Coolermaster 212 Evo, put thermal compound on CPU or cooler bottom?

[nine9s]

This will be my first time to apply a CPU cooler. I am going to use the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo and Noctua thermal compound. It will be for a 3770K CPU.

Everywhere I check, including in videos of installations of that exact cooler and I think the Noctua thermal compound instructions,, it is recommended to put a small drop of thermal compound in the middle of the CPU, then seat the cooler on it. That sounds easy, but the Coolermaster cooler instructions show putting it on the bottom of the cooler - and it shows quite a bit.

Should I put a small drop on the CPU as most recommend, and ignore putting on the cooler? Or put on the cooler instead of CPU as the Coolermaster instructions indicate (maybe the exposed heat pipes on the evo model call for it on the cooler instead of CPU)?

 

[blckgrffn]

I just did this last weekend on my third Hyper 212+, and I've had good luck putting the rice dab in the middle as the compound instructions state, and then putting a thin line in the gaps on the bottom of the HS as well.

On a similar HS that I didn't do this on, I had a hot spot problem where one core ran almost 20C hotter than the rest according to the sensor.

These new HS's are such a pita in comparison to the old snap on and go ones that I usually err on the side of a bit too much these days, rather than mess with the alternative - so that's the context to my decision making process.

Good luck, I don't think you can go too far wrong

 

[borisvodofsky]

I just did this last weekend on my third Hyper 212+, and I've had good luck putting the rice dab in the middle as the compound instructions state, and then putting a thin line in the gaps on the bottom of the HS as well.

On a similar HS that I didn't do this on, I had a hot spot problem where one core ran almost 20C hotter than the rest according to the sensor.

These new HS's are such a pita in comparison to the old snap on and go ones that I usually err on the side of a bit too much these days, rather than mess with the alternative - so that's the context to my decision making process.

Good luck, I don't think you can go too far wrong

It really depends on your cpu.. rice is a bad idea these days because the core is no longer uniform big square.

for example, sandy bridge is just a small rectangle in the middle now.

So you should do a small " l " that's a lowercase L, btw. LOLOLOL

google some pix of ur processor.

 

[dma0991]

It doesn't really matter and both ways will work just fine but I would suggest that you put a thin line of TIM on the processor and just sandwich it with the heatsink. I say this because you might over estimate boundary of the processors heatspreader and it will spill to the sides and create a mess.

Putting a slice of cheese under the burger patty or on the burger patty isn't going to make it taste that much different.

 

[kami]

I've always done mine by spreading an extremely thin layer evenly across the CPU.

You'll probably have best results putting it on the CPU, whether you use the drop, line, or whatever method.

 

[Ferzerp]

Here is IB for example. The die is tiny compared to the IHS size. TIM on the corners of the IHS really isn't going to do much of anything in this case. Maybe a little, but not a whole lot.

 

[Rvenger]

This is when I installed the Coolermaster Hyper EVO

Quarter pea size in the middle and 2 lines on the CPU. Makes a perfect spread on these coolers. I wouldn't recommend applying to the heatsink because you never know how off center it may be and the paste can droop off the edges. All mobos have different tolerances.

In this picture it looks like I may have applied a little too much. You can get away with thinner lines.

 

[ByronicHero]

By the way, I know this may be slight off topic, but is there a reason why I can't find the Coolermeister TX-3 EVO anywhere? I mean newegg, us.ncix, amazon, and microcenter websites don't have it. Is it not for sale in the US?

 

[Puppies04]

By the way, I know this may be slight off topic, but is there a reason why I can't find the Coolermeister TX-3 EVO anywhere? I mean newegg, us.ncix, amazon, and microcenter websites don't have it. Is it not for sale in the US?

Well I can still buy it from my supplier in the UK but maybe CM have decided that anyone going for aftermarket cooling is after a 120mm fan model rather than 92mm.

 

[Ferzerp]

What I like to do is to apply it, make a note (or take a picture). Install the heatsink, tighten it, remove it, and check how that application spread. Clean off the surfaces (no need to use alcohol here, the stain that the TIM left isn't going to hurt, just wipe it off) and adjust as needed.

 

[nine9s]

Thanks for all the replies. I found a Zalman 9900NT for only $10 more, which is a wash since it comes with excellent TIM, so I am going to use it instead.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

My best experience is with applying some on both.

 

[KingFatty]

When you do anything other than a single dot/line/blob, don't you worry about creating an air bubble?

Like if you put a circle, couldn't air be trapped in the center? Using a single blob just feels safer to me.

I'm also wondering about using, say, two vertical lines - if they squish toward each other, couldn't they be stopped from expanding by a bubble of air between them?

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Never had a problem with air bubbles

 

[blastingcap]

OP, I tried it both ways and it didn't make much of a difference, like 1C at most. I would just stick it on the CPU in the classic pea or mini-cross pattern.

 

[hendermd]

By the way, I know this may be slight off topic, but is there a reason why I can't find the Coolermeister TX-3 EVO anywhere? I mean newegg, us.ncix, amazon, and microcenter websites don't have it. Is it not for sale in the US?

You can buy direct from the Coolermaster store.
http://www.cmstore-usa.com/hyper-212-evo-universal-direct-contact-heat-pipe-cpu-cooler/

 

[BD231]

Dab of rice info is back from when we had no heat spreaders. A heat plate spreads heat so a thin layer across the entire surface is best being that the goal is to fill in any gaps. The entire plate needs cooling not JUST the surface area over the core.

 

[Fallengod]

Yeah, some people get way too worried about applying thermal paste.

I just use a plastic bag and spread a small amount around with my finger. Ive never had any issues with applying thermal paste or air bubbles etc....

Basically, you just want to avoid applying it then lifting up/down multiple times. I really dont care too much after doing this stuff for over a decade..... Ive never had cooling issues.

 

[borisvodofsky]

Jesus, in the time that it would take you to make such a decision, You could've tried both methods 5+ times and kept the best working solution

 

[nyker96]

i always put it on cpu, don't know if it makes any difference at all. but the key is to use as little of that stuff as possible. or else it becomes a barrier not a facilitator of heat xfer.

 

[lsv]

Thanks for all the replies. I found a Zalman 9900NT for only $10 more, which is a wash since it comes with excellent TIM, so I am going to use it instead.

Please don't go Zalman. They aren't what they used to be and even back then their designs sucked.

Get a 212+, I've installed two and they compare to Scythe Ninja's in size and noise for a good $15 less.

 

[wpcoe]

Have the strategies from this article become outdated and/or irrelevant with current processors?

 

[blastingcap]

Have the strategies from this article become outdated and/or irrelevant with current processors?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4