Warning: That cheap thermal paste I used on a laptop job last week almost cooked the CPU

I grabbed a tube of no-name paste from a random bin at a swap meet for $3. Figured it was fine for a quick re-paste on an old Dell. After 3 days the client called saying the fan was running nonstop. Opened it up and the paste had basically turned to dry powder. Measured temps hitting 95C under light load. Anyone else ever get burned by bargain bin thermal compound?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason_lewis31mo ago

Honestly, it's like cheaping out on anything mechanical always backfires eventually.

seth_shah1mo ago

That cheap stuff always costs you double in the end... you pay for it once, then pay again to replace it with something that actually works. Had a buddy who bought a budget lawnmower and it died halfway through the first season, @jason_lewis3. The bearings seized up and warped the blade, just a total mess.

rowan9691mo ago

Read somewhere that cheap paint costs you double too, same principle.