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The spread method is the best hands down. I use a blue painters tape around the cpu then spread. Put the tape 1/32nd of inch in on the cpu itself. After application, peel off the tape for a perfect application. When you apply the cooler, it will squeeze perfectly to the edge and not drop to motherboard or glob underneath the cpu. Same process for 32 years without error.

You are 100% correct and us old timers who used to apply paste directly to the die with no heat spreader know exactly why. It's just a tiny thin layer to fill in microscopic gaps in the mating surfaces. Nothing more.

Thanks Mike. This is probably one of the best tutorials on applying thermal paste I've seen in a long time period definitely gonna share it with folks. Thanks

When I started building computers back in the late 90's, I would spread with my finger. That's the only way to be sure that it spread in the right way, in my opinion

I agree with spread method. Thats the most favorable in between contact with heatsink and cpu 👍

Also worth mentioning for coolers with exposed heat pipes on the cold plate is to use the spread method in the little gaps on the cold plate before mounting, what's left on the spreader after doing th CPU is usually enough.

I always totally spread the entire cpu like you mentioned. works so much better than dot in the middle I just my finger though!

Method may not matter, but “pre”-spreading let’s you see amount across the cpu, and also is more satisfying. Great video!

Hi, Mike. The spread method is 100% Oletta approved. I've done it that way for years. I also believe lapping the CPU and Water-block is an important first step before applying the paste. In regards to the paste itself, I only use Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut because it doesn't harden over time and it's highly thermally conductive without being electrically conductive. Per example: Idle temp for my OC Ryzen 9 3900X averages 9 degrees above room ambient, and after a 15 minute run on Cinebench R23 max temp 71c. Cheers!

Great, this tutorial emphasizes everything that I thought but haven't seen so well explained/shown. Also great that you filmed the whole spreading process so there is no doubt on how to do it. It's important to understand that the thermal paste is designed to minimize microscopic air gaps and irregularities between the surface of the cooler and the CPU's heat spreader (the top plate). So putting to much can affect the thermal conductivity that is supposed to be directly between the surface of the cooler and the CPU's heat spreader. This is also why you need a god thermal paste as the MX-4 (or MX-6) with a high thermal conductivity value [W/mk]. Much appreciated... thank you!!! .oO(this video should be a reference to everybody working with thermal paste on their processors)

Spread method works Fantastic. I use to use the X method inside a square but this method is how I do now. For some reason I really like applying thermal paste. Very satisfying for some strange reason. Lol

Hey Mike I'm excited to try this spreading method as I mostly use the small pea dot method. My new paste came with a spatula just like the one you used here and I can see it's going to be perfect for spreading. Awesome video, thanks! :D

You put that compound on there however you want mate. Its 2022, good looking lad like you can do whatever he wants 🙂

I agree about removing stock cooler paste. I installed a Corsair AIO and had to remove it shortly after. It was splotchy with some bare bits, apply your own.

Mike that was so therapeutic to watch, now if you don't mind my walls need plastering 😃

Any method that ensures thermal paste coverage of the entire cpu IHS / die is fine imo. TIP: FOR REMOVING CPU FROM HEATSINK / COOLER ….IVE FOUND RUNNING CPU FOR FEW MIN’s THEN SWITCH OFF PC AND THEN TWIST (after cpu screw removal) THE HEATSINK GENTLY WHILE CPU IN SOCKET HELPS DETACH AND REDUCES CPU BEING RIPPED OUT OF LOCKED SOCKET! As thermal compound becomes more runny and less tactile 🥰👍🤯 Great video Mike! I’ve use various methods but pea and spatula method for me are most commonly used👍😇

I do it the same way Mitch Haman said he does it. Some people used to think thermal paste helped with cooling, it doesn't. It impedes cooling. As Mike pointed out it's simply the lesser of 2 evils, a gap of air is worse than a gap filled in with TIM. In a perfect world the IHS and the heatsink would be perfectly flat and mate across both surfaces perfectly. Things are often far from perfect, just look at the variation in core temps on some intel CPUs, even intel can't get dies to disperse heat evenly to the IHS. This is why people delid, lap CPU die, and sometimes even lap the bottom of their heatsink/block. So I'm not gonna try to change Mike's mind. He's right. 😎

