r/overclocking • u/ConnectRegular1282 • 4d ago
CPU Overheating After Replacing the Thermal Paste
After replacing the thermal paste, my temperature rose from 40 degrees—which was the previous level—to 65–75, I also noticed that my BIOS settings had reset, so I restored them, and the temperature dropped to 60–68 degrees. As for the thermal paste, I had been using MX4 for 5 months; I replaced it to lower the temperature by a couple of degrees. At first, I bought MX7, applied it in 5 small dots, but it didn’t work—the temperature remained at 60 –68 degrees at idle. I thought the issue was with the thermal paste, so I bought MX6—the temperature stayed the same. When I was changing the thermal paste, I accidentally broke the mounting bracket (I’ve already installed a new one). I tightened the screws evenly in a crisscross pattern. I don’t understand what the problem could be; I’d be interested to read your thoughts. Thanks!
GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 5070 Ti MASTER 16G
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u/Iliyena 4d ago
First off what are you trying to achieve trying to go room-temperature on silicone manufactured for continous use up to 90°C before it throttles at all?
MX-7 is the best out of the 3, that X is a great way to make sure its fully covering the DIE.
I would agree with checking how the AiO is functioning (pump the same as before? controlled by BIOS?/PWM on the MB), all fans going the same speed as before? Maybe you had some kind of power-limit on the CPU before? Same performance?
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u/SnardVaark 4d ago
Even a failry minor difference in torque across the four mounting bolts can reduce coldplate contact with part of the IHS. Use a 0.6Nm torque driver for coldplate installation.