Does thermal paste ever go bad?

[Stinkfinger]

I'm going to need to apply some thermal paste to my new processor when it shows up. I have some thermal paste from a couple years back that I used when I built my current pc. Is it still good? Does thermal paste have an expiration date?

One other thing, its always best to use thermal paste right? I seem to remember scraping off the 'goo' that was stuck to the underside of my cpu heatsink to make way for the thermal paste. Is this still advisable?

 

[imported_llama]

use some new stuff, it does go hard over time and i personally would never re-use any

 

[Avalon]

Definitely scrape off the thermal pad before you apply thermal grease.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Stinkfinger
I'm going to need to apply some thermal paste to my new processor when it shows up. I have some thermal paste from a couple years back that I used when I built my current pc. Is it still good? Does thermal paste have an expiration date?

One other thing, its always best to use thermal paste right? I seem to remember scraping off the 'goo' that was stuck to the underside of my cpu heatsink to make way for the thermal paste. Is this still advisable?

The stuff you have from a couple years ago should still be good... just squeeze a little bit out in case it has started to separate in the tube that it's in before putting any on the processor. And yeah, definately remove the thermal pad... unless it's an Athlon-64. In that case, the pad should do just fine... I don't want to spread a rumor that isn't true... but... I swear I remember reading that AMD uses Shin Etsu thermal pads, and Shin Etsu makes some of the best thermal compounds, so there's really no need to replace the pad on an AMD retail heatsink for an Athlon 64.

 

[Icepick]

I heard the same thing as Jeff. AMD uses Shin Etsu thermal pads. I believe I read that in one of the .pdf's on AMD's site. I'll post it if I can dig it up.

If you are going to apply your own thermal grease then definitely clean any old thermal grease or thermal pads off the CPU and heatsink. You always have to start with a fresh appliction of thermal grease.

Also, as Jeff was saying, the thermal pad that comes on the Athlon 64 is good quality. AMD recommends it over applying your own thermal grease because the pad is more durable and has a longer lifetime than the grease. AMD recommends that thermal grease like Arctic Silver should be used if the heatsink will be removed and the grease reapplied frequently. This would apply to hardware reviewers, enthusiasts or someone in an R&D environment. The thermal grease breaks down over a period of years and loses its ability to adequately transfer heat (according to AMD).

 

[redhatlinux]

One more time..... Thermal Pads are the Design Criteria at AMD !!. Since I have consulted with AMD in the past I have SOME insight. Plus a good buddy of mine worked in the lab at Austin, could you get better info !!. AMD spent lots of $$$ testing various 'thermal solutions', do ya think that they just picked PCTC for a 'joke' ??.

The 'feds' use A64's in massively parallel applications using
liquid cooling, thats the only other approach thats better.

Not trying to cr@p on anybody, but this issue is sooooo old.

DOC Knott