Keeping your GPUs cool is crucial while mining crypto. If you pay no attention to their thermal performance, their overall mining capability will throttle and your gains will suffer.
Keeping the thermal paste on GPUs in check is essential for getting the optimum thermal performance. However, how often should you replace the thermal paste on them? Does mining degrade your thermal paste faster? How do you know it’s time to replace the thermal paste?
Read on to find out everything you need to know.
When mining crypto, should you change the thermal paste on GPU? Why?
Simply put, yes.
Mining is one of the heavier tasks you can do on your GPU. It puts as much pressure on it as a graphics-intensive AAA game would.
As you might know already, doing intensive tasks on your computer dries out the thermal paste faster in CPU/GPU. That’s why it’s advised that people who do heavy tasks on their computers should replace the thermal paste more often.
By doing that, you will allow your GPUs to runat their peakperformance. Not only will it keep your GPUs healthy and safe by preventing overheating, but it will also improve your mining efficiency by ensuring the GPUs always run at their best.
How long does GPU thermal paste last when mining? How often should you replace the thermal paste on mining GPU?
In normal conditions when not mining, your GPU’s thermal paste can easily last up to 5 years, provided you’re using a good-quality one.
But — be noted that normal people don’t use their computer 24/7. Even if you’re gaming a lot, it still won’t be more than 5-6 hours per day. However, if you’re mining, you’re most likely doing it 24/7.
Mining puts a constant heavy load on your GPU, which can cause the thermal paste to dry out and degrade faster.
Hence, you will need to replace the thermal paste on your GPU more often if you're mining on it.
We recommend removing the thermal paste and reapplying it every 4 years. You can also do it more frequently if you notice that temperatures are rising more than they should.
Learn more about How Often Should You Replace Thermal Paste?
What is the safe GPU mining temperature? How to lower GPU temperature while mining?
A tried-and-tested method to find out when you need to replace thermal based on your GPU is to keep an eye on its temperature.
When your GPU temperature rises more than it should, it's a clear indication that it's time to replace the thermal paste. But how do you know what's the safe working temperature for a mining GPU?
Well, in most cases, your GPU should be around 60 to 70° C. However, it will be fine if it goes up to 85° C. If it goes higher than that, you need to take some measures to cool it down. （Learn more about How to Check GPU Temperature and How Hot is Too Hot for a GPU?）
Here's what you can do to cool down your GPU.
1. Lower the ambient temperature in the room where your GPUs are located.
2. Increase the fan speed.
3. Install more fans.
4. Improve your rig's ventilation.
5. Lower the TDP of your graphics card using software like MSI Afterburner.
6. Check whether your thermal paste is degraded — and if it is, replace it. (Learn more about How to Correctly Apply Thermal Paste on GPU/Graphics Card (2022 Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guide))
What is the best thermal paste pattern for mining GPU?
If you're wondering what's the best thermal paste application method for mining GPUs, let us be the bearer of the bad news: there's no one-size-fits-all pattern for mining GPUs.
It all depends on which pattern lets you get a perfect layer of thermal paste on your GPU.
If you are someone who's experienced in applying thermal paste, you can pretty much use any of the application methods and it will be fine. Even the methods that rely on the pressure of heatsink will work fine for you.
On the other hand, if you don't have any experience with applying thermal pastes, you might want to use the buttered toast method. That’s because, with the buttered toast method, you can actually see whether you’ve achieved a thin and even layer of thermal paste. If you haven’t, you can apply more paste or remove the existing one to even the layer.
All in all, the goal is to end up with a thin and uniform layer of thermal paste.
For a full comparison of different application patterns, read, “What Is the Best Thermal Paste Pattern? Actual Performance Comparison”.
How much thermal paste should you apply on mining GPU?
Again, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question as well. The amount you need to apply purely depends on the size, i.e., the length and width of your GPU.
For instance, if you have a 30mm by 30mm GPU/CPU, 0.2ml thermal paste is sufficient. You’ll need to add more or less into that amount to account for your GPU size.
