[SOLVED] Motherboard Advice

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Commendable
Dec 17, 2019
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I'm about to build a new computer for my son. I'm looking at the following mainstream motherboards and was hoping to get some advice. Number 1 appears to have received the best reviews.

  1. ASUS TUF Z370 Plus Gaming (top rated)
  2. ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming (Wi-Fi)
  3. Asus ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming
  4. Asus Prime Z390-P

Most likely there will be no overclocking and if there was it would be negligible.
 
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Solution
So, I'd use the drive I recommended, for installing the OS, applications and game launchers on. I'd use the FireCuda for installing/storing the game files and any documents, movies, music, personal folders, etc. on.

That Intel 660p is miles faster than that hybrid SSHD for almost everything it does, but it is too small for installing a lot of games on. It is plenty large enough for Windows and whatever programs you need to install though.

I'd also make sure, if this is for school use, that there is at least SOME kind of secondary drive like an external HDD or SSD, large flash/thumb drive or something, to back up important files, school projects, Windows OS backup image, etc., so that if something happens you don't end up losing what...
Which do you recommend?

That depends on what the system is for, what you need it to do, at what LEVEL you need it to do it at, what you can afford and what the rest of the hardware configuration looks like?

Honestly, I probably wouldn't even recommend going with Intel at the moment. You can get as good or better performance with a Ryzen 3rd gen build for considerably less money in most cases. If you MUST go with Intel, and this is to be primarily a gaming machine, then I'd recommend the 9700k. There are really no games that require more than 8 cores anyhow. If it is to be a system used for heavy gaming AND throw in some heavy multitasking, such as recording, streaming, encoding, many browser tabs, etc., then it's still probably fine but there might be some additional advantage to a Ryzen build in that case due to the extra cores or hyperthreads depending on the model, again, probably for less money with similar single core performance.
 
That depends on what the system is for, what you need it to do, at what LEVEL you need it to do it at, what you can afford and what the rest of the hardware configuration looks like?

Honestly, I probably wouldn't even recommend going with Intel at the moment. You can get as good or better performance with a Ryzen 3rd gen build for considerably less money in most cases. If you MUST go with Intel, and this is to be primarily a gaming machine, then I'd recommend the 9700k. There are really no games that require more than 8 cores anyhow. If it is to be a system used for heavy gaming AND throw in some heavy multitasking, such as recording, streaming, encoding, many browser tabs, etc., then it's still probably fine but there might be some additional advantage to a Ryzen build in that case due to the extra cores or hyperthreads depending on the model, again, probably for less money with similar single core performance.

Thanks for the reply. Though, it will be used for gaming it certainly won't be heavy gaming. If I were building a gaming rig I would probably move up a tier or two on the motherboard. I believe the most gaming he will probably do would be maybe WoW or other games along that line. BTW, this will be a machine for college and some gaming on the side. It won't be solely used for gaming.

I appreciate your input.
 
Ok. So, a few more questions.

Have you bought or do you have, ANYTHING for this build, yet? If so, what? This way we can not focus on things (Once we confirm that those things ARE sufficient, appropriate, commendable, acceptable, etc.) you need and not waste time on anything you don't need, IF you don't need something.

If you have not either purchased any components yet or don't already have some of the components needed, and I guess even if you do, what is your full budget allowance for what you need to get this build done?

I have a pretty good idea of what I'm likely to recommend for you, and it's not going to be Intel based because I think you're going to be a lot happier with what you can get both as relative to performance AND to your wallet, with a Ryzen build, however if you are dead set on Intel then we can certainly go that way as well. Completely up to you, but I'll make my recommendation anyhow both ways so you have options. The fact is, right now, unless you are looking for ONLY the "technically" best gaming CPU, and even that is not only debatable but also dependent on WHAT game we are talking about, that Intel is for once in a great long while probably not the best option although they do still have pretty good performance so they are not pack of old ladies coming last to the finish line either.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Been gone doing Christmas shopping all day and never got on here until this evening.
 
Ok. So, a few more questions.

Have you bought or do you have, ANYTHING for this build, yet? If so, what? This way we can not focus on things (Once we confirm that those things ARE sufficient, appropriate, commendable, acceptable, etc.) you need and not waste time on anything you don't need, IF you don't need something.

If you have not either purchased any components yet or don't already have some of the components needed, and I guess even if you do, what is your full budget allowance for what you need to get this build done?

