Noctua with first recommendation for optimal use of thermal paste

While the performance of thermal paste can be objectively evaluated in testing, and a paste that performs better and has a smoother consistency may be considered a better product, applying the correct amount of thermal paste is an issue that divides many enthusiasts. the PC. Should it just be a little dot in the center of the processor, should an X be painted on the CPU, or does it require a sausage of thermal paste? Noctua’s air cooling experts have commented on this and have made an initial recommendation.

They recommend a single dot of thermal paste in the center of the heat sink. It should be about three to four millimeters in diameter and thus could be adequately distributed by the contact pressure of the cooler. While this technique is nothing new per se, it is very different from Noctua’s recommendation for socket AM4. For this, the manufacturer found that a five-point technique was superior. One large dot in the middle of the die and four small dots in the corners should be good for Zen 1 to 3.

This has changed with Zen 4 mainly because the CPU has gotten smaller again. Additionally, the Zen 4’s heatsink is trimmed at the edges, leaving room for small capacitors. With thermal paste on the corners of the CPU, you could smear it on the capacitors and have to laboriously clean them. The only question that remains is whether or not the heat sink area needs to be carefully covered with WLP next to the cutouts. Noctua air coolers are noisy self statement With the exception of the two small models NH-L9a-AM4 and NM-AM4-L9aL9i, they are compatible with socket AM5 without any additional accessories and do not need to be upgraded for new CPUs.

Font: tom hardware