Do new CPUs generally come with thermal compound applied or included?

SmoothJK · 02-10-2008, 07:20 PM

I'm thinking about ordering this:

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

And I'm wondering if I need to include thermal compound with the purchase. I've read places that sometimes, it comes with it already applied from the factory. In other cases, I was hoping it would come with the package. (With this particular CPU purchase, the heatsink and fan are included.)

Do I need to pick some up on the way home (maybe from RadioShack?) or is it something I don't need to worry about?

scorps65 · 03-10-2008, 02:41 AM

Normally they come with either a tube of paste for you to apply or with the thermal paste already applied. Either way, the paste is "average" in keeping your cpu temps low.

If your willing to buy a good thermal paste that'll slightly lower your temperatures, check the links below. They range from 5 to 10 dollars and are definitely worth the purchase.

Newegg.com - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - Thermal Compound / Grease

Newegg.com - Arctic Silver AA-14G Thermal Compound - Thermal Compound / Grease

Pimp · 03-10-2008, 12:47 PM

Arctic silver all the way, the best

SmoothJK · 03-10-2008, 02:03 PM

Thanks, picked up some Artic Silver on the way home at Radio Shack. Cost me like 9 bucks for a tiny tube. Ouch.

Pimp · 03-10-2008, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmoothJK

Thanks, picked up some Artic Silver on the way home at Radio Shack. Cost me like 9 bucks for a tiny tube. Ouch.

yeah that sound right it costs like £5 or £6 over here

Big B · 04-10-2008, 02:31 PM

If you buy a boxed retail chip, the heatsink will have a thermal pad on it.

jaggy · 04-10-2008, 05:58 PM

Yes, and Arctic Silver is not worth $9 in my opinion, it will lower your temps 2C maybe 3C degrees compared to the normal grease or heatpad.

-The best you can do for your CPU is to apply whatever paste correctly, that will lower your temps more than anything else.

Things to keep in mind:
-Cover Entire Surface that will touch the CPU (cover only one of them, the CPU or the HS)
-Paper thin layer, or even thinner.
-After applying everything, twist the heatsing on top of the CPU a TINY bit fourth and back once and then lock it in.

__________
Post Count:
Post # - 58

Pimp · 04-10-2008, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaggy

Yes, and Arctic Silver is not worth $9 in my opinion, it will lower your temps 2C maybe 3C degrees compared to the normal grease or heatpad.

-The best you can do for your CPU is to apply whatever paste correctly, that will lower your temps more than anything else.

Things to keep in mind:
-Cover Entire Surface that will touch the CPU (cover only one of them, the CPU or the HS)
-Paper thin layer, or even thinner.
-After applying everything, twist the heatsing on top of the CPU a TINY bit fourth and back once and then lock it in.

__________
Post Count:
Post # - 58

That is a good point but to hardcore gamers loosing 2-3 degrees is well worth $9 or maybe even more.

02-10-2008, 07:20 PM	#1 (permalink) Top
SmoothJK Geek Trainee Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 14 Status: Offline	Do new CPUs generally come with thermal compound applied or included? I'm thinking about ordering this: Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops And I'm wondering if I need to include thermal compound with the purchase. I've read places that sometimes, it comes with it already applied from the factory. In other cases, I was hoping it would come with the package. (With this particular CPU purchase, the heatsink and fan are included.) Do I need to pick some up on the way home (maybe from RadioShack?) or is it something I don't need to worry about?

03-10-2008, 02:41 AM	#2 (permalink) Top
scorps65 Mega Geek Join Date: Nov 2007 Age: 20 Male Posts: 375 Times Helpful: 22 My Mood: Psychadelic Status: Offline My Computer	Normally they come with either a tube of paste for you to apply or with the thermal paste already applied. Either way, the paste is "average" in keeping your cpu temps low. If your willing to buy a good thermal paste that'll slightly lower your temperatures, check the links below. They range from 5 to 10 dollars and are definitely worth the purchase. Newegg.com - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - Thermal Compound / Grease Newegg.com - Arctic Silver AA-14G Thermal Compound - Thermal Compound / Grease __________________

03-10-2008, 12:47 PM	#3 (permalink) Top
Pimp Captain of USS Defiant Join Date: Nov 2007 Age: 22 Male Posts: 876 Times Helpful: 28 My Mood: Dangerous Status: Offline My Computer	Arctic silver all the way, the best __________________ "Space has no boundary, that is empirically more certain than any external observation. However, that does not imply that space is infinite" - Bernhard Riemann

04-10-2008, 02:31 PM	#6 (permalink) Top
Big B HWF Godfather Join Date: Dec 2001 Age: 28 Male Posts: 9,636 Times Helpful: 585 My Mood: Devilish Status: Offline My Computer	If you buy a boxed retail chip, the heatsink will have a thermal pad on it. __________________ Hardware Forums\|HWF Rules\|My DVD's\|PSU FAQ\|HWF Folding Team\|2CPU

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03-10-2008, 02:03 PM	#4 (permalink) Top
SmoothJK Geek Trainee Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 14 Status: Offline	Thanks, picked up some Artic Silver on the way home at Radio Shack. Cost me like 9 bucks for a tiny tube. Ouch.

04-10-2008, 05:58 PM	#7 (permalink) Top
jaggy Geek Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 73 Times Helpful: 1 My Mood: In Love Status: Offline My Computer	Yes, and Arctic Silver is not worth $9 in my opinion, it will lower your temps 2C maybe 3C degrees compared to the normal grease or heatpad. -The best you can do for your CPU is to apply whatever paste correctly, that will lower your temps more than anything else. Things to keep in mind: -Cover Entire Surface that will touch the CPU (cover only one of them, the CPU or the HS) -Paper thin layer, or even thinner. -After applying everything, twist the heatsing on top of the CPU a TINY bit fourth and back once and then lock it in. __________ Post Count: Post # - 58

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