Do i need thermal paste

[chris2726058]

Ok so im building a pc and the cpu is intel pentium 3.2 ghz. Do i need thermal paste or can i just put the fan on it???

 

[rgd1101]

yes you need thermal paste, unless they have it on the fan.

 

[TJ Hooker]

If the CPU is new then the included cooler should already have thermal paste on it (looks like a few grey bars on the bottom of the heat sink).

In general, yes, you need thermal paste.

 

[lodders]

If the fan is new, it will come with thermal paste already on it. You don't need to buy any more

If the fan has been used before, you will need to clean it and apply new thermal paste

 

[AreFlame]

If there is no thermal paste you can say hello to thermal throttling.