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c/computer-technicians•ruby561ruby561•17d ago

Tried using a cheap thermal paste on a gaming PC rebuild and the temps were all wrong

I had a client bring in a high end gaming rig for a full clean and repaste. I used a generic white paste I had a tube of, figuring it would be fine for a quick job. After putting it all back together, the CPU was hitting 95C under a basic stress test, way higher than before. I checked the mount three times, thinking I messed up. Finally swapped it out for some Arctic MX-6 I keep for my own builds. Temps dropped to 68C under the same load. Learned that paste quality really does matter on hot chips, even if the specs look similar on paper. Anyone have a go-to paste for these kinds of builds that won't break the bank?
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ivanl76
ivanl7616d ago
Remember my buddy's cheap paste fail? He had the same shock as @lilychen before switching to Noctua's stuff.
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lilychen
lilychen17d ago
Honestly I used to think all paste was the same. That kind of temp swing would change my mind too.
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