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Does thermal paste expire

E

EvilHomer

Senior member
I have a 2 year old tube of Antec Silver thermal paste and was just going to use it to install My Zalman CPU fan on My AMD Phenom II 550...its been a while since I did this ..Should I just use the stock fan for now ..the Zalman is far superior though ...???
 
I have been using a syringe of AS Ceramique forever (5 years?) with no perceived harm. Purists might differ in opinion, though.
 
I've used the same Radio Shack thermal paste I bought when I was... maybe 12? on every PC build since. So, 12 years later, it's cooling my i5 just fine, thanks.

That was good stuff though, I'm not sure if I'd trust the newer stuff.
 
Well, yes it does expire like anything in life does, but it takes a very long time especially if it is kept in a safe and dry enough environment, I'd guess. My own AS5 is about 6 or 7 years-old I believe, and I've used it only last year for a friend's CPU cooling, he never reported any issues with his systems' temperatures at all, so it still works fine.
 
My AS5 turned a little yellowish after sitting in the drawer for a few years. Other than that, its viscosity seems okay still.
 
lopri said:
I have been using a syringe of AS Ceramique forever (5 years?) with no perceived harm. Purists might differ in opinion, though.
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Same here, though mine might be a few years older. 😱 I got a GIANT tube on sale and since you only need a BB sized amount, it has lasted FAR longer than I expected.
 
I have only bought two tubes in my life. One Artic Silver 2 and my current Artic Silver 5. I alsao have two tubes that came with a Thermalright hsf. The stuff lasts a long time!
 
bigboxes said:
I have only bought two tubes in my life. One Artic Silver 2 and my current Artic Silver 5. I alsao have two tubes that came with a Thermalright hsf. The stuff lasts a long time!
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I put extra on crackers. No point in letting a good product go to waste!
 
you need to remix ac5, i got a tube that has the oil separated out, I just remix it and seem to work fine. as far as I know they don't seem to expire like paint, just remix.
 
Don't they recommend Artic Silver to be kept in the fridge or somewhere cold(but not freezing)?
I seem to recall reading somewhere that putting it in the fridge makes it take longer to separate.
 
lothar said:
Don't they recommend Artic Silver to be kept in the fridge or somewhere cold(but not freezing)? I seem to recall reading somewhere that putting it in the fridge makes it take longer to separate.
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I'd like to follow up on this question as well. What's the recommended way of storing thermal paste? I just leave mine in the cabinet along with my other PC junk. Is it actually optimal to store it in a fridge?
 
jvroig said:
I'd like to follow up on this question as well. What's the recommended way of storing thermal paste? I just leave mine in the cabinet along with my other PC junk. Is it actually optimal to store it in a fridge?
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Follow the manufacture's guidelines for the exact product you are using.
 
I would, but I can't find any for the CoolerMaster thermal grease I have. I'm not sure why it's not in their site anymore, maybe because it's an old product. It shows up fine on a google search, but only shopping links and reviews, not exactly manufacturer's guidelines, so I was hoping there's a general rule here.
 
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