**Preparation is Key: Preparing Your CPU and Cooler for Thermal Paste**

Before we begin applying thermal paste to our CPU, it's essential to ensure that both the CPU and cooler are thoroughly cleaned. Using an anti-static compliant cloth or Q-tip, carefully remove any residual fuzziness from the CPU, taking care not to touch or damage the components with a static-charged object like your wrist or clothing. This is crucial, as ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) can damage sensitive electronics.

For the CPU cooler, apply rubbing alcohol to the cloth or Q-tip, and gently scrub the contact points to remove any thermal paste or debris. The goal is to ensure all contact areas are fresh and clean. Be cautious not to scratch or damage the cooler's surfaces during this process. Once thorough cleaning is complete, inspect the CPU and cooler to verify that no thermal paste remains in the crevices.

**Removing Old Thermal Paste**

Now it's time to remove old thermal paste from the CPU. Apply rubbing alcohol to the cloth or Q-tip and rub with the grain of the metal to help dislodge any remaining compound. Continue removing the paste until the surface is shiny and clean, and the alcohol has evaporated. Be patient; this process may take some time, but it's essential for ensuring a proper installation.

**Applying New Thermal Paste**

With the old thermal paste removed, apply new thermal paste to the CPU using a small amount – about half the size of a penny or a pea. A good rule of thumb is to use less than you think you need; too much paste can detract from its effectiveness. The purpose of thermal paste is to fill air pockets in the metals of the CPU and cooler, so it's essential to apply just enough to achieve this goal.

**Understanding Thermal Compound**

It's essential to understand that not all thermal pastes are created equal. Some will have higher thermal conductivity than others, which can impact their performance. Be aware that too much thermal paste can actually decrease the ability of the CPU and cooler to properly cool the system. Instead, use a small amount of high-quality thermal paste that is specifically designed for your CPU and cooler.

**Cautions and Best Practices**

When applying thermal paste, avoid using a credit card or gift card to smooth out the compound, as this can create air pockets that will negatively impact cooling performance. Similarly, do not over-tighten the cooler's screws; ensure they are securely fastened but not excessively tight. Finally, be sure to follow proper handling procedures when working with thermal paste and other sensitive components.

**Final Steps**

Once you've applied new thermal paste to the CPU and cooler, clamp them into place, ensuring that the back plate is secure if your cooler has one. Allow the system to warm up slightly before verifying that the thermal paste has spread evenly across the surface of the CPU. If necessary, reapply additional thermal paste to ensure optimal performance.

