• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

CPU heating up after thermal paste application

Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
Hi,
I have 9900k for which I decided to put a clean thermal paste on using NT h1 (previously it had corsair h150i stock paste). After changing paste i see temperature climbing up and down rapidly specially under the load. How did I made this worse? I have tried re applying the thermal paste 3-4 times with different methods(dot, X, DOT and than dots at corners with pretty much same results. What am I doing wrong? and how can I fix my thermal application as I know before I took off stock thermal paste things weren't SO bad. on Average i feel i have increase my CPU temp by 6 C in different states

I am posting pictures of my X application. Please let me know if i am using too much paste from the Screenshots or any other suggestions for 9900k
 

Attachments

  • 20210605_170315.jpg
    20210605_170315.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 1,126
  • 20210605_170317.jpg
    20210605_170317.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 962
You used too much paste. In my case on my 9700K I applied a thin layer of paste using a strip of an old credit card.

Try to make the layer of TIM as thin as possible, mount the cooler and check the temps.

Before applying the new paste try to clean all the old paste. In your pic it is clear that you used too much paste as it went over the edges of the CPU.

If you want to be thorough, first use cotton sticks with IPA 99% or rubbing alcohol to clean the old paste from the CPU and the edges while it is still in the socket, then you can remove the CPU from the socket to clean it well. If you are not confident then leave the CPU in the socket. You really don't want to also bend some pins.

Also do no use to much alcohol and power up the PC only after you are sure that all of if has evaporated. A few minutes should be safe. You can blow on it to speed up the evaporation.

Good luck! :)
 
That looks to be imbalanced mounting pressure, you can see 1/2 of the CPU has more TIM than the other half. The amount of TIM is fine.

When tightening the screws, use both hands to tighten 2 diagonal screws, switch to the other 2 screws after a few rotations, keep switching until all screws are tightened.
 
I use a grain of rice-sized amount of Gelid GC Extreme on my 9900K running @5.2GHz. With an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 using 6 EverFlow R121225BU's in push/pull at full speed (110cfm each) it idles at 27 C and hits around 38 C when transcoding video files. Make sure all 4 of the pump plate screws are tight.
 
Thats like 3x as much paste as needed, and it does seem uneven like it wasnt mounted correctly

Goes on flat, partially tighten each screw a small amount, changing to opposite diagonal sides as you go
 
Hi mate!

i had a really bad start in this forum! so want to make a new start and want to provide u all a new one with my experience using a CARBON SLEEVE, it's 0,2mm thin and has 6 times more heat density like thermal paste ever can. id like to encourage u to try this out.
it costs something about 12€ and is, if used gently, resusable! german hightech product. in my opinion it's very innovative
look at mr. Besos' online shop to order it..

Thermal Grizzly - Carbon Thermal Pad Carbonaut

kind regards

 

Attachments

  • 185970340_4071933129537050_3340557416043787351_n.jpg
    185970340_4071933129537050_3340557416043787351_n.jpg
    71.4 KB · Views: 294
  • 183492176_4055162591214104_6856898411294871697_n.jpg
    183492176_4055162591214104_6856898411294871697_n.jpg
    441.8 KB · Views: 681
  • 184266615_4055162394547457_3411385209448935875_n.jpg
    184266615_4055162394547457_3411385209448935875_n.jpg
    219 KB · Views: 298
Last edited:
Hi mate!

i had a really bad start in this forum! so want to make a new start and want to provide u all a new one with my experience using a CARBON SLEEVE, it's 0,2mm thin and has 6 times more heat density like thermal paste ever can. id like to encourage u to try this out.
it costs something about 12€ and is, if used gently, resusable! german hightech product. in my opinion it's very innovative
look at mr. Besos' online shop to order it..

Thermal Grizzly - Carbon Thermal Pad Carbonaut​

Excited Lets Go GIF by FaZe Clan


kind regards
I mean sure he can test it, but thats a well known product at this stage - good for multiple uses but inferior thermals to regular thermal paste.

The material is great at conducting sideways but not vertically, and it leaves small airgaps that hinder its performance vs paste.
If you need good performance (but not top tier) long term with no maintenance, they're a great option.
 
hi, just out of interest; could you elaborate?

if everything is okay with the cooler unit (underside) and you put it on cleanly and tighten it reasonably evenly when attaching it, where are air bubbles supposed to form? the material is so thin and flexible that it is almost a breath of nothing....
I find it very interesting because it's all about thermal conductivity and 12W and 65W are significant differences in performance.
do you think that the increased conductivity is a compensation for your predicted "inferiority"?

the processor i have is running on water cooling. all benchmarks i have seen so far assume a heat development of over 100°C. however i have tortured it, i have never seen it over 82°C.
that can't be the fault of the cooling alone. it's at least an effect of all factors.

and NO maintenance? great! i do not open this bundle every month to have a look if everything is still "in shape"..
 
