Do cpu's come with heatsinks built into them ?

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May 22, 2004
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I have been studying up on how to build a computer and as I was pricing some cpu's I realized that I may have misunderstood the cpu/heatsink thing. I am totally new to building computers but from my reading I kind of "assumed" that heatsinks came along with the cpu. But on reading descriptions of cpu's on newegg.com it looks like, on newegg.com at least, that the heatsinks are sold separately ? :ouch: Please forgive my ignorance on this but I was surprised because I wasn't expecting this. So, my 2 questions are: do heatsinks always have to be purchased seperately from the cpu and is this the same for fans as well ? Thank you for any info you can offer :)
 

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Jun 30, 2002
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Not "built in", OEM CPU's come with the CPU Only, When you purchase a CPU Make sure it states, Heatsink and fan included.
Even when purchasing a CPU the included Heatsink and fan can be at best, minimal for your cooling needs when it comes to gaming etc....
It is best to determine the CPU you are going to use, determine whether you will be water cooling or air cooling, and come to Toms Hardware and ask the good people what the best cooling idea for that CPU is, based on your case, what it will be used for and surrounding goodies....
(in other words, try to make sure it will all fit)
I may be going out on a limb, but remembering the first build of mine, this is not the worst question I have ever heard, but, you may want to research further, reading tutorials on the net on how to build computers etc... before you attept this...
Hope this helped somewhat, I have now spent my geius quota for the day.
Good luck.

PS: Due to the nature of this question, please thouroughly research the application of "heatsink paste" before actualy applying it evenly over the CPU. 8)
I think everyone knows the picture that came to my mind when I first thought of the question "how much paste is too much?"