CPU/GPU fan/heatsink upgrade what do I need?

So I've been putting this off for a while now, so I need some guidance. I don't have much experience with thermal interface materials, so whether or not I upgrade my cpu its about time I learned some stuff. So if I upgrade my CPU what do I need? Right now I have a haswell 4430 i5. TIM, a brush, alcohol pad (or is it something else) anything else??? and a youtube video would be nice.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

edit - oh and whats a good TIM brand name wise or actual material name?
 
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Ok, Thermal paste you need to look at the Thermal Conductivity: anything over 10 wm / k is good but you can certainly get away with much lower, my advice would be since this stuff will last you years spend the extra couple of $/£ ect

for example
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ther...formance-thermal-paste-1-gramm-th-020-tg.html
Thermal Conductivity: 12.5 wm / k

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ther...h-performance-thermal-paste-1g-th-023-tg.html
Thermal Conductivity: 8.5 WM / K

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/akasa-ak-455-thermal-compound-1.5g-th-002-ak.html
Maximum thermal conductivity: 2.4W/mK

You may also hear about liquid metal (mostly used under the cpu heatspreader) it has outstanding Thermal Conductivity eg: Thermal Conductivity: 73 W/(m·K) but there are drawbacks. Its conductive so be careful and it doesnt play nice with mixed metals and you cant use it with aluminium
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR APPLYING LIQUID METAL:
The Conductonaut liquid metal thermal paste must (1) not come into contact or be used with aluminium surfaces and (2) under no circumstances should it come into contact with electrically conductive components!. CPU coolers with an aluminium coldplate cannot be used, instead we recommend instead to use copper, nickel or silver coldplates. Please pay particular attention to ensure that the liquid metal does not come into contact with the numerous technical components on or next to Intel Haswell-, Devil's Canyon-, Broadwell processors or their heatspreaders. Skylake CPUs also have a number of contact points that should be covered with adhesive tape for safety reasons, and the same holds true for AMD CPUs.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ther...-liquid-metal-thermal-paste-1g-th-021-tg.html
Thermal Conductivity: 73 W/(m·K)

As for application there is no universally agreed correct method.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+apply+thermal+paste

Remember (metal --- metal) is superior to (metal --- thermal paste --- metal)
 
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You might want to avoid any that are electrically conductive, just to make things safer or remove any concerns with getting it where it shouldn't ve.
 
oh and I guess I should mention I might be upgrading to a 4770 variant.
Also quick related question if my mb doc say it can use a 4770k but says it will only supply 84w (95w is rated) will it work.
 
You should really email the mboard manufacturer to be 100% certain
what make and model is it ? does the website have a supported cpu list?
 
just as an example of the range of thermal conductivity these pastes cover
these lower rated pastes are perfectly acceptable, it's just I personally would go for something higher
edit: that 84w limit is probably just what the supplied heatsink is rated for im sure the system can supply more than 84w to the cpu
ps: the board is a MSI MS-7826
pps: According to intel the tdp of the 4770k is 84w
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...-4770k-processor-8m-cache-up-to-3-90-ghz.html

ppps: The 4770k appears to have the dodgy thermal compound under the heatspreader and quite a few youtube video's recommend delidding it and re applying fresh paste.
 
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I like the first one, the Arctic. I swear by arctic ceramique 2 thermal, but only because I still have half of a 25 gram tube left and I didn't know they had a new improved version out which is what you posted looks like. Nice and safe since it can't conduct, but excellent thermal properties.

A very smart and safe bet, recommended!

Also don't get a standard Intel heatsink as they're notoriously awful, get at least a Cooler Master Hyper 212 or something. You can get some seriously impressive performance for cheap but it's best to do your homework and shop around a bit.

Best of luck, you have exciting times ahead. I love the fear/excitement of doing something new with my PC, such a rush! :D

EDITED BITS: Steve has a really good bit about how much thermal paste to use with video, I consider him a trusted source as he knows his stuff. :)
 
I was thinking about the second one because if one gram is the amount you use, you just use the whole thing... seems simple enough.

Best of luck, you have exciting times ahead. I love the fear/excitement of doing something new with my PC, such a rush! :D
The last time i fully rebuilt/built a pc was around 2004. Alot has changed since then.
 
About how much do you use per application? 1gram
Hell no about a quarter of that (ballpark figure)
Arctic Cooling Arctic MX-4 = Thermal Conductivity: 8.5 WM / K
The second one = Thermal Conductivity: 11 WM / K
But Easycargo? I've never heard of them how accurate is that figure and what quality is it since it's 20% of the price of known brands it may be good stuff but I cant find an independent review
ps: If you buy a new cooler chances are it will already have thermal paste applied. (the hyper 212 is a good choice)

edit: hyper 212
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-cpu-cooler-hs-035-cm.html
hyper 212 in sexy black
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cooler-master-hyper-212-black-edition-cpu-cooler-120mm-hs-081-cm.html
hyper 212 in sexy black with rgb (its a scientific fact rgb provides superior cooling)
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cooler-master-hyper-212-rgb-black-edition-cpu-cooler-hs-084-cm.html
 
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I was thinking about the second one because if one gram is the amount you use, you just use the whole thing... seems simple enough.


The last time i fully rebuilt/built a pc was around 2004. Alot has changed since then.
Not as much as you'd think, it's just been renamed/has different plugs/sockets. Pretty much the same, if anything I think it's a bit easier now to be honest since there is so much more information available. :)

G'luck, be brave, and if you need help we'll be here.
 
What price are you seeing on ebay?
ps: have you checked benchmarks to see if your upgrade will make a noticeable difference ?
 
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The one that just ended and the next on my watch list are at about $70.
Don't know about benches but I have a 3ghz quadcore w/o hyperthreading, I think the boost is 3.2.
The specs for the 2 I'm looking at is as follows.
4770 3.4ghz base w/hyperthreading
4770k 3.5ghz base w/hyperthreading
and I think the boosts are 3.8 and 3.9 ghz respectively.
 
Got a link? CPU boss and the like that google returns isn't what I'm looking for.

Everything really but games too, and as I said earlier its been 15 years since I upgraded a CPU myself... good project.
Only worth it if I can get the CPU on the cheap.
 
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