A 12-year-old kid taught me more about thermal paste than 5 years of IT certs

I was redoing a customer's gaming rig and a customer's son wandered in, watched me for a minute, then told me my pea method was too small. I switched to the X pattern he showed me and my temps dropped 4 degrees C on the next boot. Has anyone else had a random person change up your whole routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.hayden29d ago

and i mean no offense but the X pattern is actually kind of a myth for most CPUs, especially modern ones. the pea method is what most manufacturers recommend because it spreads evenly under pressure. the 4 degree drop might just be because you were using a tiny pea before, or maybe the heatsink mount was slightly off the first time. idk, i've tried both and never seen more than a degree or two difference when done right. but hey, if it works for that kid, then maybe it's just me being stubborn.

vera_campbell28d ago

My first build I used a full stripe of toothpaste basically, so your pea method is already a step up from me. @ellis.hayden I'm with you though, I've swapped between methods a few times and never saw a big difference either. Might just be my shaky hands that matter more.