Please Explain Thermal Paste

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K

Kade McGarraghy

Honorable
Oct 9, 2013
19
0
10,510
Hi,
I am building my first gaming PC in a couple of weeks (specs below) and I am wondering about thermal paste as I keep seeing it on the forums. If someone could explain everything about it to me and if I need it, that would be awesome.

If you have any suggestions for my build, don't hesitate to say it.

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/23wxI
Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/23wxI/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/23wxI/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($262.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($145.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($167.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($699.00 @ CPL Online)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($28.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($139.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($215.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG BH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2130.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-17 16:20 EST+1100)
 
Solution
jimthenagual
It comes with the cpu cooler you are buying.

Basically, there are tiny imperfections on the surface of the cpu and heatsink. So the thermal paste fills those tiny holes up, and bonds the cpu to the heatsink for smoother heat transfer.

And that's a very nice looking build!
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jimthenagual

jimthenagual

Splendid
Apr 8, 2012
4,005
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It comes with the cpu cooler you are buying.

Basically, there are tiny imperfections on the surface of the cpu and heatsink. So the thermal paste fills those tiny holes up, and bonds the cpu to the heatsink for smoother heat transfer.

And that's a very nice looking build!
 
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Solution
K

Kade McGarraghy

Honorable
Oct 9, 2013
19
0
10,510


Thanks for that.
I am really looking foward to this as it took almost 2 years to save up :p

 
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jimthenagual

jimthenagual

Splendid
Apr 8, 2012
4,005
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If I were to critique your build I would say

-go for a haswell build (4670k and a Z87 motherboard)
-don't need the caviar black hard drive since your OS is on the SSD. Can get a blue (for example) and save some money here.

But as it is now, you'll love it I am sure.
 
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K

Kade McGarraghy

Honorable
Oct 9, 2013
19
0
10,510


I've heard about issues with the overlcocking and heat. I see you have a i5 4670k, what's your experience with the overclocking and heat?
 
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jimthenagual

jimthenagual

Splendid
Apr 8, 2012
4,005
16
29,365
I am not an aggressive overclocker. I am very happy at 4.4GHz, and my temps are about 60c max while gaming. I haven't even tried higher, but I know I could. But if you are wanting to choose the CPU based on which will overclock better, the IB is probably the way to go. Chances are you'll be able to get a higher OC on the IB.

The IB vs haswell debate is still ongoing. Haswell performs better, but IB OCs better. If you have an IB, there is no reason to upgrade to haswell at all. But for a new system, I went with haswell on my build on the hopes that there will be upgrade options released. But even that is a gamble. That's why I said you will be very happy with your build as it is. You will be! I mostly wanted to make sure you were aware that there is a newer socket than the one you are building on. Sounds like you've done your homework enough to make the decision.
 
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K

Kade McGarraghy

Honorable
Oct 9, 2013
19
0
10,510


Thanks for all the info. I changed the 3570k to 4670k and I changed my 2TB hard drive to a 1TB hard drive so I could afford the Z87 instead of the Z77. Really helpful :)
 
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