CPU Cooler Thermal Paste

Rowan88 · 9 Jun 2013 at 09:43

Hi,

I was just wondering when you buy a new motherboard and new cpu cooler do they come pre-pasted or do I need to go and buy some thermal paste before I start building?

Thanks

millsd44 · 9 Jun 2013 at 10:13

Stock coolers will come pre-pasted but any aftermarket coolers will need to be pasted before you put them on.

They pretty much always come with some of their own brand, but I'd always scrap this and buy some separately. Just my preference though, not sure how much real world difference there is between these.

olivier renault · 9 Jun 2013 at 11:11

The paste provided is usually perfectly acceptable. You can buy a small tube though, around £5. MX-4, ChillFactor III (the stuff provided with silver Arrows), Alpenfohn 'SnowCannon', Gelid GC-Extreme, NT-H1 (Noctua coolers), Prolimatech PK-1, ... It's all good, non conductive. MX-4 is easy to find, performant, cheap, and easy to apply (not too thick).

Rowan88 · 9 Jun 2013 at 11:46

Thanks,

I think I still have some MX-4 left over from when I repaired xbox consoles.

If not I definitely have some Akasa Thermal Paste kicking around, I am sure it would do the job just now.