URGENT! Thermal paste question!

[BenKavanagh]

I just bought a new cpu cooler and it looks to have thermal paste on it already (not really sure im kinda a noob). I just cleaned the paste off my cpu and now do i put more paste on or is the paste that's already on the cooler good enough? Pics below

[Jidonsu]

If the CPU cooler already has paste preapplied, you can just use it. 

[IsaacDaGrazin]

yeah that paste is fine, just slap it on your cpu

[Midnitewarrior4]

1 hour ago, BenKavanagh said:

I just bought a new cpu cooler and it looks to have thermal paste on it already (not really sure im kinda a noob). I just cleaned the paste off my cpu and now do i put more paste on or is the paste that's already on the cooler good enough? Pics below

 

dont put more just use the stuff thats already on it

[BenKavanagh]

1 minute ago, Jidonsu said:

If the CPU cooler already has paste preapplied, you can just use it. 

Thanks!

[DunePilot]

You can use the paste on the cooler as long as it isn't all dried up. If it had some kind of plastic piece on it then it's probably still good. It would be good to pick up a tube of MX-4 of something though when you can. $10-15 will buy you a tube that will last months or years for most people.

[swordsm3n]

Kind of surprised no one has said anything about air bubbles that would get trapped in there, because they certainly would. Not that I think it is a big deal or anything, but some people think its a huge deal.

[RZeroX]

It's fine go ahead and use it.

[Godlygamer23]

3 minutes ago, swordsm3n said:

Kind of surprised no one has said anything about air bubbles that would get trapped in there, because they certainly would. Not that I think it is a big deal or anything, but some people think its a huge deal.

Using pre-applied paste will not likely to cause air bubbles, but it can be a big deal because that affects the contact between the surface of the component and the cooler, which increases temperatures.

[swordsm3n]

4 hours ago, Godlygamer23 said:

Using pre-applied paste will not likely to cause air bubbles, but it can be a big deal because that affects the contact between the surface of the component and the cooler, which increases temperatures.

My point wasnt that using pre-applied paste would cause air bubbles. The crosshatch pattern will however. Think about how the paste will spread when pressure is applied.

[Raspharus]

Mine, also came with some thermal paste pre applied. Not all people have thermal paste around their house, and this serves as a safety measure. Some of them don't even know that you have to apply thermal paste to the thing in order to work. So I guess that as a safety measure they decided to pre-apply it.

[swordsm3n]

6 hours ago, Raspharus said:

Mine, also came with some thermal paste pre applied. Not all people have thermal paste around their house, and this serves as a safety measure. Some of them don't even know that you have to apply thermal paste to the thing in order to work. So I guess that as a safety measure they decided to pre-apply it.

Yea definitely. I havent bought just a ton of aftermarket coolers, but all the ones I have bought came with it pre-applied or a tube came in the box. Im sure its to save the heasache from all the calls they might get due to their cooler "not working" lol

[Allshevski]

12 hours ago, swordsm3n said:

My point wasnt that using pre-applied paste would cause air bubbles. The crosshatch pattern will however. Think about how the paste will spread when pressure is applied.

I think they thought about it when pre-applying the paste. And you can't be sure, I bet you haven't tested it and even if you did, the temps were not that different.

[swordsm3n]

1 hour ago, Allshevski said:

I think they thought about it when pre-applying the paste. And you can't be sure, I bet you haven't tested it and even if you did, the temps were not that different.

If you read my previous post you will notice that I said it wasnt a big deal. As for the pattern leaving some air in there, that is just basic physics, but it isnt that big of a deal. The CPUs "lid" is a heat spreader itself.