Overheard a guy at Micro Center say thermal paste application doesn't matter, and I had to bite my tongue

After fixing 30 overheating laptops this year, I can tell you the pea method vs spreading it out makes a 5 degree difference under load, so how can anyone say it doesn't matter?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel1401mo ago

30 laptops is a decent sample size though.

rowan9691mo ago

Read somewhere that Linus Torvalds doesn't even bother with paste, just slaps the cooler on dry.

taylor.reese1mo ago

Bet on that likely runs better than half the builds I've seen with thermal paste applied like toothpaste on a sandwich. Maybe he's onto something if the contact surface is perfectly flat and he's not pushing any clocks.