Warning: The repair shop in Tempe changed my mind about thermal paste

I went to a shop called Circuit Fix on Mill Avenue last Friday. They had a tech doing a full clean on a gaming PC. He was using a tiny dot of paste, maybe 2mm wide. I always spread it thin over the whole CPU. He said the pressure from the cooler mount spreads it better than we can. I watched him run a stress test for 30 minutes and the temps were perfect. Now I'm rethinking my whole method. Has anyone else switched to the dot method and seen better results?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessica_miller3d ago

Wow, that's exactly what happened to me! I used to spread it too and always had iffy temps. Switched to the pea-sized dot last year and my cooling got way better. Guess the mounting pressure really does know best.

the_emery3d ago

Tried the spread method for years and always had a hot spot in one corner. Switched to a small pea in the center and my temps evened out completely. The cooler plate just squishes it where it needs to go. You're fighting the mounting pressure if you try to do its job for it.