Thermal Paste Degradation

[Bing Chilling]

I need some advice
my cpu temps have been going 7-12c higher after a fairly hot humid day (28c+)
and staying that much higher over normal temps
even into the cooler night and into the next day so on.
the heat seems to be degrading my thermal paste.
i'm using Artic Silver 5 currently
and have been for a year or so now,
really haven't seen this before.
it is possible my AIO is not situated correctly?
and is some how allowing humid air to get into the thermal paste? lol
i'v replaced my thermal paste twice this month and my temps will be fine until a fairly hot humid day, then spike like i mentioned previously and stay like that.

i guess im going to test my air cooler vs the AIO and see if the temps degrade like they are with the AIO.(it's going to be around 31c today)
other then that i need a recommendation on some good thermal paste alternative

[Traumhaft]

Is this purely cosmetic? Are you reaching thermal throttling temperatures?

Thermal paste does not degrade over the span of a month unless it was already expired when you applied it.

Thermal Grizzly or Arctic MX-4 are good choices.

[_I_]

as5 will last 5+ years as long as the cooler is not removed from the cpu
like any other paste, if the cooler is removed it should be cleaned and replaced

loosen a couple screws, if you can easily twist the cooler, replace the paste

if the aio is over 5 years old, its time to replace it, thats about the lifetime of most aio

[r.linder]

Most pastes will last closer to 10 years on the IHS. You only need to worry when using thinner pastes like Kryonaut that can get pumped out easily by the mounting pressure of the cooler, but even then, Kryonaut should last around 5 years.

[Vince ✟]

Running same paste and AIO since the 4790k release. Still pushing 4.6 and going strong. But, its also getting the airflow of a 747 wing at cruising speed.

[_I_]

if the temps increased after a humid day, its most likely dust in the cooler/rad

blow it out with an aircompressor

[Guydodge]

arctic silver can degrade quickly i would repaste at least every year and half with it.
drop the metal paste and go with kingpin thermal grease and clean fans and radiator.
you'll be fine

[r.linder]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCqxE-5Ct3w

[rawWwRrr]

Escrito originalmente por Guydodge:

arctic silver can degrade quickly i would repaste at least every year and half with it.
drop the metal paste and go with kingpin thermal grease and clean fans and radiator.
you'll be fine

AS5 is still a dependable thermal paste and does not degrade quickly. I've only just recently started using some other pastes than AS5, no heat issues with it ever including on a 6950X that I could OC and ride the 100C line for hours under an AIO before it would thermal throttle.

Thermal paste is such a divisive topic for people. Just use what works best for you. Unless you're trying to knock Kingpin off of the leaderboards with extreme OC settings, there's no reason to use anything exotic. Airflow to combat heat saturation in your loop or heatsink is where you'll improve temps in a home system.

For OP, there's no contact to the outside air for thermal paste to degrade due to heat or humidity. Thermal paste is meant to bridge the gap between heat sinks. There's only a miniscule amount between the two. If temps suddenly change due to weather, it's a result of your cooling system's ability, or lack thereof, to transfer that heat to the air.

[Bing Chilling]

Escrito originalmente por Guydodge:

arctic silver can degrade quickly i would repaste at least every year and half with it.
drop the metal paste and go with kingpin thermal grease and clean fans and radiator.
you'll be fine

thank you, i will try other stuff

as the degradation is also happening with my stock air cooler
its the paste.


everyone here is explaining what thermal paste does. \


that was not even my question....

[xSOSxHawkens]

Escrito originalmente por Guydodge:

arctic silver can degrade quickly i would repaste at least every year and half with it.
drop the metal paste and go with kingpin thermal grease and clean fans and radiator.
you'll be fine

This is so BS.

AS5 does degreade, but no where near this fast.

AS5 is generally good for at *least*5 years under heavy overclocking use...

FFS, for many it doesnt even hit the full cure till 3-6 months in under normal usage patterns...

@OP, remount and repaste, but I doubt the psate being a eyar old is the issue. I would make sure eveything is clean in and AiO wise and make sure you have no air in the unit if you can.

[r.linder]

Escrito originalmente por xSOSxHawkens:

Escrito originalmente por Guydodge:

arctic silver can degrade quickly i would repaste at least every year and half with it.
drop the metal paste and go with kingpin thermal grease and clean fans and radiator.
you'll be fine

This is so BS.

AS5 does degreade, but no where near this fast.

AS5 is generally good for at *least*5 years under heavy overclocking use...

FFS, for many it doesnt even hit the full cure till 3-6 months in under normal usage patterns...

@OP, remount and repaste, but I doubt the psate being a eyar old is the issue. I would make sure eveything is clean in and AiO wise and make sure you have no air in the unit if you can.

Yeah, it's dust, not paste.

[Carlsberg]

Escrito originalmente por Guydodge:

arctic silver can degrade quickly i would repaste at least every year and half with it.
drop the metal paste and go with kingpin thermal grease and clean fans and radiator.
you'll be fine

Rubbish! or garbage! as you prefer.

[Autumn_]

Escrito originalmente por Guydodge:

arctic silver can degrade quickly i would repaste at least every year and half with it.
drop the metal paste and go with kingpin thermal grease and clean fans and radiator.
you'll be fine

Idk, I've used it for pretty much every time I've repasted CPUs and GPUs, I've never had it go bad on me that quick.
Hell my old Core 2 Quad system used it, and it's had paste for like 6 or 7 years, still perfectly fine (until I took it apart.)