Hi,
To have that much paste still on the chip and cold plate contact is very poor
Seems to me something is preventing the cold plate from seating any further maybe these they don't look clean like the others some blocks can not be rotated 90 degrees because they aren't square

1622979893726.png
 
Hi,
To have that much paste still on the chip and cold plate contact is very poor
Seems to me something is preventing the cold plate from seating any further maybe these they don't look clean like the others some blocks can not be rotated 90 degrees because they aren't square

View attachment 202948
wow!
u have real eagle eyes.

another solid reason to work without paste.
 
I use a grain of rice-sized amount of Gelid GC Extreme on my 9900K running @5.2GHz. With an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 using 6 EverFlow R121225BU's in push/pull at full speed (110cfm each) it idles at 27 C and hits around 38 C when transcoding video files. Make sure all 4 of the pump plate screws are tight.

Amazing!

Hi,
I have 9900k for which I decided to put a clean thermal paste on using NT h1 (previously it had corsair h150i stock paste). After changing paste i see temperature climbing up and down rapidly specially under the load. How did I made this worse? I have tried re applying the thermal paste 3-4 times with different methods(dot, X, DOT and than dots at corners with pretty much same results. What am I doing wrong? and how can I fix my thermal application as I know before I took off stock thermal paste things weren't SO bad. on Average i feel i have increase my CPU temp by 6 C in different states

I am posting pictures of my X application. Please let me know if i am using too much paste from the Screenshots or any other suggestions for 9900k

That is enough TIM to do 20 paste ups.
 
The fans & radiator are mounted externally on top of the NZXT H440. This trick works very well for lowering temps as well as giving much more internal case space. I posted pix in the Ghetto Mods section when I was doing the case mod.
 
Hi mate!

i had a really bad start in this forum! so want to make a new start and want to provide u all a new one with my experience using a CARBON SLEEVE, it's 0,2mm thin and has 6 times more heat density like thermal paste ever can. id like to encourage u to try this out.
it costs something about 12€ and is, if used gently, resusable! german hightech product. in my opinion it's very innovative
look at mr. Besos' online shop to order it..

Thermal Grizzly - Carbon Thermal Pad Carbonaut

kind regards

been using the thermal pad on mine and works great. Mugen coolers have a concave base thats IMO work Better with pads...Compared to an improper pasts install (like with too much) you actually get much better temps.
 
The fans & radiator are mounted externally on top of the NZXT H440. This trick works very well for lowering temps as well as giving much more internal case space. I posted pix in the Ghetto Mods section when I was doing the case mod.

Even more ... must be an extremely cool-running 9900K.
 
how it should be done.. first make sure there is good contact between the mating parts second just enough paste to fill any possible air gaps..

trog
 
a CARBON SLEEVE, it's 0,2mm thin and has 6 times more heat density like thermal paste ever can....
it costs something about 12€
While Carbon or Indium pads may be a good way to go, 0.2mm is many times thicker than thermal paste, and this offsets the higher thermal conductivity.

I use GD900 thermal grease and estimate it cost me less than 1c per application.
 
Last edited:
Even more ... must be an extremely cool-running 9900K.
With the Arctic LF II 360 yes, with the Corsair H115i RGB Platinum that was in it previously no. For truly cool running my X99 Xeon 2699 V4 is astounding. 22c 44t with a LF II 280 using two Silverstone FHP 141's at full speed (171cfm each) in push is about 20 degrees C cooler at idle than the 9900K and doesn't get much warmer under load. 1/2 the clock speed but nearly 3x more cores is the way to go for A/V production work.
 
With the Arctic LF II 360 yes, with the Corsair H115i RGB Platinum that was in it previously no. For truly cool running my X99 Xeon 2699 V4 is astounding. 22c 44t with a LF II 280 using two Silverstone FHP 141's at full speed (171cfm each) in push is about 20 degrees C cooler at idle than the 9900K and doesn't get much warmer under load. 1/2 the clock speed but nearly 3x more cores is the way to go for A/V production work.

That AIO has the active cooling; i.e. TEC?

