Thermal Compound Length

[Darthgary]

How often do you apply it.

[hathor]

What is the best way to remove the old compound from the CPU and Heatsink?

[stroyal]

Isopropyl alcohol, the same as rubbing alcohol, but rubbing alcohol is mostly water.

If you live where it is cold isopropyl gas line antifreeze works great. Make sure it is not the methyl kind.

[Darthgary]

Yep, rubbing alcohol is the best way.

[nukes]

I rarely replace it, but alcohol is the best way to clean it off.
It only gets changed with the HS or CPU.

[rourkchris]

Set it and forget it.

[smapdi]

I use AC Ceramique and that stuff isn't supposed to dry out so I pretty much used it once last year and my temps haven't changed since.

[Starfury_2260]

i got the ceramique too. i think if the temps ever start to go up abnormally then i'll reapply it.

[Bullion]

i frequently rebuild and "tinker wiht the innards oif my systems so its usually 1-2 months

[Jeordiewhite]

I'm the same way, I normally don't reapply it for maybe 3-4 months, but that is only when i'm tinkering, like when I recently went up to arctic silver 5. So far it's been running great.
Unless there is any bennefit of doing it longer, the stuff shouldn't wear out.

Like thermal paste, it will last a long time, I've even seen a pentium machine with it on and it is still used and never reapplied it.

However if it were a thermal pad, some of those do wear out, especially at a pretty hot tempature. Have heard of the actually melting. However I wouldn't use thermal pads. Thermal grease I could go for on someone elses computer if they wanted to repair it
I don't like to waste arctic silver on other people, since i do use a good ammount of it for myself.

If anyone wants better, then they can go spend 10 dollars on a little tube of it.