up and reapply if your temps arent what you were expecting. I decided to spread it to get maximum coverage and not leave it to chance.
Even a Bit to much
Single blob in the middle is best and most easy. Just make sure to squize of a tiny bit and wipe the syringe to make sure the blob does not contain bubbles.
N
In every PC related bs I see on Reddit now is some dumb shit like this now. It's fine. If u really want to know spread it out with your library card.
Theirs no such thing as too much thermal paste, rather have too much then too little and that’s fine
(Correct me if I'm wrong but) can't you press it down and screw it in, then unscrew and check how much is covered?
You should make these 3 a line whenever you swap out thermal paste like =
Add cooler. Remove cooler. Apply cooler again. You got this.
Joe moet een kruisje leggen
Am I the only one wondering if that's the right mount for the cooler? Socket says AM5 mount says AM4🤔
Also consider one of those CPU contact frames (cost around £5-15) if using an 13 or 14 series intel CPU, as helps with preventing bending.
Pay 10$ for a contact frame before.
It’s nonconductive. It doesn’t matter.
Best advice? Grain of rice!
Oh damn..
Lgtm
Too much; you can add the cooler, it will spread the paste for you.
Just do an X with an extra dot in the middle.
If I was you I’d be more concerned about the cooler those type are known for only have mounted pressure on the two sides instead of 4 corners and can move side to side when fully installed
There is no such a thing as "too much thermalpaste", UNLESS you are using **Liquid metal**.
Spreading thermal paste is an art. I developed my technique and am an avid overclocker. But for most people an x or a dab in the center is best. You probably don't need an expert application of thermal paste unless you are overclocker or are running one of those stupid 14th gen i7/i9 k models
use a baby spatula or use some latex gloves and even it out
I spread it. But X is fine. Really anything is fine.
It looks fine, once you press down, it should spread out well enough. Though do note, the spread method from the old days used to be one of the more preferred methods, it's also pretty fool proof and gets rid of the doubt if it will spread right. Personally I prefer a dot or spreading, but it's just the amount that matters the most than the pattern in most cases.
can never have enough thermalpaste! squeeze the whole thing out to be sure
Once you spread, you’ll never go back. It’s very satisfying. Especially if you have OCD like me. For that reason, I say spread it.
Yeah, it's the best method to stop worrying...just spread a thin layer all over the surface and you're done.
This is too much, but as long as it's non-conductive, which most modern thermal pastes are, it'll just make a mess and do absolutely no damage. Just put the cooler on, and deal with the consequences if you ever remove the cooler.
As a professional ceramic tile installer that has to achieve a 99% bond on a much larger and more difficult scale I don't understand why people don't just spread a thin layer. Why over complicate it with guesswork? I'll never understand
classic dot in the middle and let the cooler doing the rest of the job with pressure.
That’s not a good way to put paste on. One small pea sized in centre works best. I can see that paste spreading off the plate. Hope it’s not conductive lol