Literally did my first ever thermal paste replacement today. Thanks for the video was able to get my cpu to go from 75 to 65 🎉

Old video, but it's worth mentioning that I always used the thin-ish film as you demonstrated on my many PC builds. I needed to remove my AIO cooler a couple weeks back to fix a hard to reach cable and decided to see what would happen if I put a much thicker film on there. I used at least double what you did and what I used to do. I can say that my temps dropped 3 degrees c. So, I saw a big difference using more paste.

Yes Mike, I have recently adopted the "Plunge'n'Spread" method.... You just get consistent results!

I advocate this method, spreading is much more efficient. ~I go once step further, I spread and then place a small dot in the middle so there are no potential air bubbles. Great video thanks

Thanks so much! I favorited this for when I upgrade my CPU. Seeing you do this slowly and methodically gives me more confidence. I can actually see what you're doing because of the close-up. Thanks for that.

Well done, Mike. The spread method is the one I have always used and always had good results.

Great tutorial. Having followed many videos abiut pea or rice method I have always worried that the cpu wudnt be covered fully. Totally agree with idea of spreading the thermal paste👍 Use arctic mx4 after watching one of yiur videos when building d'ters pc late 2019. Thanks for sharing Mike and Kath👍

I typically submerge the motherboard in thermal paste but this method does look better.

Watching that while spreading butter on my toasts.... This works great for that too, no more dry spot on the bread. Thanks! 😁

Great review Mike and Lady Kath. I do not lap the CPU, but I do lap the bottom of the cooler. I too prefer the Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut. I use to only apply paste to just the heat pipes...but have since started using the spread method. Take care all. Cheers

Strangely enough changed my thermal paste last night , have always used the spread method, great informative video Mike ,stop saying Zeee its Zed, your English. ;)

Good method Mike. I've spread it with a credit card or my finger in a plastic baggy.

This is exactly the way how you should apply thermal paste on your cpu. I never have seen this video. But i also found out due trial and error that this way is the most effective way for maximum cooling.

Mike gets his spatular out. I think it varies with application. Me. A pea dot in the middle. Not too little and a little more can't harm. My patience to spread the paste out has long since gone. Cheers Mike.

for high-end cpu I normally using use x pattern

*J'ai vu plein de méthodes d'application de la pâte thermique sur le processeur (sur KZfaq), mais votre méthode me semble bonne aussi...* Je pense que c'est votre méthode que je vais appliquer sur mon futur 13900 finalement. Merci, bon travail !

You sure have the right tips for a new pc builder. Good video 👌

You want 100% coverage of the IHS. True, the heat producing elements are of the CPU don't extend completely to the edges, but it is the job of the IHS to "spread" the heat evenly across the entire surface and you want to allow heat from all areas to pass into the cooler.

There was also a video about different thermal paste applying methods that concluded that the spread method is also most efficient thermal wise.

Looking at that I've probably put to much on, but it is working. That thinner layer could squeeze a couple of more degrees perhaps? I'm getting a constant 43 degrees sitting in bios for a few hours, with 3 x quiet case fans at 50 % ish, 5600G/A520M-DS3H, Amd wraith stealth heat sink block, slightly extended. I've replaced the CPU fan with a TUF 120 AIO, but set to start at 48 degrees. Intend a temperature ceiling of 63 degrees, and only case fans when idle / light browsing. I need to get some software installed to see what it does in action, (not gaming). Still to get a external 5.25"drive enclosure as the thermaltake H15 case 5.25" Bay, won't take much LG BDe data writer, clashes with the power plug, by 30mm ! I've a FX6300 to re-compound , once the new build is loaded, so surely will be the spread method. 😉 Really enjoying your videos, thanks 😊

Great video. When i first did it i put too much on there and when i put the cooler on , it was ugly and messy 😆. Glad i watched this video 👍

and i still come back to this vid 7mths later and stand by the spread method with a glue spreader in a multy pack made for crafting with wood glue

I've always been using the 'dot' method with full load 79 degrees. Since I deep cleaned my pc, my friend told me to use the spreading method. I did it and at full load it went from 79 degrees to 62 at max. Huge diff. Before spread idle: 50 degrees After spread idle: 33 I have a Ryzen 5600x with Noctua NH-U12S redux. I use Thermal Grizzly that came with a spreader.

