installing CPU(2 questions)

[sample text]

I bought ryzen 2700x with Wraith Prism cooler:

 

1.Should I use thermal paste or not?I don't know how to know if it already has applied thermal paste or not

 

2.Why is it so important to not touch the top of the CPU chip? Ppl always say to touch the CPU chip on the sideways

[xdeathshot20]

1 minute ago, sample text said:

I bought ryzen 2700x with Wraith Prism cooler:

 

1.Should I use thermal paste or not?I don't know how to know if it already has applied thermal paste or not

 

2.Why is it so important to not touch the top of the CPU chip? Ppl always say to touch the CPU chip on the sideways

You must use thermal paste otherwise the cpu will overheat.  as to tell if there is some already applied, there should be some gray paste on the bottom of the cpu cooler,  if there is then your good to go.  As for not touching the cpu, some things that could possibly happen is the oils from your hands could damage the cpu or static electricity.  You can touch the top of the cpu where the heat sink is.  Try and avoid touching the contact pins on the bottem of the cpu as that is where you could damage something

[Oshino Shinobu]

1. You need to use TIM/thermal paste. Not using it will cause the CPu to overheat. The CPU won't have it pre-applied, but most coolers will, or will come with a small amount for you to apply. Make sure you remove any plastic film from the bottom of the CPU cooler, quite a few people miss that. 

 

2. The reason you should avoid touching the top of the CPU/IHS is because it will leave behind oils that can potentially break down the TIM and/or create an additional layer between the CPU and CPU cooler, impacting temperatures. If you do touch the top of it with your fingers, it's a good idea to give it a clean with a lint free cloth (something like paper towels will do) and some isopropoyl alcohol. This will clean off the oils and the alcohol will evaporate, leaving the surface free of contaminants.