Is thermal paste really neccesary?

[mitchafi]

I had never heard anything about this until I opened the processor package and it says it is required. I don't have any 🙁

 

[episodic]

You must either have thermal paste or a thermal pad.

 

[Brian48]

I don't have any

So just run down to your local Radio Shack and pick up a $2 tube. The silver base stuff found at PC stores and online is better, but you'd be paying a little bit more.

 

[Lonyo]

If you bought Retail, there shoul dbe a thermal pad.
If you bought OEM and you're sticking on a new heatsink (or re-using an old one), then you need thermal paste, or the CPU will get very hot and most probably shut down fairly often, or break (burn).

 

[mitchafi]

OK i just realized there is a thermal pad already on the heatsink/fan. Does it matter if it is not perfectly intact? I didn't touch it but it has already chipped ever so slightly in a few places.

 

[Varun]

The pad should be new, you can not reuse them.

It is VERY important that you use either a pad or paste! If you do not use one or the other then the insane heat generated by the processor will not be efficiently moved into the heatsink. Quite likely the processor will quit, or if you are very unlucky, burn up completely.

 

[John]

The cpu core usually touches the center of the thermal pad, so if it's not missing too much in that area you'll be fine.

 

[NokiaDude]

Thermal paste is used to help the thermal conductivity between the heatsink the CPU. The heatsink and the CPU are like two pieces of flat glass, the thermal paste fills in the microscopic pits on the heatsink. Two much is like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the two pieces of bread won't touch! 😀

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Just go buy some thermal paste. Even the cheapest $2 stuff is better than a pad.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: mitchafi
OK i just realized there is a thermal pad already on the heatsink/fan. Does it matter if it is not perfectly intact? I didn't touch it but it has already chipped ever so slightly in a few places.

Make sure you pull off the protective plastic film on the pad if there is one- IMPORTANT>