My custom loop keeps my 9900K; direct die with Conductonaut, at ~8°to 10°C above ambient @ 5000MHz idle. This is at ~1.205 VCore.

Do not do any A/V processing, so P95 small FFT with AVX or LinX is all I can use for load temperatures; typically ambient +60°C.

Seems you have an exceptional 9900K.
 
Hi,
To have that much paste still on the chip and cold plate contact is very poor
Seems to me something is preventing the cold plate from seating any further maybe these they don't look clean like the others some blocks can not be rotated 90 degrees because they aren't square

View attachment 202948
I am sorry is this in reference to my issue? Can you please elaborate a bit more? also i am not sure what u mean by contact issue. All was ok on the stock paste that corsair AIO came with. Issue started only after i put on a new paste.
 
I am sorry is this in reference to my issue? Can you please elaborate a bit more? also i am not sure what u mean by contact issue. All was ok on the stock paste that corsair AIO came with. Issue started only after i put on a new paste.

the suggestion is that when you removed the cooler to do the repaste something happened to stop things going back together properly.. your picture suggests that..

the amount of paste still on the parts also suggests the parts were not mating properly.. excess paste should be squeezed out of the sides and not stay in a big thick looking blob lke your picture shows..

this isnt just about different pastes.. its something else causing the prob;em..

trog
 
hi,
I'll try to summarize in other words what you were advised and why I would choose a different product as a consequence:

as already noted by all, you have put too much paste after removing the head of the watercooling. and you have not tightened the head sufficiently enough again by means of the screws; indicators for this are that the flow pattern of the paste is still quite thick and moist, furthermore to point two, as already mentioned in #6 not tight enough. indicator for it is on basis of #17 the paste so, with the quantity which you used, at the sides would have to ooze out that everything would be dirty. with you everything is quasi spotless at the green edges. it is only the head of the processor with paste wetted.

all those who have written here are right and have dealt with your problem more or less precisely in their explanations! and solution-oriented.

why have I advised another product: quite simply there are several reasons for this!

A) you can't dose it wrong, a quantity of one pea (how big this pea should be is questionable) is enough for the whole head.

B) it is just as cheap as a good paste

C) it is reusable, does not dry because it is already dry. you do not have to wait! rumors say the mat lasts more than 10 years.

D) the best paste has a heat transmission value of approx. max. 18Watt/mk this carbon mat delivers 62,5Watt/mk. it is not silicone or anything like that! it is a quasi microfiber mesh. there is no air bubble stuck in the middle.

E) when the mat is in place, you have a good feel for whether the head is good and tight enough when you tighten it with the screws.

If your processor is a hot head and you put too much paste on and the gap between the processor head and the cooling head is too wide open, you block the heat conduction instead of forcing it.
i'm a perfectionist about certain things; we all want to get the most out of what we have. If you work with paste and are not a mega-professional, you will always be left with a _ so la la _ result.
Give it a try. be open for new things and don't be extremely critical to advance into the unknown.
good luck to you.

:toast:
 

Attachments

  • Inked20210605_170315_LI.jpg
    Inked20210605_170315_LI.jpg
    3.8 MB · Views: 287
  • IMG_4698.jpg
    IMG_4698.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 215
  • IMG_4697.jpg
    IMG_4697.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 188
the suggestion is that when you removed the cooler to do the repaste something happened to stop things going back together properly.. your picture suggests that..

the amount of paste still on the parts also suggests the parts were not mating properly.. excess paste should be squeezed out of the sides and not stay in a big thick looking blob lke your picture shows..

this isnt just about different pastes.. its something else causing the prob;em..

trog
Thanks i think i have it figured out... or i hope i think so. I notice the screws on motherboard where heatsink attach to had came lose and i was putting heat sink on on so it may have been not making full contact. But unfortunately i have ran out of thermal paste (after 4 applications) to test out if tightening those screws will fix my issue. Will report back once i have new thermal paste on hands.
 
Thanks i think i have it figured out... or i hope i think so. I notice the screws on motherboard where heatsink attach to had came lose and i was putting heat sink on on so it may have been not making full contact. But unfortunately i have ran out of thermal paste (after 4 applications) to test out if tightening those screws will fix my issue. Will report back once i have new thermal paste on hands.
You would have been ok with what was left on and used a credit card to remove the excess leaving a thin layer.

Stay on topic.
Help the OP.
This is not a sales sight, so don't be hijacking the thread to sell other products.

Thank You.
someone is on their toes. :D
 
Back
Top