What is better - a thermal paste or a thermal lining for a laptop?

Many users have experienced the problem of overheating in their computers, and if stationary machines can be equipped with and additional cooling, laptops do not have this advantage. A year or a half after the purchase, they start to overheat, and the cooling pad does not help either. What's the matter? It's simple: it's time to change the thermal interface.

Appointment

Any thermal interface is designed to transfer heat between two objects, it must have low thermal resistance and high thermal conductivity, as well as zero electrical conductivity, low fluidity and the ability to maintain its properties at temperatures close to 100 degrees Celsius. What is better - thermal paste or thermal padding? The thing is that they have different purposes.

Common species

For quite some time the only thermal interface was thermal paste, familiar, perhaps, to everyone. This viscous composition in the form of a cream (paste), not conductive current, was used and applied to all computer parts that need cooling: video cards, chipsets and radiators. Over time, there were other thermal interfaces: thermal pads, hotmelt glue and even liquid metal, in view of this there is a lot of confusion. Each type of thermal interface has its own characteristics, so even a common question about what is better - thermal paste or thermal padding, can be solved by the user, because they just have different purposes.

Thermal Pad

On the Internet there are other names of this type of thermointerface: thermo-gum, gum, thermo-rubber. Their main task is to fill the space of more than 0.5 mm. In the modern market, copper plates appeared, which supposedly can replace thermal pads, but this is not the case: copper is inelastic and can not guarantee a uniform fit over the entire surface. In addition, the surface of the chip and the radiator sole are polished, but still have some irregularities, and besides simply filling the gap between the parts, it is necessary to smooth out the roughness and small irregularities: this function is performed by paste or thermal padding.

What to choose as an alternative? In the event that it's still decided to use a copper plate, it needs to be ground well and adjusted, so when buying it is better to take a sheet a little thicker than necessary. Using a thin layer of thermal paste on both sides is also necessary to fill the microcracks.

Features of Thermal Towels

Sometimes it is possible to meet the assertion that the thermo-adhesive is used for gluing, fastening two parts, if there are no other methods. This is misleading, because in such cases, hotmelt is used. Thermal ditches, as a rule, are used for the power supply of the processor, as well as for memory chips on video cards and motherboards.

It can also be "planted" and the southern bridge, because the temperature of this detail increases evenly, without jumps, and generally is not as high as on the processor, so the question of what is better - thermal paste or thermal padding, is incorrect here : The paste will not be able to perform the same functions.

Thermocouples

This term is a special compound that does not conduct an electric current. It has a high index of thermal conductivity and serves to attach to the video card small radiators, processor power subsystem and so on. The hot melt does not dry out for a long time, however, it can not always provide a quality fastening, and its thermal conductivity is much lower in comparison with other types of thermal interface, which is quite logical, given that this product has a different purpose. It is recommended to use it only if you can not attach the radiator base to the processor with anything else.

Liquid metal

Another kind of thermal interface, which, by the way, has an excellent indicator of electrical conductivity, because it consists mainly of metal. Nevertheless, among enthusiasts it is very popular, because in liquid metal the parameters of heat conductivity and thermoresistance are much higher than in any other thermal interface. Before applying the temperature distributor, the processor cover and the radiator sole must be degreased, after which it is possible to rub the liquid metal. The layer should be very thin. It should be rubbed until the flowing composition ceases to be.

This interface is the most effective, but it is extremely inconvenient to apply and remove it. Before use, make sure that the base of the cooler is copper or nickel-plated, as the liquid metal reacts with aluminum alloys.

Replacement of thermal interface

When buying a new thermal paste, you should first of all pay attention to its consistency: it should not be too liquid or too thick, because in the first case there will be no necessary contact, and in the second case it will not be possible to apply an even thin layer. Computer masters most often use thermal paste MX-4 or KPT-8.

However, the first step is the removal of the old composition. If the last shift was made more than a year ago, it is necessary to separate the radiator very carefully, because if the paste or thermal cushion is withered, with inaccurate handling, you can simply "tear out" all the details.

In laptops

Particular care should be taken when replacing the thermal interface in laptops, starting with the disassembly stage. The fact is that the processor chip there is not protected by metal and is very sensitive to damage. If the previous thermal grease has an admixture of aluminum shavings, you must avoid hitting it on other parts, because this can cause a short circuit.

In no case can you use silicone thermal grease, as it has a very low heat dissipation and, in addition, very quickly dries up. Such a paste needs to be changed much more often, otherwise the device may break down due to constant overheating.

