I've got two small unlabeled plastic syringes with white cooling paste
- these are probably 8 years old. Should I throw them out and buy new?
I would, since a new tube of medium-quality thermal paste costs $5... And not for anything, but I wouldn't put 8 year old thermal paste anywhere near a new computer.
I'll need some paste to build a mid-range system, so I don't want
(need?) the best and most expensive cooling paste. If unused cooling
paste doesn't deteriorate over time, then I could even use what I've
got.
Yes, you could use what you have. It probably still works fine, and as long as it's not dried out and was stored properly (i.e. at room temperature in the dark). It should perform just as well.
That being said, you should highly consider buying new thermal paste, or at least a reasonably priced, decent quality one. I never recommend anyone cheaps out on thermal paste, regardless of how much your system costs. For $5-10, you get a lot better returns on cooling performance, which translates into longevity of your system's components.
2my 2 cents, I once bought a toothpaste sized tube of the stuff not really realising how little i needed, it's lasted years and years and years and still works perfectly. Not even slightly dried out. – Sirex – 2011-08-08T14:46:13.310
@ Sirex, that must be Silicone based, not the best compound but lasts forever on the shelf. I still use it on older systems, works well. – Moab – 2011-08-08T17:04:06.143
@Sirex - We did the same thing, they were big even for the shop! :) We had a couple of those tubes left from ~12 years ago, hadn't used any of it in about 5. Opened up a 'new' tube about a month ago and the compound had finally separated in the tube; re-mixing it didn't produce usable results. :) They lasted 7 years no problem though, at least. – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2011-08-08T23:41:17.870
yes it's silicone based. I recently used it on a quad core, worked a treat and runs stone cold. – Sirex – 2011-08-09T07:44:24.327