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Debate: Do we really need thermal paste reapplication every year or is it a total myth?
I was over at a shop in Austin last month, and one guy swore he replaces paste every time he opens a machine, while another said he's got a rig from 2018 that still runs fine on factory paste. I've seen paste dry out after 2 years on a gaming PC but also had a Dell Optiplex from 2012 that never got touched and temps were fine. What's your take on this, do you set a schedule or just leave it alone until something goes wrong?
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angela_morgan2mo ago
Only when temps creep up, but isn't that just a bandaid for a bad mount?
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kellygrant2mo ago
Stick a thermal pad on there first and see if it helps, @angela_morgan.
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scott.olivia2mo ago
Honestly I'm in the camp that says if your temps are fine leave it alone forever. I've got a buddy who built a Ryzen 2600 system in 2018 and never touched the paste, we stress tested it last month and it was maybe 2 degrees warmer than when it was new. The whole "paste dries out and kills your CPU" thing feels like a way to sell more tubes of Arctic Silver to me. I think if your mount is good and the paste was quality from the factory, it'll last a decade easy. People forget that most prebuilts and laptops use cheap paste that's basically glue, but even then it rarely fails on its own unless you're running a super hot chip. I'd say check your temps once a year, and if they're still in the 70s under load, stop worrying and go play some games.
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