The material most often called thermal grease is probably one of the most important, but often overlooked, components of the cooling system of a PC and other devices. However, we often forget to buy this measure, after spending hundreds, if not thousands, of zlotys on new computer equipment. Without it, however, we cannot assemble a computer. So what can be used instead of thermal paste? Are there any home made alternatives that can function as a temporary replacement for thermal grease.
Thermally conductive paste is a thermal interface material - it is essential because it fills in microscopic imperfections on the surface of the heat sink and the element being cooled that would otherwise trap air molecules in between (which is a heat insulator), preventing proper cooling. This increases the thermal resistance of the circuit-heat sink junction, which translates into a reduction in cooling efficiency.
Typically, this interface uses special pastes designed to properly conduct heat. They generally have an oily consistency which ensures optimal gap-filling. Additions of materials, such as silver, for example, reduce the thermal resistance of the connection. But can't other materials replace thermal grease? Google tells us that this is a real problem for many people - as we know, computer stores are only in larger cities in Poland, which means that you cannot just go out and get thermal paste. ;-)
However, if for some reason we are forced to stay at home (maybe we are waiting for the courier with the paste?), But we need to start our new computer to check if it works, there are several alternatives that we can test. As Internet searches show, people have tried almost everything here - Nutella, toothpaste, cheese spreads (I do not know what the key to selecting these samples is - the visual resemblance to the paste, or maybe the contents of the cupboard to which to get to, there is no need to ask for mom's consent - editor's note).
Jorgen Elton Nilsen from the Norwegian technical service Tek.No, tested a number of alternatives to the thermal paste with the Innovatek KT-3 simulator. It is an industrial heater for analyzing the efficiency of cooling systems. Devices like this are better suited for this task as it is difficult to standardize the thermal power of a processor solely by software. You can't just activate the maximum heat output by running a 3D rendering demo because of other devices in the system or the operation of the operating system, for example. However, manufacturers provide the thermal parameters of processors (as TDP, but the method of its administration and the lack of standardization, that this parameter is not very suitable for serious applications - editor's note).
Nilsen assembled a kit consisting of the Innovatek KT-3 heater with a heat spreader and an Asus Triton 77 heat sink mounted on a "processor", and then tested materials such as toothpaste, cheese and creams. The system was tested with each material for 15 minutes with the heater power equal to 90 W. The results may be surprising (but not as much as the fact that someone is seriously considering inserting a slice of cheese between the processor for 1000 PLN and the heat sink - editor's note). Here they are, ranked from best to worst result:
1. Butter 53.2 ° C
2. Moisturizing cream 54 ° C
3. Hair wax 56 ° C
4. Toothpaste 57.1 ° C
5. Banana 58 ° C
6. Paper 67.2 ° C
7. Yellow cheese 67.9 ° C
At first glance, butter and moisturizer seems to be the best short-term solutions to no thermal paste, but here's another problem. Both of these paste replacers liquefied before the allotted 15-minute testing interval had elapsed. There is usually the motherboard under the processor, which means that in such a situation the melted butter will drip onto it ... The best practical - if practical - solutions turned out to be hair wax and toothpaste. These materials showed a relatively low system temperature, and at the same time, the thermally conductive material did not dry out completely and cracked.
So if you are extremely impatient or otherwise in a rush and want to squeeze a few extra hours of work / play out of your computer, consider toothpaste or hair wax when nothing else is available and stores have closed. When it's time to replace it with thermal paste, use a sharp scraper to remove any dried paste before applying a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to the cloth to clean the CPU of any substitute residue. You can then apply real thermal paste, which - which is worth remembering - also needs to be replaced periodically, because it dries up under the influence of temperature and loses its properties.
To answer the curious - it doesn't work the other way - thermal paste is a very bad replacement for hair wax, and even worse for toothpaste or butter (but it will certainly ensure your toast is evenly heated).
Source: https://www.powerelectronicsnews.com/household-substitutes-for-cpu-thermal-paste/
Thermally conductive paste is a thermal interface material - it is essential because it fills in microscopic imperfections on the surface of the heat sink and the element being cooled that would otherwise trap air molecules in between (which is a heat insulator), preventing proper cooling. This increases the thermal resistance of the circuit-heat sink junction, which translates into a reduction in cooling efficiency.
Typically, this interface uses special pastes designed to properly conduct heat. They generally have an oily consistency which ensures optimal gap-filling. Additions of materials, such as silver, for example, reduce the thermal resistance of the connection. But can't other materials replace thermal grease? Google tells us that this is a real problem for many people - as we know, computer stores are only in larger cities in Poland, which means that you cannot just go out and get thermal paste. ;-)
However, if for some reason we are forced to stay at home (maybe we are waiting for the courier with the paste?), But we need to start our new computer to check if it works, there are several alternatives that we can test. As Internet searches show, people have tried almost everything here - Nutella, toothpaste, cheese spreads (I do not know what the key to selecting these samples is - the visual resemblance to the paste, or maybe the contents of the cupboard to which to get to, there is no need to ask for mom's consent - editor's note).
Jorgen Elton Nilsen from the Norwegian technical service Tek.No, tested a number of alternatives to the thermal paste with the Innovatek KT-3 simulator. It is an industrial heater for analyzing the efficiency of cooling systems. Devices like this are better suited for this task as it is difficult to standardize the thermal power of a processor solely by software. You can't just activate the maximum heat output by running a 3D rendering demo because of other devices in the system or the operation of the operating system, for example. However, manufacturers provide the thermal parameters of processors (as TDP, but the method of its administration and the lack of standardization, that this parameter is not very suitable for serious applications - editor's note).
Nilsen assembled a kit consisting of the Innovatek KT-3 heater with a heat spreader and an Asus Triton 77 heat sink mounted on a "processor", and then tested materials such as toothpaste, cheese and creams. The system was tested with each material for 15 minutes with the heater power equal to 90 W. The results may be surprising (but not as much as the fact that someone is seriously considering inserting a slice of cheese between the processor for 1000 PLN and the heat sink - editor's note). Here they are, ranked from best to worst result:
1. Butter 53.2 ° C
2. Moisturizing cream 54 ° C
3. Hair wax 56 ° C
4. Toothpaste 57.1 ° C
5. Banana 58 ° C
6. Paper 67.2 ° C
7. Yellow cheese 67.9 ° C
At first glance, butter and moisturizer seems to be the best short-term solutions to no thermal paste, but here's another problem. Both of these paste replacers liquefied before the allotted 15-minute testing interval had elapsed. There is usually the motherboard under the processor, which means that in such a situation the melted butter will drip onto it ... The best practical - if practical - solutions turned out to be hair wax and toothpaste. These materials showed a relatively low system temperature, and at the same time, the thermally conductive material did not dry out completely and cracked.
So if you are extremely impatient or otherwise in a rush and want to squeeze a few extra hours of work / play out of your computer, consider toothpaste or hair wax when nothing else is available and stores have closed. When it's time to replace it with thermal paste, use a sharp scraper to remove any dried paste before applying a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to the cloth to clean the CPU of any substitute residue. You can then apply real thermal paste, which - which is worth remembering - also needs to be replaced periodically, because it dries up under the influence of temperature and loses its properties.
To answer the curious - it doesn't work the other way - thermal paste is a very bad replacement for hair wax, and even worse for toothpaste or butter (but it will certainly ensure your toast is evenly heated).
Source: https://www.powerelectronicsnews.com/household-substitutes-for-cpu-thermal-paste/
Cool? Ranking DIY
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