Resolved Is thermal paste unneeded?

On a Chinese page, someone wrote that thermal paste is not needed if an Intel CPU is with the heatsink designed for it (I hope I have translated correctly).
Is it the case?

 

AMD supply new CPU and cooling fan assembly with a Thermal pad on some of their units. If the CPU and the cooling unit are clean ( no paste or pad) then it is very neccessary to apply the recommended thermal conductor in the correct fashion.
"How to applyThermal paste correctly "
http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Thermal-Paste
There is a video on the link also. Neil.

 

Both AMD & Intel supply the cooling fan assembly with the required amount of thermal paste applied. You don't have to do anything with these.

Almost all good 3rd party cooling fan assembly manufacturers don't apply the paste directly but give it along with the packing with instructions on how to apply it. A thermal paste is required in all the circumstances.

 

After cleaning the heatsink, do I have to apply thermal paste again?
Is it true that all Intel and AMD CPUs come with a heatsink and a fan?

 

What types of Intel and AMD CPUs do not come with a heatsink and fan?

 

I have an old heatsink for a LGA775 CPU. The CPU is of no use now. Do you think I can simply dump it? I am wondering whether it will still be useful if I buy in the future a CPU which does not come with a heatsink.

 

If you buy a CPU only - you will need to use the manufacturers recommended heatsink and fan. If you don't use an adequate size heatsink and fan - you may have serious cooling problems.
Just using any heatsink or fan is real hit and miss stuff. Neil.

 

Then do you think I should simply dump my old heatsink?

 

Absolutely you need TIM (thermal interface materials) - but it is critical to remember that too much is in the way and counterproductive.

The best heat transfer occurs with direct metal-to-metal contact between the mating surfaces. But neither heatsinks or CPU dies (the metal cover over the actual CPU) are without imperfections. They are covered with microscopic pits and valleys that can trap insulating air. You want to conduct the heat, not trap and insulate it so TIM pushes the air out of those pits and valleys. But again, too much TIM is bad so you want as thin a layer as possible to only fill the pits and valleys.

Some do not come with a heatsink and fan because it is expected the buyer will supply their own. All CPUs need a cooling solution - whether supplied by the CPU maker, or a third party.

No. The coolers supplied by both AMD and Intel are perfectly capable of keeping the CPUs cool.

Just remember, you can NEVER reuse TIM. If you remove the heatsink, you MUST clean the mating surfaces of all TIM (I use 91 - 93% isopropyl alcohol), and then apply a fresh new (and super thin) layer of TIM.

BTW - there is one scenario when no TIM is needed and that is after "lapping" - an extremely precise machining (grinding/polishing) process used to make mating surfaces perfectly smooth and flat. It is also an excellent way to void your CPU warranty!

 

Hi Matthew, Nearly all the info that Bill has posted was shown and described in the link I Posted in #3.
I purchase Isopropyl Alcohol from the Pharmacy/Chemist in a 50ml bottle and it's marked as 100%. Cheers Neil.