I have a pretty good idea of what I'm likely to recommend for you, and it's not going to be Intel based because I think you're going to be a lot happier with what you can get both as relative to performance AND to your wallet, with a Ryzen build, however if you are dead set on Intel then we can certainly go that way as well. Completely up to you, but I'll make my recommendation anyhow both ways so you have options. The fact is, right now, unless you are looking for ONLY the "technically" best gaming CPU, and even that is not only debatable but also dependent on WHAT game we are talking about, that Intel is for once in a great long while probably not the best option although they do still have pretty good performance so they are not pack of old ladies coming last to the finish line either.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Been gone doing Christmas shopping all day and never got on here until this evening.


So, the only thing I have purchased so far is a 2TB Hybrid drive that was on sale during the Thanksgiving sales.

When I looked at the google speadsheet I only looked at the mainsteam tier as he won't be doing anything too intensive (gaming or otherwise). I only looked at ASUS, because to tell you the truth those are the only MB I've ever installed. I've always liked them, but open to other suggestions.

So, this new PC will be for school and some gaming (WoW and some other games along that line that he plays). It's been about 5 years since I've built a new PC so I know things have changed a lot in the past 5 years.

So, you recommendations would go a long way.

Oh and he won't be doing any overclocking and most of the items (unless you know of some great sales) will be purchased via Amazon.
 
Ok, perfect. So then, at least as a starting place and obviously you can feel free to make modifications where necessary, but something like this would be a great option.

This would be my recommendation, or one of them anyhow, for a very capable school and productivity desktop that is also a highly capable 1080p gaming machine.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($43.59 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $879.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-20 14:12 EST-0500
 
Ok, perfect. So then, at least as a starting place and obviously you can feel free to make modifications where necessary, but something like this would be a great option.

This would be my recommendation, or one of them anyhow, for a very capable school and productivity desktop that is also a highly capable 1080p gaming machine.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($43.59 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $879.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-20 14:12 EST-0500

Thanks for all the information.

Do you have a backup to EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ Best Buy)? It's sold out. It looks like it might not be stocked again.


Antec High Current Gamer Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($43.59 @ Amazon) is $43.59, but with 60+ dollar shipping.

Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon) Is this a fairly quiet case?

Thanks for all the help.
 
Yes, that shipping is stupid. Didn't notice that. Not supposed to be using third party sellers in PCPP listings but it happens sometimes.

The Fractal design Focus G is neither loud nor quiet, as for most cases it is so. Fans are the bigger consideration when it comes to whether or not a case will be quiet or noisy. Very good high quality fans will tend to be less noisy. Cheap fans will be louder. Cases NEVER come with high quality fans. They might come with decent, mediocre quality fans, but so far I've never seen a case come with fans from the upper echelons of what that manufacturer has to offer. They will be among their cheaper offerings. Adding high quality fans would require increasing the price of the case and then they don't LOOK competitive even though you would be getter better product, so if you want a noticeably quiet system you will want to consider adding high quality fans at some point, and you should probably factor in adding at least one additional fan no matter whether you stick with the stock fans or not because rarely does a case come with more than one or two fans anyhow and that's really not enough.

Generally speaking, the addition of fans is something that can be done at a later date but if you wish to address the fans at this time I am more than happy to make recommendations there. Be prepared to spend around 75-100 dollars on fans if you wish to add different, matching, all high quality fans or an additional 15-30 dollars if you just want to add one or two functional but still half decent quality fans to what a given case comes with.

Optimally, for almost all configurations, you would want to see two or three front intake fans and two exhaust fans, in the rear and top-rear locations.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB OC Video Card ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $900.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-21 02:30 EST-0500
 
Yes, that shipping is stupid. Didn't notice that. Not supposed to be using third party sellers in PCPP listings but it happens sometimes.

The Fractal design Focus G is neither loud nor quiet, as for most cases it is so. Fans are the bigger consideration when it comes to whether or not a case will be quiet or noisy. Very good high quality fans will tend to be less noisy. Cheap fans will be louder. Cases NEVER come with high quality fans. They might come with decent, mediocre quality fans, but so far I've never seen a case come with fans from the upper echelons of what that manufacturer has to offer. They will be among their cheaper offerings. Adding high quality fans would require increasing the price of the case and then they don't LOOK competitive even though you would be getter better product, so if you want a noticeably quiet system you will want to consider adding high quality fans at some point, and you should probably factor in adding at least one additional fan no matter whether you stick with the stock fans or not because rarely does a case come with more than one or two fans anyhow and that's really not enough.

