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?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_morgan17d ago

Only when temps creep up, but isn't that just a bandaid for a bad mount?

kellygrant17d ago

Stick a thermal pad on there first and see if it helps, @angela_morgan.

scott.olivia17d 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.