Thermal paste? How necessary is it?

Battaglia

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Sep 24, 2008
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So im about to put together my new rig once the parts arrive, one thing i didnt get was thermal paste and im wondering how important it is. I'm planning on overclocking for the first time. I have an Intel E8500 cpu, i bought a xigmatek 120mm fan and retention bracket for that cpu. Is thermal paste a must have? Or will the Xigmatek be sufficent?
 
Yes, it's a must have. Most heatsinks come with thermal paste (usually cheap stuff) pre-applied to the bottom. If you remove the heatsink, you need to clean off the old paste and apply new stuff. Thermal paste like AS5 and Arctic Ceramic work much better than the stuff that come pre-applied
 


Well you could've ignored the question rather than do your best to be the smart ass. Thanks to the rest of you who actually gave me an answer.
 
Agree with above that it is a must.

My Xigmatech came with some white "goo" in a small bag. I have no idea what brand it is etc but you could use it and not purchase extra thermal paste. It should be sufficient for your needs, even OCing unless you want to push for every extra Mhz possible.

Now if you want to get the very best get you some Shin-Etsu. Been using it for years and usually get 2-3C minimum advantage over AS5 (Arctic Silver 5).

 
nah, clearly you guys don't know the key to overclocking, you squeeze the WHOLE tube out onto the processor......

and if you want to take it to that next level, buy 2 full tubes.

It also makes a good after shave.
 


So thats where I screwed up. I should have stopped after the second tube?
 
oh cmon guys stop being so sarcastic and just type a quick response to him. we were all noobs at one stage even though we might have tried a little harder to find info out. there is something called GOOGLE mate! OCZ Freeze is top dog at the moment by a few degrees, but MX-2, AS 5 and the like are still much better than stock paste..
 
When you first start something, the easiest way can be most efficient. Go to the website of your cooling product or processor, check the links for installation instructions (some even hv videos) and just use the paste they sent you. These are baby steps here, no need to go off and buy super dynamic mega freezer past. This is your first time, go ahead and use what you've got, be careful and you will be fine.
 
Thermal paste...waaaaaay, overrated.

Seriously, I would not recommend overclocking anything until you can write at least 2 sentences about why thermal compound is necessary. However, its your gear, as long as you can afford to replace it, have fun. That's not meant to be a smart@$$ answer either. A limited understanding of the fundementals is recommended before attempting overclocking and I think many would agree that cooling and all related to it are part of those fundementals.

Good luck.
 
yeah I agree halcyon, I've been reading on overclocking for the past week and only got to doing my first overclock today!! 1.39vcore 3.2ghz on aQ6660 with arctic freezer pro 7, 4870x2 and antec 1200....well chuffed with myself!!!!
 


NO doubt! Yes it is importatant. Here ya go this might help :) www.tomshardware.com/forum/59320-28-thermal-paste-application