Hi all,

I am about to install a 2nd Xeon 5520 into my Dell Precision T5500.

What is an appropriate paste for this chip when I put the heatsink on it?
I have seen different types for sale and not sure if gd100 is OK or something like Stars612 or Stars700...

Many thanks!

 

There's just one paste that's good for everything I can't recommend enough, Shin Etsu X23-7762 :dancing:

 

thanks Andrew, thats exactly what I needed to know

 

you can use the stock heatsink paste without any problem.

 

I've had good luck with Arctic Silver. Although there are probably those with more experience than myself.

 

Artic Silver is a very good quality thermal paste.

 

shin etsu is good but is extremely difficult to apply (because of its viscosity). you should know that indigo extreme has consistently tested about 4 degrees cooler when installed properly. indigo, prolimatech pk-1 and artic cooling mx-2/mx-4/silver also have consistently tester better as well. also some new players that have tested well are JunPus D9000 and Gelid GC-Extreme.

all of the tim's mentioned are high performing when installed properly and the choice comes down to personal preference really. me personally i run pk-1 or mx-2. shin etsu and indigo are just too difficult to apply for a 1-4 degree gain.

 

Stock paste is fine if you have a new CPU or if the cpu is bonded to the cooler and is running fine, otherwise try Arctic Silver Ceramique or Gelid GC-Supreme.

 

Artic Silver worked great for me! No fuss, no muss.

 

I'm sure they all probably work, but Andrew works with this stuff all the time. He gives solid advice.

 

Thanks Algae

Since I applied Shin Etsu on Intel CPU on Lenovo W500, the fan is always quiet, even with 100% usage. No way that happened with stock Lenovo paste.
AS5 is good as well, but it's not entirely neutral, a bit corrossive, so the ID on your CPU might be difficult to read after applying it. *yes*

For my desktop I used Shin Etsu as well, CPU temps never go above 40°C

 

well here in dallas my job is fixing pcs.

 

How is the weather in Dallas in any given season??
and most cases the thermal paste is only as good as the PC case & Airflow

 

Hands down the best stuff I have used in my last 3 builds was Artic MX-4. What you want to do is either put a pea sized blob right in the middle of your CPU then tighten your heatsink down on top of it. Or put a "X" across your CPU and then tighten down your heatsink. Do not....I repeat do not spread it around with your finger or any other thing. If you want the best possible transfer without air bubbles in your thermal paste do one of the methods I have listed here.

 

summer time is humid and very hot,winter time sometimes we have snow,but is not too cold like other states,and we have to deal with the damn tornados,and you right about thermal paste.

 

So dab and clamp down heatsink, or dab and spread prior to clamping down the sink?

I see many DIY vids show paste smearing with a plastic card..

 

I normally just use the stock paste on the heatsink. But if I have to add thermal grease: I dab onto the center of the CPU, put the heatsink in place, give it a couple 1/8 twists back and forth, and clamp into place.

 

Gee wizz...
so many variables 'n decisions to make when building a PC, and always moving goal-posts

 

Couldn't agree more! Silver, however, might create false contacts around the CPU socket. I would probably go a step further and recommend AC Artic MX-4 - spreads well and doesn't harden like glue, it will remain with burn temperatures of just 81C and idle temps of 41C. It's a non-metallic carbon-based gray compound that doesn't conduct electricity, and Arctic Cooling says a single application will last up to eight years. IC Diamond is good, but it's a pain installing it and might scratch the CPU surface.



A few months back, the fan on my laptop HP 8770w i7-3820QuadM, 2.70 GHz (Turbo up to 3.70 GHz with NVidia graphics K4000) was roaring when rendering large video files into AVCHD 1920/1080.60i. I took the whole laptop apart, cleaned the fan and got rid of the cheap thermal gooey that HP uses from factory on the CPU and graphic card. After cleaning/purifying the heat pipes surfaces and fins (including fan, vents etc), I used Artic MX-4 both on the CPU and Graphic heat sinks (i.e. as Three65 already pointed out, just apply compound of the size of a pea pod right in the center of the CPU and let the clamp and heat of the CPU spread it around - see picture below). Since then, I haven't had any problems when doing video rendering! It really runs cool - fan is happy and quiet!

Artic MX-4 ($15 for 4gm).



_____________________________________________________________

 

Man, I would have never thought people could get so worked up or excited about paste.