Read a forum post saying thermal paste doesn't expire, tested a 12 year old tube from my junk drawer on a Pentium D and the temps were 15c higher than fresh stuff.

The guy swore it was all marketing hype, but after applying it and seeing the CPU hit 95c under load in about 30 seconds, I swapped to new Arctic MX-6 and it dropped to 68c, has anyone else run into old paste turning into basically chalk?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverp3729d ago

Was the old tube stored in a humid environment or just a dry drawer?

wells.morgan29d ago

Three months in a damp basement was what happened to mine before I realized my mistake. I always thought tubes just wore out from normal use, but the corrosion on the pins and that faint white haze inside the glass told me otherwise. Now I keep my backup in a sealed bag with silica packets, dry drawer or nothing.