Just had to pick between two thermal paste brands for a big server job

I was working on a Dell PowerEdge server for a small business in Tacoma, and it was running way too hot. The client wanted it fixed fast. I had to choose between using the generic paste we keep in the shop or ordering a tube of Arctic MX-6, which would take a day to get here. I went with the generic stuff to save time, thinking it would be fine. Big mistake. After putting it all back together, the temps only dropped by like 5 degrees Celsius under load. I ended up having to go back the next day after the good paste arrived and redo the whole thing. The second time, with the MX-6, temps dropped over 20 degrees and stayed there. I wasted half a day and a trip because I tried to cut a corner. What's your go-to thermal paste for servers when you're in a pinch?

2 comments

2 Comments

blake_lewis7d ago

Yeah that point about keeping a tube in your kit is so true, like what @alice_wilson73 said. I mean idk why but I always forget to restock mine until I'm already on a job. Learned the hard way too that server heat is just different, the cheap paste basically bakes off. Now I just buy the good stuff in a bigger syringe so it lasts longer, saves me from those panic runs to the shop.

alice_wilson737d ago

Man, that's rough but totally get the time pressure lol. Honestly the real lesson here is keeping a single tube of the good stuff in your kit at all times, even if it costs more. For servers, that cheap paste can't handle the sustained load and just dries out or pumps out faster. My van always has a tube of Noctua NT-H2 now, never been stuck like that again.