Silica gel thermal paste -- oh really...

[AmberClad]

I'm reading over some documentation, and I see this:

Attention:

1. Attach the CPU and heatsink using silica gel to ensure full contact.
2. It is suggested to select high-quality, certified fans in order to avoid
damage to the motherboard and CPU due high temperatures.
3. Never turn on the machine if the CPU fan is not properly installed.
4. Ensure that the DC power supply is turned off before inserting or
removing expansion cards or other peripherals, especially when
you insert or remove a memory module. Failure to switch off the DC
power supply may result in serious damage to your system or
memory module.

They're seemingly telling me to find one of those little white packets of silica gel beads, and dump it between the CPU and the heatsink . Did something get lost in the translation, or is silica gel really used in thermal paste?

 

[Keysplayr]

Isn't silica Gel toxic? Anyone?

 

[AmberClad]

I wouldn't be surprised if it were. After all, they do always label those packets with "DO NOT EAT". Looking through the images in the rest of the PDF, the person appears to be wearing fab worker gloves. So I suppose they expect you to put on gloves before applying toxic silica gel on your CPU.

Sadly, none of the images actually show the supposed silica gel application process ...