**Conclusion**

With these steps completed, you're now ready to install new thermal paste on your CPU and cooler. Remember to handle components with care, take your time during the process, and follow best practices for application and handling. By doing so, you'll be able to achieve optimal cooling performance from your system. For further details on graphics and a full article accompaniment, please refer to the linked article in the description below.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey everyone this is Steve from gamersnexus.net and I am here with my Hardware editor Patrick Stone to show you how to remove and apply thermal paste we'll cover how to thoroughly remove and apply a new thermal paste to your CPU in the event you are changing the cooler or are simply working on a new build at the end of this video I'll give a little more depth and explain why proper technique can make the difference of as as much as a few degrees Celsius actually in a real world environment so technique is important and let's first go over what you need to actually to remove the thermal paste you will need to be ESD free of course ground yourself before working on this you can read our guide on how to do that in the description below you need to be grounded because your your CPU won't like it if you ESD it so keep that in mind you also want a anti-static compliant cloth is really what what we say but you can use a Q-tip and I'll honestly just be careful not to zap anything and also be sure to remove any residual fuzziness from the CPU once you're done you don't want that getting in into the a socket once you've installed it you need rubbing alcohol normal 70 works fine but ninety percent rubbing alcohol is preferable just don't drink it and of course you will need new thermal paste to apply now time to remove some thermal waste or thermal compound so apply some rubbing alcohol to your cloth or Q-tip as it were and Brace the CPU you'll want to rub with the grain of the metal preferably to make things easier to ensure that no thermal paste is left in the crevices and continue removing the compound until the surface is shiny and clean you should see the alcohol evaporating away momentarily so set the CPU aside after you have thoroughly removed all of the thermal paste and let it dry out before reapplying new thermal paste that way you're not wasting any and that way no no rubbing alcohol gets stuck in the system so do the same for your CPU Cooler it is not imperative that this is as clean as new because some thermal paste will almost always be left behind in the cracks but do try to make sure that all the contact points are fresh and scrubbed clean anything that is contacting directly with the CPU should be as clean as possible now again rub with the metal to make things easier and eventually it should all be removed once you're ready to apply new thermal paste to the CPU and cooler it is important not to overthink it some tutorials will suggest using a gift card to smooth out the paste or credit card don't do this as it can leave behind air pockets which will actually impact the cooling effectiveness of the compound instead it is recommended that you put a blob of the thermal paste onto the CPU in the in the dead center when it's and when the cooler is clamped onto the CPU it will spread out nicely so clamp the CPU into the socket of course and make sure your back plate is in place if you do have a back plate for your cooler once it's all clamped down it's you you're going to put a blob of thermal paste onto the CPU it should be about the size of I don't know about half the size of a penny let's say use this video for reference we're going to use the pressure applied by the cooler to naturally spread the paste around on its own so apply the compound centrally clamp the cooler into place and uh and of course secure it nicely and and don't over tighten it but secure it firmly and you're done that's it it should have squished the thermal paste around underneath it no need to lift it off and check as that will that will eliminate the purpose of doing a lot of this so just trust that it has spread around as long as you put down enough you may need to warm up the thermal paste first in a cup of warm water if you have thermal paste that is very hard to work with so let's talk about understanding thermal compound first of all too much compound can actually detract from its Effectiveness the entire purpose of thermal paste is to fill air pockets in the metals of the CPU and it's cooler and adding so much thermal paste that it significantly increases the distance between the CPU and cooler will be detrimental and by significantly increasing is I mean this is not something you can necessarily see with your eyes but if you put down enough that it packs down and and comes out of the sides of the cooler for example that is too much so just keep it small and simple about half the size of a penny or a pea something like that a Cheerio it is actually better to have too little thermal paste than too much as it can decrease the ability to uh to properly cool as I mentioned you want the copper of the heatsink to spread across as much surface area of the CPU as possible and the thermal paste act as acts as a filler excuse me additionally not all thermal paste is made equal some will have thermal conductivity that is better than others higher is better so as you see here the antec thermal paste has significantly higher thermal conductivity than the stock paste that came with our cooler so do keep that in mind as you are selecting your thermal paste and that's pretty much it you will find the full article accompaniment in the description below wow I cannot talk today so be sure to check that out for further details on Graphics which will further explain how a thermal paste works and if you have any questions at all please comment on the linked article as I'll be more likely to see it and answer them or feel free to comment below and I'll keep an eye on it so I will see you all next timehey everyone this is Steve from gamersnexus.net and I am here with my Hardware editor Patrick Stone to show you how to remove and apply thermal paste we'll cover how to thoroughly remove and apply a new thermal paste to your CPU in the event you are changing the cooler or are simply working on a new build at the end of this video I'll give a little more depth and explain why proper technique can make the difference of as as much as a few degrees Celsius actually in a real world environment so technique is important and let's first go over what you need to actually to remove the thermal paste you will need to be ESD free of course ground yourself before working on this you can read our guide on how to do that in the description below you need to be grounded because your your CPU won't like it if you ESD it so keep that in mind you also want a anti-static compliant cloth is really what what we say but you can use a Q-tip and I'll honestly just be careful not to zap anything and also be sure to remove any residual fuzziness from the CPU once you're done you don't want that getting in into the a socket once you've installed it you need rubbing alcohol normal 70 works fine but ninety percent rubbing alcohol is preferable just don't drink it and of course you will need new thermal paste to apply now time to remove some thermal waste or thermal compound so apply some rubbing alcohol to your cloth or Q-tip as it were and Brace the CPU you'll want to rub with the grain of the metal preferably to make things easier to ensure that no thermal paste is left in the crevices and continue removing the compound until the surface is shiny and clean you should see the alcohol evaporating away momentarily so set the CPU aside after you have thoroughly removed all of the thermal paste and let it dry out before reapplying new thermal paste that way you're not wasting any and that way no no rubbing alcohol gets stuck in the system so do the same for your CPU Cooler it is not imperative that this is as clean as new because some thermal paste will almost always be left behind in the cracks but do try to make sure that all the contact points are fresh and scrubbed clean anything that is contacting directly with the CPU should be as clean as possible now again rub with the metal to make things easier and eventually it should all be removed once you're ready to apply new thermal paste to the CPU and cooler it is important not to overthink it some tutorials will suggest using a gift card to smooth out the paste or credit card don't do this as it can leave behind air pockets which will actually impact the cooling effectiveness of the compound instead it is recommended that you put a blob of the thermal paste onto the CPU in the in the dead center when it's and when the cooler is clamped onto the CPU it will spread out nicely so clamp the CPU into the socket of course and make sure your back plate is in place if you do have a back plate for your cooler once it's all clamped down it's you you're going to put a blob of thermal paste onto the CPU it should be about the size of I don't know about half the size of a penny let's say use this video for reference we're going to use the pressure applied by the cooler to naturally spread the paste around on its own so apply the compound centrally clamp the cooler into place and uh and of course secure it nicely and and don't over tighten it but secure it firmly and you're done that's it it should have squished the thermal paste around underneath it no need to lift it off and check as that will that will eliminate the purpose of doing a lot of this so just trust that it has spread around as long as you put down enough you may need to warm up the thermal paste first in a cup of warm water if you have thermal paste that is very hard to work with so let's talk about understanding thermal compound first of all too much compound can actually detract from its Effectiveness the entire purpose of thermal paste is to fill air pockets in the metals of the CPU and it's cooler and adding so much thermal paste that it significantly increases the distance between the CPU and cooler will be detrimental and by significantly increasing is I mean this is not something you can necessarily see with your eyes but if you put down enough that it packs down and and comes out of the sides of the cooler for example that is too much so just keep it small and simple about half the size of a penny or a pea something like that a Cheerio it is actually better to have too little thermal paste than too much as it can decrease the ability to uh to properly cool as I mentioned you want the copper of the heatsink to spread across as much surface area of the CPU as possible and the thermal paste act as acts as a filler excuse me additionally not all thermal paste is made equal some will have thermal conductivity that is better than others higher is better so as you see here the antec thermal paste has significantly higher thermal conductivity than the stock paste that came with our cooler so do keep that in mind as you are selecting your thermal paste and that's pretty much it you will find the full article accompaniment in the description below wow I cannot talk today so be sure to check that out for further details on Graphics which will further explain how a thermal paste works and if you have any questions at all please comment on the linked article as I'll be more likely to see it and answer them or feel free to comment below and I'll keep an eye on it so I will see you all next time\n"