How much cooler is themal paste

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mnc221

mnc221

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Jul 24, 2013
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I recently opened up my PC to clean the dust and took out the stock 8350 cooler. The thermal paste was old so I cleaned it off the cpu and the cooler. I reassembled it and used my computer. It seemed like it made no difference at all. Gaming is still the same. However, I checked HW monitor and it said my cpu cooler was running at 5000rpm. Will thermal paste lower the RPM? Also it sounds like a jet engine when gaming, though I don't plan on getting a new cooler as I always wear headphones and can't hear it.
 
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You need thermal interface material to bridge the air gap between the two metal surfaces to conduct heat. No matter how flat/smooth a IHS or heatsink might seem, there are tiny imperfections all over the surface where there is no direct contact. You need a material like paste, a pad, etc. to conduct heat through that area.

The reason why the fan is cranking is because heat can't be removed fast enough and the die is too hot. I imagine you've already exceeded the thermal envelope of the processor by a good margin.

TL;DR it makes a big difference; don't operate without it.
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teh_chem

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You need thermal interface material to bridge the air gap between the two metal surfaces to conduct heat. No matter how flat/smooth a IHS or heatsink might seem, there are tiny imperfections all over the surface where there is no direct contact. You need a material like paste, a pad, etc. to conduct heat through that area.

The reason why the fan is cranking is because heat can't be removed fast enough and the die is too hot. I imagine you've already exceeded the thermal envelope of the processor by a good margin.

TL;DR it makes a big difference; don't operate without it.
 
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jimmysmitty

jimmysmitty

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Oct 5, 2007
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You need thermal paste. The cooler, especially stock ones, are not completely flat and will have air holes meaning heat will not get transferred properly.

You need thermal paste to help fill in these small gaps, some are even microscopic, and help transfer the heat from the CPU to the heatsink.

What is probably happening is the CPU is getting very hot and the fan is going into overdrive to cool it down but is not making a difference since the heat is not transferring to the heatsink to be dissipated.
 
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airplanegeek

airplanegeek

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most AMD cpus*
 
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mnc221

mnc221

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Sorry for late reply guys. I checked my cpu and it has got that paste on it but isn't smooth. Its a bit bumpy and worn. HW Monitor shows my cpu fan is running at 2000RPM and cpu is at 35 degrees without gaming. Can I still use my PC for normal usage until I get new thermal paste?

Hardware Monitor image link below:

http://postimg.org/image/a8b7u0jmj/
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Not really, no. Once you break the bond between CPU and cooler, you must clean all the old junk off and reapply.
 
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bygbyron3

bygbyron3

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Thermal paste just fills in the inconsistencies of two surfaces that should have no gaps between. Without thermal paste you'll have gaps between the heatsink and chip which fill with air and greatly reduces the effectiveness of the heatsink.

I'd recommend using thermal paste if you plan to use your PC at all. That being said, if you fervently monitor your temperatures you could override your fan to max speed and use it under a light load, but not using thermal paste is reckless regardless.
 
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leeb2013

leeb2013

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just turn up your headphone LOL! No-one uses thermal paste. [joke]
 
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mnc221

mnc221

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Haha, I just ordered Arctic Silver 5 Paste so no problem there.
 
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