Cleaned Heatsink, forgot to apply new thermal paste.

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brosephh

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Jul 26, 2013
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10,510
So I was getting temps of ~80c under load which scared me, so I checked out my heatsink and it was absolutely CAKED in dust. So I removed it, cleaned it as best I could, and put the heatsink back on. Under the same load I am now getting temps of ~60-65c, which is much better, but I forgot one thing -- to reapply the thermal paste.

Is this going to screw me over later down the line or am I just being a hypochondriac about my PC?
 
Solution
G
Apply the paste. You don't need much, just enough to fill the imperfections between the heatsink and the CPU.
The package temperature may be fine but another area of the CPU may be getting hotter than the rest.
You end up having one or more areas always hotter which will lead to premature failure.
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Grugbug

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Jan 22, 2016
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Apply the paste. You don't need much, just enough to fill the imperfections between the heatsink and the CPU.
The package temperature may be fine but another area of the CPU may be getting hotter than the rest.
You end up having one or more areas always hotter which will lead to premature failure.
 
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Solution
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brosephh

Honorable
Jul 26, 2013
12
0
10,510
Thanks for the replies everyone. Was looking for affirmation of my poor decision not to reapply the thermal paste, which I really didn't want to do because trip to the store etc. Bit the bullet and got the paste, thanks for saving my CPU
 
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