Generally speaking, the addition of fans is something that can be done at a later date but if you wish to address the fans at this time I am more than happy to make recommendations there. Be prepared to spend around 75-100 dollars on fans if you wish to add different, matching, all high quality fans or an additional 15-30 dollars if you just want to add one or two functional but still half decent quality fans to what a given case comes with.

Optimally, for almost all configurations, you would want to see two or three front intake fans and two exhaust fans, in the rear and top-rear locations.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6 GB OC Video Card ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $900.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-21 02:30 EST-0500

Thanks for the information. Is there any reason why the new power supply you selected has lower wattage?

Also, what do you think about these Antec Cases? P101, P110, P5, and P7?

Thanks
 
Because it's cheaper. The only reason I went with that 650w unit is because it looked to be on sale. A 450w unit would actually be enough to run that graphics card on if it were a good quality 450w unit, but at 550w it not only gives you a little extra headroom for thermal operation and quiet fan, but also for longevity AND if you should decide to upgrade the graphics card at some point, or overclock the graphics card or CPU, or add a bunch of lighting and storage devices, it would have enough overhead to accommodate all of that. So anything between 550-650w is plenty.

Honestly, Antec is stuck in the 90's when it comes to their case designs if you ask me. I don't even bother looking at their cases anymore because they simply look like they are ten to twenty year old designs and most of them tend to lack features that are commonly found on even budget case models these days.

If you want to spend that kind of money on a case, and getting a "silent" case is an important consideration, then I'd look at the Define R6, R6 tempered glass, Define S2, Define meshify S2, or even an older Define R5 or R5 TG. Or, something from Corsair or Phankteks.

Don't get me wrong, the P101 is "ok", and Antec in general has decent quality, but they always seem to be about five years behind everybody else in terms of including features like modern fan hubs, latest USB protocols on the front panel, they tend to be somewhat restricted on front panel air intake. Might be ok though if you can get a good deal.

The P5 is a micro case. You don't want that. The P7 is seriously restricted. I imagine that case has enormous heat issues when used with anything more than very basic hardware especially with big graphics cards.

I just, nobody really thinks Antec anymore when it comes to high quality cases or fans these days. That's because, they're generally not. Their power supplies, some of them, are still ok because many of them are built on high quality Seasonic platforms. A few of their units are built on Delta platforms, or at least some of the VP units WERE in the past. Now, I think they are mostly Seasonic and then some cheaper FSP, CWT and Andyson platforms that are not particularly good.

Honestly, in the the 50-80 dollar range, you won't find a better case than that Focus G. I know a lot of people who've used it and are very pleased with it for the price. I've built two systems in that case for customers and it was better than any fifty dollar case I've ever worked in before.

Personally, I think you're a lot better off no matter what kind of build it is to go with something in the 100 to 150 dollar range, but budgets don't always allow for that so when you need to shave some costs off, that case is a good way to do it, if you have to.
 
Because it's cheaper. The only reason I went with that 650w unit is because it looked to be on sale. A 450w unit would actually be enough to run that graphics card on if it were a good quality 450w unit, but at 550w it not only gives you a little extra headroom for thermal operation and quiet fan, but also for longevity AND if you should decide to upgrade the graphics card at some point, or overclock the graphics card or CPU, or add a bunch of lighting and storage devices, it would have enough overhead to accommodate all of that. So anything between 550-650w is plenty.

Honestly, Antec is stuck in the 90's when it comes to their case designs if you ask me. I don't even bother looking at their cases anymore because they simply look like they are ten to twenty year old designs and most of them tend to lack features that are commonly found on even budget case models these days.

If you want to spend that kind of money on a case, and getting a "silent" case is an important consideration, then I'd look at the Define R6, R6 tempered glass, Define S2, Define meshify S2, or even an older Define R5 or R5 TG. Or, something from Corsair or Phankteks.

Don't get me wrong, the P101 is "ok", and Antec in general has decent quality, but they always seem to be about five years behind everybody else in terms of including features like modern fan hubs, latest USB protocols on the front panel, they tend to be somewhat restricted on front panel air intake. Might be ok though if you can get a good deal.

The P5 is a micro case. You don't want that. The P7 is seriously restricted. I imagine that case has enormous heat issues when used with anything more than very basic hardware especially with big graphics cards.

I just, nobody really thinks Antec anymore when it comes to high quality cases or fans these days. That's because, they're generally not. Their power supplies, some of them, are still ok because many of them are built on high quality Seasonic platforms. A few of their units are built on Delta platforms, or at least some of the VP units WERE in the past. Now, I think they are mostly Seasonic and then some cheaper FSP, CWT and Andyson platforms that are not particularly good.

