How much paste on gpu

Although the liquid-metal and other better-quality thermal paste versions offer better conductivity, users tend to experience difficulty when applying and cleaning it up. Instead, use it directly as it comes, even if you consider it of poor quality.

Avoid applying insufficient paste at all costs since applying too much thermal compound will still result in the same effect once you tighten down the cooler. Instead, it is the risk of shorting the computer components, especially when using a conductive metal-based compound. Also, contrary to popular belief, vigorous testing and research have proved that putting too much paste does not increase your temperatures.

Applying too little paste will result in that, however. You should have no issues with replacing your TIM, just ensure that you do not cause any damage on the PCB and the warranty sticker stays put as well.

However, please take caution when spreading the thermal paste to ensure that it covers the die completely. Failure to cover the dye fully or missing small sections will cause shutdowns, and black portions of the screen since some parts of the GPU will overheat.

It is best if you use a star or x technique when spreading the GPU since a dot is likely to cause air bubbles, resulting in the overheating of the GPU even if reports suggest it is running at normal temperatures. Such instances increase the possibility of voiding your warranty. Be sure to read through your warranty to check what you can or cannot do.

Replacing your GPU thermal paste is essential, especially when you get suspicious of an issue with your cooling system, yet the cooling fans still run seamlessly. It is advisable to change the thermal paste between the heatsink and GPU, especially if your GPU is a little older or has been running for some time.

Most thermal pastes, especially low-quality ones, harden with time, causing the GPU to overheat, which could permanently damage the GPU.

It is for this reason you should replace the factory thermal paste with a high-quality one. Also, replacing the thermal paste on your Graphics Processing Unit is worth the effort, especially in the long run. However, it will shock you to realize that the metal plates have minute imperfections that minimize efficient heat transfer. Since the imperfections prevent the two surfaces from going into full contact, reapplying the GPU thermal paste will help fill the air gaps present, which allows for improved heat transfer.

In simple terms, thermal paste enables the heatsink to perform its job in helping cool the GPU. Provided you reinstalled the heatsink in the correct position, used a high-quality thermal paste, and followed the correct application procedure when applying the TIM, it should be able to serve you for many years without the need of replacing it again.

You are just risking damaging the heatsink connectors for no reason. Under normal circumstances, there is no need to disassemble the GPU since it may void the warranty in some models. Ensure that the GPU is clean by scrubbing off the old thermal paste if present. Before applying the TIM, ensure that the rest of the cooler is ready for installation. Follow the instructions and ensure to complete every step when installing the GPU cooler. To achieve this, make sure that you have all the necessary tools and requirements at hand.

What's new. New posts New profile posts Latest activity. Current visitors New profile posts Search profile posts Billboard Trophies. How much thermal paste on GPU? Thread starter Freddysquiggles Start date Aug 22, Forums Hardware Graphics Cards. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.

Status Not open for further replies. Previous Next Sort by votes. Freddysquiggles Reputable. Jul 23, 19 0 4, 2. So I installed a custom water block recently and temps were super high and peaked 59C on my ti.

I was wondering if I needed to cover the entire gpu with thermal paste, I just drew an X on the dye but I don't think I got every square millemeter. Is it that important that I cover it fully?

WildCard Titan Moderator. Jul 18, 21, 1, 92, 4, What's you room temp? Like feelinfroggy said, you may of applied too much paste as that would cause higher temps. Try putting about a grain of rice sized amount and spread it with a credit or store card semi flexible card as thin as possible over the GPU then remount the cooler and check the temps. They used latex gloves and their index fingers to apply thermal paste, or a credit card to smoothen the spread. Also because the thermal pastes available in the market years ago were packaged in tubs instead of tubes , so getting a chunk at a time is common.

The concept of using the thin spread technique is that this supposedly ensures maximum contact between the heatsink and cold plate. The layer in between these surfaces is thin enough for them to stick, but because of this, it could even cause air pockets.

Another advantage of the spread method is that you can be sure that the corners of your heatsink will be covered nicely without spilling to the edges.

Note that liquid-like thermal paste is very hard to spread evenly, so this may not work for low-viscosity pastes. This is also true for pastes that are on the thick side, since its texture would make it impossible to spread thinly. What makes this technique a good choice is that because you're spreading it so thin, you're only using minimal amounts of paste.

If you're using the expensive brands, this application method can be budget-friendly. Many people recommend sticking with the pea-sized dot when applying thermal paste. It is straightforward and it works. Here's how you can do this:. Another benefit to this pea-sized method is that the layer will always have less air pockets than other techniques.

The downside though is that the corners may not get enough coverage. If the surface has gaps on the edges instead of the middle, then this would be a huge issue. If not, then it's your lucky day and you can carry on. The reason why many people swear by the pea-sized dot method is because it is an easy method to replicate should you need to do the application again. As you may have guessed, applying too much thermal paste can be a sticky situation, regardless of using a liquidy or thick paste.

Note that applying too little thermal paste always trumps applying too much. Imagine doing all the steps and finding out that you were unable to cover everything due to the lack of paste. You just need to clean out the old paste, then get back from the start.

However, if you put too much thermal paste and then have to redo everything, you'd find that it isn't easy to clean out super-thick thermal paste from the surface.

And if the paste has spilled a little over the motherboard or other components, then this could cause irreversible damage. If you were able to prevent spillage and just add a chunk of thermal paste between the two surfaces, you'll discover soon enough that thick paste could prevent the surfaces from connecting, and in turn, preventing heat transfer and possible overheating.

Then carefully secure the heatsink on top. Most GPUs can be opened by simply loosening the four screws around the processor, but be careful: you might need to remove more to free the heatsink on select GPUs completely. And watch out for your fan power plug! Forcing the card open can damage this fragile connection. Your GPU might have thermal pads dotted around its components.

Leave these on. Unless you have identical replacement pads, tinkering with these can cause poor contact between your GPU and the cooler. Most GPU manufacturers tend to overdo it on the stock thermal paste application, so this step can get quite sticky.