Reuse thermal compound?

[TheNiceGuy]

I'm replacing my MB with an identicle one. Can I reuse the thermal paste, just pull the CPU off and stick all together on the new MB?

 

[ch33zw1z]

If the paste doesn't get dirty with dust or anything then it will be fine. If it's dirty at all, best practice is to reapply.

 

[apoppin]

You shouldn't have that much spread on your surfaces to reuse
- apply it thinly!

and i would personlly not reuse it; especially if it was "old" .. some paste tends to dry out .. and it is SO cheap, it is worth having an extra tube
- watch your temps; if you don't OC is is probably not critical to reuse it

 

[Dodger1]

Originally posted by: apoppin
You shouldn't have that much spread on your surfaces to reuse
- apply it thinly!

and i would personlly not reuse it; especially if it was "old" .. some paste tends to dry out .. and it is SO cheap, it is worth having an extra tube
- watch your temps; if you don't OC is is probably not critical to reuse it

1+

 

[aigomorla]

ummm...

no, reapply.

Dont reuse.

Each time you pull that sink off after its been used the tim had a cure time which u ate into.

If it cured partially and you placed a new sink on top you will get micro bubble areas.

So in short, no, always reapply after you pulled the sink off.

 

[TidusZ]

Reusing TIM is like reusing old underwear, just wash it and start over.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I've re-used AMD heatpipe heatsinks that had the thermal paste pre-applied. There's usually a generous amount, and if I'm moving the same CPU+heatsink combo to another board, I don't bother to reapply as long as there is enough. (Edit: This is in cases in which I was just running the CPU at stock. If I planned big overclocks, I might re-apply just to be safe.)


OTOH, if I was using an Intel heatsink with the pre-applied paste, or using AS5, I would always clean the surface and re-apply.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

AS5 degrades over time, anyway.

You can re-use diamond thermal paste, but I recommend applying a small amount of regular silicon-grease to it, because the commercial stuff dries out a bit.

Frankly, I just wouldn't do it -- even with diamond paste. Better to clean it all with isopropyl and apply new paste.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
AS5 degrades over time, anyway.

Not nearly as fast as plain white paste/grease. That stuff dries out in like a year or two, and then it turns hard like a rock, and it's impossible to remove from the processor.

OTOH, I've never had that problem with AS5.