How many times should you replace the thermal paste?

Hello

How many times is it recommended to replace the thermal conductive paste on the processor / graphics?

I would like a link to the auction. What is the best, copper-based?

As far as I know, the diamond dust paste has the best thermal conductivity properties.

I have not seen one on the Allegro, let's not go into pastes that cost PLN 200 for 10 grams ...

What how much is recommended for replacement? Every two years ?

Good pastes do not need to be replaced at all. Atctic Ceramique, Zalman STG1. I know these toothpastes and I know that they do not lose their properties. all other pastes that tend to dry lose their properties.

The factory-set Intel heatsink pastes cannot be used after six months. I change each toothpaste prophylactically every 2 years.

As you can see, everyone has their own approach to replacing the paste :)

The case is not based on "what how many" change the paste? just for what to replace the paste.
The answer is the CPU temperature under load.
If the user monitors the temperature of his computer from time to time, especially the cpu and gpu, he knows what the temperature was after applying the fresh paste and what the temperature was after half a year.
As Celsius begins to rise while maintaining similar loads and room conditions, it's time to change the paste.

As for the useful life or loss of properties of the pastes ...
It is a matter of making the paste and its properties.
The binding factor of the appropriate thermally conductive mixture plays a huge role.
This is the arrangement of each paste except those based on liquid metal.
There, the density of the metal (intermolecular forces) is responsible for the binder.
Such a system does not dry out and therefore does not harden.
You only need to be sure that the element to be cooled and the heat sink are not made of aluminum or contaminated alloys.

domelc wrote:

Hello
How many times is it recommended to replace the thermal conductive paste on the processor / graphics?

There is no need for replacement for the lifetime of the device as long as the heat sink has not been removed. If for any reason it was necessary to remove the heat sink, it is recommended to replace it each time.
Such recommendations are provided by computer manufacturers.
As for the type of paste, there is no such thing as UNIVERSAL, BEST, ONLY.
The type of paste depends on the thermal path of heat flow, its amount and the operating temperature of the cooling system. This means that the thermal paste in a notebook has different requirements than in a desktop computer, and yet another in the power stage transistor in the amplifier.
Hence, it is impossible to provide the only prescription. Follow the recommendations of the equipment manufacturer. However, the possibilities of the paste can be determined on the basis of its catalog cards. The use of inadequate thermal grease can damage the structure of the cooled semiconductor due to both thermal and mechanical (sometimes) damage.
For me, info from various forums that the best is silver or white is nonsense, unless someone has specified exactly for what application!
For example, I will mention that such a manufacturer of Toshiba computers uses different toothpastes in different models (for the above-mentioned reasons). And so, for example, it has pastes in gray, pink, blue, white, or sponge pastes and even silicone spacers of various types. They cannot be used interchangeably, otherwise it causes malfunctions in the operation of the device. The service manual specifies which type of toothpaste is to be used and in which place of the computer. In some cases, 2-3 types of thermo paste are used simultaneously in one device. In any case, this is not a trivial matter, although most computer builders think so.
best regards

Next voodoo ..
Since you write that a paste has to be strictly defined, why do most people change to the same paste everywhere and the temperatures drop?

corben wrote:

Original trash used on all kinds of heat sinks, etc., I throw out during assembly. He uses silver or copper, with artic cooling, in several computers it is already the fifth year, without any major changes in temperatures. Often, i.e. once every six months, I vacuum all the fans thoroughly and blow out the heat sinks with High flow air.

And so I forgot about the forced replacement of the paste after removing the cooling.
This is obvious, but unfortunately rarely used.
Then there are problems.
And cooling cleaning should be done even once a month
Well, unless you have filters on blowing fans.

Everyone else has their kneecap starched ....
The cleaner, the cooler and more aesthetic it is

arti13 wrote:

Next voodoo ..
Since you write that a paste has to be strictly defined, why do most people change to the same paste everywhere and the temperatures drop?

No voodoo, no exaggeration. It is as if you think that each broken element can be stuck together with a "droplet". Which is, of course, not true - everyone knows that there is a different adhesive for each material, and universal adhesives are usually up to a large @ $.
I wrote about what computer manufacturers write in their repair documentation. I don't think that applying a random paste will not work in some case. However, I have known many autopsies where this has not been the case. Such Toshiba Satellite 1800 computers were produced in the past. They were extremely sensitive to the type of paste. They often came to me with a symptom of overheating after a few minutes. work. The user who has done the maintenance of the cooling system will remove the original pink DENKA paste and give the first one he had. Usually white or silver. This caused too little heat flow between the core of the system and the heat sink, an increase in temperature and the computer turned off after a few minutes of work. It was unfortunate that DENKA paste was available only at an authorized service point, so hardly anyone had it and many such machines were delivered to us at that time. The use of the paste, required by the manufacturer, solved the problem immediately.
Hence, I am writing about the fact that it does not matter where the paste is to be and that these pastes differ in terms of thermal parameters.
The paste must provide an appropriate heat flow gradient. If you give a random paste it may be it will be provided or it may not.
The use of a given paste results simply from the design of the device, from the calculation of the heat flow from a given structure to the environment. There's no voodoo involved, just a little bit of physics.

Your theory from the HP Pavilion DV6 does not apply here. there, the manufacturer put a weak paste that dries up in a very short time, overheating of the CPU and GPU is from the very beginning of the purchase of a laptop from the store, which I found out by browsing many forums, others too. where the GPU had a silicone 'gasket' replacing the original paste and gasket with a universal paste noname helped immediately. (I torn the paste with my nails, unfortunately, she did not want to spread out in any way) the fact that after 3 months the paste began to lose its value and the temperature rose slightly, but the difference between the space used by the manufacturer and NOname is priceless from 98 degrees to 49/60 max

I have a 13-year-old laptop, I use it every day. I even write this post from it. Nothing gets overheated. The maximum temperature of the processor is 60 degrees. So someone above was right. If the paste is good, it will last for years.