Thermal paste shelf life?

[Scopus]

Hey i have tube of some previous used 5 year old thermal paste. Been stored in cool dark place. Did it degrade at all or will it work like new?

 

[UsandThem]

I would toss it out, and buy some new. A couple years, I'd say use it. But at 5 years old, it's only a few bucks to get another tube. But some people will tell you it's fine as long as it hasn't separated, and to use it. For me, a few bucks to know it's protecting an expensive CPU is worth it to me.

 

[Scopus]

U

I would toss it out, and buy some new. A couple years, I'd say use it. But at 5 years old, it's only a few bucks to get another tube. But some people will tell you it's fine as long as it hasn't separated, and to use it. For me, a few bucks to know it's protecting an expensive CPU is worth it to me.

Ur right. Since its only few bucks worth the peace of mind. thanks

 

[bfun_x1]

I'm using 5+ year old Arctic Silver 5 and it seems fine. I'd certainly prefer new but it seems like I only have old stuff on hand when I need it. I finally bought a large tube of the Noctua paste for the next time I need some.

 

[aigomorla]

squeeze a bit out.. is it still pastey or dryed out?

thats the biggest question... if its pastey, then id say its still good.
If its dried out, then you need to replace it.

 

[DigDog]

looks like i'm late to the party; but this thread intrigues me, so i'm going to give my opinion.

TIM is in a way or another a liquid metal, or rather a composite paste of materials of which none should evaporate, much less do so from inside a tube. nor should they undergo any chemical reaction. i would imagine thermal paste would have a shelf life measured in decades, not years. What exactly could happen to a TIM left sealed and not exposed to heat?

 

[bonehead123]

So I guess I should replace that tube of stuff that came with my Apple Lisa, huh??? hahahaha...

But seriously, I have used paste that was about 2 years old without any problems whatsoever on several recent client builds....

 

[WilliamM2]

I used Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 from 2012 on my Skylake build in 2016. Temps have remained great (and stable) in the last year and a half. I still have plenty, and will use it on my next build in a couple years without any worries.

I've also used Arctic Silver III from 2003 on recent rebuilds for friends. It still works fine too.

I believe that proper application has much more to do with good temps than brand or age.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I recently used an old tube of AS5 that was sponsored by AS waay back in the day (early 2000s).
No problems whatsoever.

 

[PottedMeat]

i've been using the same tube of this for ~15 years, no problems

no problems either with a 8+ year old tube of arctic silver

 

[SirCanealot]

looks like i'm late to the party; but this thread intrigues me, so i'm going to give my opinion.

TIM is in a way or another a liquid metal, or rather a composite paste of materials of which none should evaporate, much less do so from inside a tube. nor should they undergo any chemical reaction. i would imagine thermal paste would have a shelf life measured in decades, not years. What exactly could happen to a TIM left sealed and not exposed to heat?

I agree completely.

I'll also add (not that I'm any kind of expert), but materials like this will not simply 'stop working'; if anything they would decay over time and an older thermal paste may not work as effectively as a new one. So theoretically maybe you'll lose 1-2 degrees of performance if anything, but I would agree that if it is stored properly TIMs should have quite a long shelf life... I think chucking it is a bit of a waste; at least keep it for a backup/things that don't need perfect thermal performance.

 

[aigomorla]

tim is usually a mixture of oil + metal or some form of carbon dust mixed into a gloop.

It can dry out... the oil is not everlasting.
However if sealed, it will take a very long time to dry out.

The great thing about tim is that once u apply it and put the cap back on, the left over tim will seal the cap air tight.
This helps it to not dry out.

This is why its best just to squeeze some out and check the viscosity of the TIM.
If its like toothpaste, the oil has not dried out and its still good.
If you need to squeeze the thing hard enough to give u a hernia, to get something out, well, without doubt, its done and should be tossed.