Admittedly I stressed A LOT about this before installing my Ryzen 7600. I ended up using the uncooked pea method. So far so good!

I've always used spread, only way to truly guarantee it's covering the full IHS.

I apply a thin bead along one edge of the cpu and use an old credit or debit card and press n spread to the other edge, perfect!

Used to use the dot but with am4s poor clamp method I've moved over to spreading!

Looks good - will definitely give that method a go next time - Carey Holzman uses his finger (with a rubber glove) but achieves the same effect - thanks for another great tuition video

Thank for the demonstration... It helped me to reduce the CPU temperature

The best thermopaste to date is Noctua NT-H1 lubrication thermopaste this method is the best 😎👍

Totally agree Mike. Spread method is spot on...

I would have just put the cpu cooler straight onto that blob of paste. Always works for me and get perfect temps.

the problem of spreading the dough with the spatula is the appearance of air bubbles the best is the dice method with the 5 points

That’s my most preferred method. Great video thanks Mike. I am guessing will be a popular one.

MX4 spreads great but MX5 not so much. The last time I tried spreading MX5 there was more left on the spatula! I've since gone back to using MX4.

Spread method is best. Reapplied mx4 on my 3400G and used the supplied plastic spatula thingy. Less is definitely more. Less cleaning up on next re-application and also more applications from the 4g tube. Just run cinebench a few times temperature dropped by a couple of degrees the score after reapplying was a bit less for some strange reason lol. Top video Mike👍

Yeah I think you’re probably about right because the spread just means that (simply put) enough paste is on everywhere that it needs to be.

Best way is to get an AM4 offset brackets and some Arctic MX-6 thermal paste using a small thin spatula and spreading an evenly thin coat.

I mix MX-4 with NT-H1 and using the spreader. done it this way for some years now. 😀

Yep, spread 100%

The objective best way to prevent the CPU from being pulled out when removing the cooler is to take 2 entire seconds to twist the cooler left and right a little bit before pulling it away. The method of paste application is far less important to this issue. Any method can harden and glue the cooler to the chip, a small twist frees it every time.

Hello really very good info,Thanks and new subscriber from The Netherlands

I always suspected spreading is best. But after years of hearing unspread works as well, I figure take the easy way out if it's all the same. But after watching this, I will be going with what I originally suspected.

Excelent vídeo, thanks!.

I have been using the spread method for 20 years and never understood how anyone ever thought another method would be as good. I do see that most people use too much paste when using this method. You only want enough to fill the gaps where the IHS or cooler plate are not perfectly flat and will leave air-gaps. IHS to cooler direct contact is great, but not consistent.

Had no spatula but alwais got patience and a toothpick. Still worked well ^^

Why not use the spread method on the heat pipe surface of the cpu cooler? Or is the heat pipe surface bigger than the cpu surface so the chance of paste spreading out outside cpu surface is greater? Anyway only apply thermal paste either on the surface of the cpu or cooler, not both ofcourse! By the way I am convinced of the spread method. Before I always used the dot method but since the introduction of heat pipe coolers the spread method is in my opinion the best. Other methods give insufficient spread out after pressing the cooler down. Also there are different kinds of heat pipe surfaces. Some of them are separated by aluminum or nickel metal between the heat pipes and other surfaces of the heatpipes form one solid block, the heat pipes are welded together and form one block. Maybe it is an idea to make a video of different surfaces of cpu heat pipe coolers and what the benefits are and how to apply thermal paste.

