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In most cases, the default heatsink and fan combination that came with your CPU will have it’s own heat paste already applied to it so that you can simply slap it down and start your system up. But when it comes to buying a separate and more powerful heatsink, you’ll need to apply your own heat paste and it is not always included when purchasing the heatsink. Over the years there have been several different methods used in applying the heat paste, but not all of them are as effective as we were lead to believe.

Heat paste is used to help transmit the heat from the CPU to the heatsink, leaving no gaps between the two. So when applying heat paste, the goal is for it to be smooth and even, with no air pockets or groves. The most common method of application has always been to spread the paste into a square using a flat edge, such as a exacto knife or a credit card, but unfortunately, that won’t always produce the greatest results. Think about it, if you’re manually smoothing out the paste with such as small surface area, you’re bound to cause some divots and grooves in the heat paste, which would ruin the effectiveness of using it in the first place. So what should you do instead of the standard spreading method?

First, if you are adding a new heat sink to an already used processor, take the time to clean the existing heat paste off of the processor with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. As it doesn’t have any water in it, you won’t have to worry about damaging your system, but do make sure that you have unplugged it before even starting this process. From there, take your heat paste and apply one pea size ball of it directly on to the center of the processor. The pea size allows for the heatsink to squish it flat with it’s weight and even surface while preventing the compound from running over the side of the processor. The pea design also spreads out and covers the most surface area without causing any divots or grooves at all.

Once the heatsink is applied, run some benchmarks on your system to make sure that the heat level of your CPU is where you want it to be. A common mistake that most people make is that they lift up the heatsink after it has made contact with the heat paste. You must apply the heatsink in one fluid motion or it will result in the heat paste being stuck to the heatsink and pulling off the processor. Take your time in applying the heat paste, because even a little gap can cause enough heat to be insulated between the CPU and heatsink that either you find yourself tapped at how far you can safely push your overclocked CPU or you burn it out.

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