mitchell.wade•26d agoProlific Poster

I used to think thermal paste was a 'one and done' thing until a gaming rig in Dallas melted down

For years, I'd slap on a pea-sized drop and call it good, never checking it again. Then last summer, a guy brought in a PC that was shutting down after 10 minutes of play. The paste was bone dry and cracked after just 18 months. Now, I tell every client with a high-end build to re-paste every year, no questions asked. It's a cheap fix that stops a $300 CPU from frying. How often do you guys actually check the paste on machines you've worked on?

3 comments

3 Comments

susanr1526d ago

Wait, it dried out in only 18 months? That's crazy fast. Honestly, I figured the cheap stuff might last a couple years at least. Tbh, I've never even thought to check a build that new. Makes me wonder if some pastes just turn to dust in the heat. I'm definitely going to start asking people when they last did it.

faith74126d ago

That Dallas story is a real wake up call. Susanr15 is right to be shocked about 18 months, I've seen cheap paste last maybe two years in a normal office PC. But a hot gaming rig cooking it that fast? It makes me question what brands are even on the shelf these days. Do you think the quality has gotten worse across the board?

skylerr236d ago

Guess we're all just baking cookies in our cases now. That paste turns to dust faster than my will to live on a Monday. Maybe we should just use butter, it'd probably last longer.