Honestly, in the the 50-80 dollar range, you won't find a better case than that Focus G. I know a lot of people who've used it and are very pleased with it for the price. I've built two systems in that case for customers and it was better than any fifty dollar case I've ever worked in before.

Personally, I think you're a lot better off no matter what kind of build it is to go with something in the 100 to 150 dollar range, but budgets don't always allow for that so when you need to shave some costs off, that case is a good way to do it, if you have to.

Sounds good. I guess my last question is working with Ryzen processors and MB's. I've done lots of installs with Intel processors / Intel based MB's. Is there anything I should note when doing the install?

Oh and this was the drive I purchased during the Thanksgiving deals.

Seagate FireCuda 2TB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s Flash Accelerated for Gaming PC Desktop


Thanks again.
 
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So, I'd use the drive I recommended, for installing the OS, applications and game launchers on. I'd use the FireCuda for installing/storing the game files and any documents, movies, music, personal folders, etc. on.

That Intel 660p is miles faster than that hybrid SSHD for almost everything it does, but it is too small for installing a lot of games on. It is plenty large enough for Windows and whatever programs you need to install though.

I'd also make sure, if this is for school use, that there is at least SOME kind of secondary drive like an external HDD or SSD, large flash/thumb drive or something, to back up important files, school projects, Windows OS backup image, etc., so that if something happens you don't end up losing what cannot be replaced and might mean a failing grade if you don't have an extra copy of something that you've lost in the event the OS gets infected with a virus, or Windows decides to crap the bed. Never NOT have a backup for anything important. It's a good way to age ten years overnight if something happens. And really, it's NEVER a question of IF it will, only WHEN it will.

As far as the installation is concerned, it's really all the same whether Intel or AMD. The only REAL difference for the builder or installer is that on Intel the pins are on the motherboard and with AMD the pins are on the CPU. So you want to be fairly careful with the CPU until you get it installed in the socket and get the retainer locked down. After installing it in the socket (Making sure the alignment marks are CORRECTLY aligned with the marks on the socket) keep one finger lightly pressing down on the CPU so it can't "walk" up out of the socket or slightly sideways, until you've latched the locking arm down to the retainer. After that, it's pretty much all the same no matter what the platform is.

When in doubt, use Youtube. There are video tutorials for practically ANYTHING you need to know about these days. If really in doubt, ask me, I'll find one that is clear and accurate for you OR answer your question myself.
 
Solution
So, I'd use the drive I recommended, for installing the OS, applications and game launchers on. I'd use the FireCuda for installing/storing the game files and any documents, movies, music, personal folders, etc. on.

That Intel 660p is miles faster than that hybrid SSHD for almost everything it does, but it is too small for installing a lot of games on. It is plenty large enough for Windows and whatever programs you need to install though.

I'd also make sure, if this is for school use, that there is at least SOME kind of secondary drive like an external HDD or SSD, large flash/thumb drive or something, to back up important files, school projects, Windows OS backup image, etc., so that if something happens you don't end up losing what cannot be replaced and might mean a failing grade if you don't have an extra copy of something that you've lost in the event the OS gets infected with a virus, or Windows decides to crap the bed. Never NOT have a backup for anything important. It's a good way to age ten years overnight if something happens. And really, it's NEVER a question of IF it will, only WHEN it will.

As far as the installation is concerned, it's really all the same whether Intel or AMD. The only REAL difference for the builder or installer is that on Intel the pins are on the motherboard and with AMD the pins are on the CPU. So you want to be fairly careful with the CPU until you get it installed in the socket and get the retainer locked down. After installing it in the socket (Making sure the alignment marks are CORRECTLY aligned with the marks on the socket) keep one finger lightly pressing down on the CPU so it can't "walk" up out of the socket or slightly sideways, until you've latched the locking arm down to the retainer. After that, it's pretty much all the same no matter what the platform is.

When in doubt, use Youtube. There are video tutorials for practically ANYTHING you need to know about these days. If really in doubt, ask me, I'll find one that is clear and accurate for you OR answer your question myself.

Thanks again for all your help. Everything worked out great. You follow the basic methodology when it comes to making sure important data is backed up on a regular basis. It was nice building a new machine after not really having the opportunity in the past 5-6 years.
So, I'd use the drive I recommended, for installing the OS, applications and game launchers on. I'd use the FireCuda for installing/storing the game files and any documents, movies, music, personal folders, etc. on.

