Swapped thermal paste methods after 20 years of doing it one way

I used to just spread the paste with a credit card every time I built a machine. Did that for years without any issues. But last month I worked on a Ryzen 9 build and got terrible temps with that method. Decided to try the pea-sized dot in the middle like everyone says. Dropped 8 degrees under load right away. Anyone else have to unlearn old habits after new processor designs?

2 comments

2 Comments

john_johnson756d ago

Pea size works great but credit card method still works fine on most older chips.

river3516d ago

Same thing happened to me but with cooking. Used to always add oil to the water for pasta because that's what my mom did. Then a friend showed me it just makes the sauce slide off. Switched to salting the water heavy and stirring a lot. Now I see it everywhere - the way we learn something sticks even when the world changes. Your thermal paste thing is just proof that old habits hide in plain sight until something forces you to question them. Probably got a dozen other things in my life right now that need the same treatment.