Do I need to get a new thermal compound after lifting the heatsink for a second?

[mrmike16]

So I'm building a PC from scratch for the first time. I put the CPU in, and the stock heatsink. It's an i5-6600. The heatsink and paste are stock.

I watched a video after to make sure I did it right. I did, but I lifted the heatsink to make sure.

I then saw thermal paste on it. I also saw a small fingerprint on the corner. I wiped the fingerprint with a microfiber cloth, but it seems I caught a bit of the thermal past which smudged a little.

I really don't want to have to make yet ANOTHER order and wait for thermal paste to arrive. This is brand new.

Do I have to replace it? Won't my PC be fine without it? I made a mistake already 🙁

Also, my Antec 302 doesn't like my PSU. The tab that holds it in place is too tight for it to fit in. Is it safe to bend the tab back a bit with a wrench?

Thanks!

 

[RockyPlays]

The thermal paste should be fine, though it wouldn't hurt to order some still and re-apply when it arrives.

 

[azaran]

Assuming you didn't run it, and the compound hasn't had a chance to heat up, you should be fine. If it had been run and heated up (thus softening the compound), there's the chance that you could create air pockets in the compound. But the stuff on stock coolers isn't super precise anyway so I doubt you need to worry. To make sure, when you fire it up, stress test it. Monitor the heat levels and see if you're within spec. Frankly you should do that even if you aren't concerned about the compound anyway. Intel coolers aren't the best around anyway so you may want to replace that in the future for a less noise, better cooler, but you should be able to use it as is now till then.

As for your case, double check that there isn't a screw anywhere or that your angle isn't off when you try putting the PSU in. IF it just isn't a great fit, bending the case in that area shouldnt be a huge deal, but it may make any future work involving the PSU more difficult.