This is the old method , dinosaurs like me did back in the days, even with the finger... and it allways worked fine !

I use the spread too

just get thermaltake TG 30 thermal paste,..included with it is honeycomb stencil & a spreader, easiest way if you r bothered with too or little paste, it gets the job done perfectly.

That hair coming off the cpu bracket drives me nuts, lol

What should I use if I don’t have a plastic spreader? I only have a metal one.

How do I know this is the best if you haven't compared temps to worse applications? How much do I lose if I just apply the "blob" and leave it, done?

Oh Jeeze! I used a quarter of my 4 gram paste. Mine probably looks like a sloppy Joe under the cooler. lol

well wot can i say i always use spread method but with grizly and works realy well as i changed from pea method

I always did the pea method since like 2001, and this drops temps I was curious what people was doing with AMD I used 5 dots which my 3700x only went to 67c full load so not bad. Now my 5700x is a little hotter imo so I did this and its under 70c in gaming now.

I was wondering how I should use my co op card after adding the code to a digital wallet...

Great video. Why did you leave round the edges though?

Oops. I bought the ak 620 deep cool and used the whole tube.😅 Hopefully its fine

I'm one of those that just smears it with my finger 😂

Thank you

A dot inside a square method works for me.

I've considered the spread method for years, but I kept reading that there's more of a chance of tiny micro bubbles that would arise, rather than just doing the pea or rice method, which would lead to inconsistent and higher temps?

Mike, have you run any tests for temp differences between this method and the traditional "pea" method? I get what you are saying about AMD CPUs getting removed when removing the cooler; would you say the spread method is more important when using an AMD CPU vs Intel? Thank you as always for the insights.

I used a pea method of applying when I recently installed my assassin king (with the included TF4 paste) didn't think about spreading it, I used a little more than you showed here but not much more, I'm a worrier and was thinking about removing the cooler to use this method, should I just leave it be? My temperatures on a 5600G (not using the APU, I have a 6750 XT) are around 30 degrees idle, 35-50 degrees under light-medium load and 65 degrees under heavy load, does this sound about right?

The problem is that with the GC extreme it's almost impossible to apply a thin layer , either you get a lot or none. Temps were sky high . I prefer the Arctic Mx-2 , will try MX-4 also just because :) super cheap to buy ,why not ?

Just for discussion - how often do people change/repaste their CPUs ??

On the AMD coolers with pre-applied paste are we saying its inefficient application for heat transfer? I can usually get the cooler off the CPU by letting it run to warm the paste first then wiggling it.

how can I spead the thermal paste without a applicator spread tool? I have MX-4 45g, but no spread tool?

makes sense... you want the paste as less as possible (only to fill all the gaps and microscopic irregularities)... you do not want that forbidden oreo... metal is still better conductor than paste and paste is better conductor than air...

Ive seen this spread method creates air bubbles. Wont it make perfomance worse?

With something like the i9 13900k wouldnt this be too thin to cool such a beast? Should i add a small bit more?

I'm always afraid that pre-spread is going to trap voids that would be swept by the squish method. I'll always pre-spread a naked core though

how many months should I re-apply my thermal paste?

Great coverage.... 🤣

I used to be a pea method man, then I switched to X... I really cannot tell the difference to be honest. Admittedly spreading does seem to make sense. Pretty much any method is ok except of course if you use the line method, then don't bother talking to me!!! :)

Watching to put the thermal paste that came with the alseye m240. Is it a good thermal paste or I should buy one? It says thermal conductivity 7.5w and resistance 0.6 and 25% silver.

The spread methood actually is the correct methood its why a spatchular is included with most Pastes today also you get full plate coverage which spreads the heat more evenly thus increasing the life of the die ! ps; did you figure out the AIO /Fan Header issue ?

How many Ryzen CPU you can cover with MX-4 8g ?

Yeah the spread method is always best :)

Have you tested spread then dot on top?

Is this recommended for a newbie who's about to make his first build? I feel I might fudge it up, spread unevenly, have to try over and over, eventually get discouraged and throw the entire PC away.