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Thermal Paste- will CPU thermal paste work on Amp?

plazmaplanna

plazmaplanna

Active Member
I want to change the thermal paste out on my amplifier, but would rather not spend the money on more thermal paste if it can be avoided. I have some TG-2 "thermal grease" so it's not the white ceramic stuff, says it goes up to 150c and not sure how hot mine gets. Will this last as long as the ceramic stuff?

My amplifier is a hitachi HTA-3000 and takes in 140w i think...not sure on the exact output to the speakers

It's been getting pretty hot lately, and I would assume some new thermal paste might help reduce the heat a little bit? The thermal paste is original from the factory.
 
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plazmaplanna said:
I want to change the thermal paste out on my amplifier, but would rather not spend the money on more thermal paste if it can be avoided. I have some TG-2 "thermal grease" so it's not the white ceramic stuff, says it goes up to 150c and not sure how hot mine gets. Will this last as long as the ceramic stuff?
Click to expand...

As long as it says definitively ELECTRICALLY NON -CONDUCTIVE !!!
personally-- I wouldn't use the crap for amplifiers.
 
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thermal conductivity is 1.5 W/mK

so no go then? I have one that is non conductive but it's pretty expensive and i don't want to waste it
 
plazmaplanna said:
thermal conductivity is 1.5 W/mK

so no go then? I have one that is non conductive but it's pretty expensive and i don't want to waste it
Click to expand...

Then pick up some regular white heatsink thermal compound. Nothing fancy.
 
As long as the grease is non conductive (doesn't contain bits of metal) you are fine. Paste like Arctic Silver 5 are not to be used.
 
I use Dow Corning 340 Heat Sink Compound; messy stuff but it works well. Not sure how available it is as I get it from a supplier from my day job.
 
check ebay for silicone heat sink compound. There is a guy selling GC 10-8109 for $6 and free shipping. I just ordered some. I have used this stuff for 25 years with no issues.
 
Generally speaking, the paste designed for CPU duty works well because the higher temperatures allow the stuff to spread itself evenly after application (most of the CPU paste is as thick as Missouri clay). In audio, most power transistors lope along at a temperature barely above room temp, and if CPU paste is used, it never has this chance to 'cure' at a nice high temp. Basically, it's just inappropriate for audio work.
 
I know little about this stuff, but I'm confused trying to understand the differences. The Dow 340 stuff says it has 60% metal oxides, but it seems it was mentioned to avoid metal content and electrically conductive pastes. I couldn't find any mention of electrical conductivity on the product page or MSDS. Is DC340 ok for audio? Computer?
 
Not all metal oxides are electrically conductive. Aluminum oxide is a great heat conductor and a decent electrical insulator (up to a couple hundred volts). Most thermal pastes use zinc oxide or magnesium oxide (or a combination). Both are a pretty good insulator.

FYI, the Dow 340 is zinc oxide. Fine for audio use. Probably inadequate for computer use.
 
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