Should I buy thermal paste?

R

r3dh3adkid

New Member
I am building my own computer (on semi-limited computer knowledge) and I bought the AMD 64 3200+ processor.

I would like to know if it would be a good idea to buy some thermal compound to apply to it or not? If so what compound....


Also the PSU I have is an Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W.

(btw this is my first post ;) )
 
Yes, you will need thermal paste, most people recomend Arctic silver 5, and thats what I use. You will of course want a good heatsink as well.
 
Arctic Silver 5 is the second best thermal compound on the market, i still use the stuff. the best stuff is like coolabs liquid pro and its not safe to use on aluminum heatsinks so unless you have a copper or silver heatsink then i highly suggest you stick with AS5.

cool laboratory liquid pro (the best, NO ALUMINUM!)
http://www.frozencpu.com/thr-26.html

Arctic Silver compound 5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007

make sure you follow the instructions on the manufacturers website... i know each of them have their own set of instructions... for instance you should store arctic silver 5 in an upright position because then the silver settles to the bottom.
 
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to be honest on semi limited knowlege i would say there is no need.

With a decent case the stock heatsink with its own paste will be just fine, i got thermal paste when i bought my 3200 but never used it.
 
technically... you dont need anything on the heatsink. as long as you bought the cpu as "retail" it will come with a heatsink that has pre-applied thermal compound on it.
yes, if you're overclocking then get AS5 of that liquid pro stuff. make sure you get a good copper heatsink like the Tt big typhoon or something. what proc did you buy and what speed would you like to reach with it?
 
You will not NEED thermal paste if you got a retail package. However, I say go for it as what most coolers come with(in the retail processor package or separate) usally are pretty bad.
 
It came with a compound already on it but as much as i've heard about AS5 I figured it would be a good idea to get AS5


@ fade2green514

I bought the AMD Athlon 64 3200+ and I plan to let my friend overclock it for me cause I dont know alot about OC'ing and he said he's willing to do it for me.
 
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its advisable to always have case fans generally. Its just a good idea to have some sort of airflow through your system. It might be fine now but if the ambient room temperature increases as the seasons change you might have problems.

At least one outflow fan on the back is a good start. I would suggest two though, one as an intake on the front and one outflow at the back so there is a constant flow of air through the case
 
BTW....your PSU will do it's job. If I'm correct, it even comes with a fan control panel so you can control all of your fan speeds.
 
As others said, you will need thermal paste, but it should come with the CPU, unless you ordered a OEM version....in that case then it should come with whatever heatsink you buy.

Personally on the ARtic Sivler matter...I think your paying for the brand name and thats about it... just IMO thoughl, many people disagree.
 
if you're overclocking you'll need a better cooler and some thermal compound. is your friend going to apply the heatsink for you? if not then i suggest you read through the instructions i gave you thoroughly.
 
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