Which is better - a thermal paste or a thermal lining for a laptop? Usually in compact computers, all parts are tightly fitted to each other, so there is no need to use thermal pads, but before you decide on the choice, you need to check the gaps.

Correct application

When applying thermal paste, it must be remembered that the composition should lie in a thin even layer, without missing and bubbles. The amount of paste, according to the advice of computer masters, should be slightly more than a match head. It does not mean better here. Distribute the thermal interface over the surface followed by a special blade, and apply only to the heat-distributing cover of the processor.

A good thermal paste is changed every two to three years, a bad one - once a year, but when cleaning the laptop of dust, it still needs to be changed, even if the expected service life has not yet come to an end. In stationary computers, you do not need to remove the radiator during cleaning, so the thermal interface does not suffer, but the masters still say (regardless of the cost of the thermal padding or thermal paste), which is better at the same time to make a replacement.

Change of thermal setting

What is better - thermal paste or thermal padding? For the video card the answer is unambiguous: option two. In order to justify the answer, it is not necessary to contact the computer master, it's enough just to know the gap between the two parts. In the case of a radiator for a video card, this is usually just over 0.5 mm.

To install the thermal padding, you need to cut out the desired piece, the size corresponding to the chip or slightly exceeding it. Then remove the film from the surface of the thermal pad. Collapse the slice into a kind of roll or bend and start laying from one of the edges to prevent air ingress (reminiscent of the process of attaching the protective film to the screen of the phone or tablet). After this, it is necessary to separate the second, ribbed film from the thermal padding. The process is completed, you can install the radiator.

Not knowing the parameters

Many manufacturers say that it is better to paste or heat-seal the same firms that they used, but you can not find such a moment as the gap between the heat distribution cover and the radiator in the description of the technical characteristics of the computer, therefore there is an instruction how to replace the thermal interface without knowing the thickness.

First, according to the above instructions, you need to install a gasket 0.5 mm thick and attach the radiator, then unscrew and remove it again to check if the thermal pad is pressed. If the deformation area is there, then everything is in order, and you can just put the radiator back.

If the pressure does not occur, it is necessary to cut out another piece of the same thermal piece that is the same size and install it in the same way over the first one, then attach the radiator again and extract it to check the degree of pressing. Repeat this process until the deformation area appears.

If the instruction is followed, the total thermal conductivity of two or more thermal pads will not be worse than one.

With your own hands

Already for a long time in a free access practically in each computer shop there is a wide variety of the goods. There can be purchased either hot melt, or thermal padding, or thermal paste. Which is better - to buy or do by hand? The fact is that the self-made thermal padding can be made from ordinary thermal paste and medical bandage.

The cost of "chewing gum" is relatively low, given the long service life, but sometimes it happens that the opportunity to purchase it is not. To make it yourself, you need a medical bandage (the smaller the net, the better) and the thermal paste (preferably two, viscous and liquid). The second option: a plate of copper or aluminum and a polishing material for them.

To begin with, cut a suitable piece of bandage with a margin of 3-5 mm. Cut the slices with thermal paste. Do this carefully so as not to damage the fiber bandage. This "mesh" gives the thermal stiffness, and it does not spread even under strong heating, although the use of bandage slightly suffers heat transfer. Before applying new gaskets on the parts, you should grease them with a thin layer of thermal grease to facilitate installation. All the excess is then cut off with scissors and compacted with a thin screwdriver.

Instead of bandages, you can use copper or aluminum. To do this, using metal scissors, cut the plates of metal, polish them well and install them in a similar way, after removing the remnants of old gaskets and brushing the surface of the chips with a thin layer of thermal paste. User tests show that the copper plate gives a gain of three degrees in comparison with aluminum, and at five degrees compared to bandages. Factory thermal pads lose to the correctly established copper plate by ten degrees, however it should be remembered that, as a rule, these products are not the best.

Final choice

Many manufacturers are now guilty of using thermo-paste instead of thermal grease on all the details that require a thermal interface. Yes, it is much easier to install the gasket, so they can be understood: the optimization of production and the like. What is better - thermal paste or thermal padding? For the processor, the latter is not the best option, especially when it comes to laptops, because the thermal conductivity of the "chewing gum" is lower than that of the paste, and the distance between the processor and the heatsink is very small. Since the thermal padding usually has a thickness of about 0.5 mm, with such a strong compression, it will deform and lose most of its properties. The maximum allowable compression ratio is 70%.

Having ascertained the purpose of each type of thermal interface, it is easy to understand whether a paste or thermal padding is needed. What is best to choose depends only on functionality.