That Intel 660p is miles faster than that hybrid SSHD for almost everything it does, but it is too small for installing a lot of games on. It is plenty large enough for Windows and whatever programs you need to install though.

I'd also make sure, if this is for school use, that there is at least SOME kind of secondary drive like an external HDD or SSD, large flash/thumb drive or something, to back up important files, school projects, Windows OS backup image, etc., so that if something happens you don't end up losing what cannot be replaced and might mean a failing grade if you don't have an extra copy of something that you've lost in the event the OS gets infected with a virus, or Windows decides to crap the bed. Never NOT have a backup for anything important. It's a good way to age ten years overnight if something happens. And really, it's NEVER a question of IF it will, only WHEN it will.

As far as the installation is concerned, it's really all the same whether Intel or AMD. The only REAL difference for the builder or installer is that on Intel the pins are on the motherboard and with AMD the pins are on the CPU. So you want to be fairly careful with the CPU until you get it installed in the socket and get the retainer locked down. After installing it in the socket (Making sure the alignment marks are CORRECTLY aligned with the marks on the socket) keep one finger lightly pressing down on the CPU so it can't "walk" up out of the socket or slightly sideways, until you've latched the locking arm down to the retainer. After that, it's pretty much all the same no matter what the platform is.

When in doubt, use Youtube. There are video tutorials for practically ANYTHING you need to know about these days. If really in doubt, ask me, I'll find one that is clear and accurate for you OR answer your question myself.

Thanks for all your help. It was a very busy holiday and I only got around to doing the install now. I agree with your methodology on making sure data is backed up on a regular basis. I have one final question for you. The information with the CPU versus the documentation on the motherboard has one difference. The motherboard manual suggests thermal paste, but the instructions with the CPU don't mention thermal paste. Is this important since the CPU will never be overclocked?

Thanks again you have been a great resource.
 
Thermal paste must ALWAYS be used, no matter WHAT. Always. ALL CPUs need at minimum some thermal paste OR a thermal pad (IF it comes pre-applied to the heatsink that comes with the CPU, IF a heatsink comes with the CPU) and a cooler of some kind whether it's a passive one without a fan or one with a fan. Generally, you need one with a fan for most if not all configurations except some niche configurations.

So yes, you need thermal paste and a CPU cooler UNLESS your CPU comes with a cooler and has a thermal pad pre-applied to the bottom of the heatsink. If it does, then you don't, at least not for the initial installation but you WILL if you ever take it off and it should be changed every two to three years because the thermal paste dries out and loses it's effectiveness.

If you get one with the thermal paste pre-applied, be sure to remove any protective plastic covering the thermal paste before you install it.
 
Thermal paste must ALWAYS be used, no matter WHAT. Always. ALL CPUs need at minimum some thermal paste OR a thermal pad (IF it comes pre-applied to the heatsink that comes with the CPU, IF a heatsink comes with the CPU) and a cooler of some kind whether it's a passive one without a fan or one with a fan. Generally, you need one with a fan for most if not all configurations except some niche configurations.

So yes, you need thermal paste and a CPU cooler UNLESS your CPU comes with a cooler and has a thermal pad pre-applied to the bottom of the heatsink. If it does, then you don't, at least not for the initial installation but you WILL if you ever take it off and it should be changed every two to three years because the thermal paste dries out and loses it's effectiveness.

If you get one with the thermal paste pre-applied, be sure to remove any protective plastic covering the thermal paste before you install it.


I should've been more clear. The AMD CPU comes with a thermal pad (it's really paste) and there was no protective plastic over it (aside from it being in a plastic container - I've never seen one with the cooler in plastic and then another protective film over the paste) I was a bit confused at first taking it out of the plastic and see there was no film over the paste.

What I meant to ask was if additional paste needed to be added or could I rely solely on what was provided by the manufacturer.
 
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Yes, just what comes on the cooler is fine if you wish to use it that way.

Personally, I am of the belief AND have seen the evidence of, the fact that taking a razor blade and gently slicing off the preapplied TIM and then cleaning the rest of it off with isopropyl alcohol, and then using a good aftermarket thermal paste like Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut or Noctua NT-H2, or even Arctic Silver 5 or Arctic MX-4, offers better results than the pre-applied stock TIM.

However, the stock TIM should work fine for most people. If you do not wish to remove it and use an aftermarket thermal interface material, then there is no real need to do so. The difference would probably amount to maybe 2-3°C at the most anyhow, if that.