PSA: A popular thermal paste is destroying CPUs and heatsinks

[toooooot]

"resulting corrosion causes pitting and can permanently fuse the processor to the heatsink"
I was guessing that the worse it could do was drying early on.
But this is something that truly makes this paste a piece of sh*t paste.

I am still using Arctic mx4 which I bought almost 6 years ago. Great stuff. Do not try to save money on paste. Especially if it is Amech paste.

On a side note, could this paste be used to delid the processor's top? I mean, the heatsink would hold cpu firmly by fusing with it, you would then only need the tear it off.

 

[mccmw]

Are there any actual detailed stories on this issue...for curiosity? Is this paste new and that is what prompted the testing? The smell complaint would make sense then. However, if the paste has been out a while, wouldn't the smell complaint have come out a long time ago. More importantly, how long does the paste take to do damage? Is this happening after some recent testing or a long-term test? Most people put paste on and, if the temperatures are good, call it a day for a few years. Are these "fused" CPUs being found after a few years, when replacement is needed...likewise for finding the corrosion? I use Arctic MX-6 right now, and stick to name brands, but there could be other similar generic SGT-4 pastes out there used by companies or computer stores/builders...consumers won't know unless the CPU fails.

 

[ATXFerret]

So I should continue to avoid buying random no name thermal paste, got it.

Agreed. Arctic MX-4 is $7 lol. MX-6 is $9.
Why would you use an unknown?

As far as the difficulty with removing the cooler from the CPU, unscrew/unlatch the cooler from its mount, turn the computer on and, once it's somewhat warm, grab and twist the cooler, and, once it falls off in your hand, immediately flip the power supply switch to off.

I've never seen any thermal anything stay mounted after doing that.

 

[Dustyn]

So "Great Value" thermal paste is bad too? lol

 

[ZedRM]

Popular? Never heard of this stuff. Seems a lot of us lucked out.

 

[PicklesvonBrine]

I have been using artic MX series thermal paste for better part of a decade. Going to keep using it. Either that or use Noctua's paste.