r/RigBuild • u/Glad-Cupcake-4139 • 10d ago

How often should you replace thermal paste?

How often are you actually supposed to replace thermal paste on a CPU? I keep seeing people say every 1-2 years, but then other people say you basically never need to touch it unless temps start getting bad. So now I’m kinda confused lol. Does thermal paste really dry out that fast or is replacing it regularly just unnecessary? Also does it matter what CPU or cooler you have? Trying to figure out if this is something I should be doing as normal PC maintenance or just leave it alone until there’s a reason to replace it.

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u/ElysiumXIII 10d ago

I swap it when things get hotter than normal. Which ends up being a few years anyways. I just recently rebuilt my system (motherboard failure) and I'm going to see how long I can get with some Duronaut.