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Why I stopped using thermal paste from big box stores after a job in Phoenix
I used to grab thermal paste from whatever store was closest. Then I did a rebuild on a gaming rig last July in Phoenix where temps hit 115 outside. The paste dried out in under 6 months and the CPU started throttling bad. Customer came back mad and I had to redo the whole thing for free. Now I only buy from specialized online shops that ship in temperature controlled packaging. Has anyone else had paste fail faster in hot climates?
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blair_lewis853mo ago
I ended up switching to a graphite thermal pad after my third redo in two years here in Vegas. No pump out, no drying, no messing around with application. It's been over a year on my personal rig and temps are still within a degree or two of what they were day one. I know some folks say pads don't perform as well as paste, but for me the consistency and peace of mind are worth the tiny temp hit. Plus I don't have to explain to customers why their paste failed six months in.
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the_seth3mo ago
Yeah but thermal paste doesn't really "dry out" in the same way paint does, it's more about the oils separating and the compound getting crumbly from heat cycles. The 115 degree ambient temp in Phoenix probably accelerated that pumping effect where the paste squeezes out from between the die and cooler. So your problem was real, but the paste wasn't technically drying - it was just degrading way faster than normal.
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