Do I need any kind of thermal paste when installing a CPU with the included cool

[newegg911]

I'm building a new computer using an Intel i5 and I want to use the included cooler to save some money since I probably won't be over clocking it any time soon anyway.
The CPU manual doesn't say anything about thermal grease; it just shows in pictures attaching the cooler after the CPU is in the socket. However, my Gigabyte motherboard manual shows to add some kind of thermal grease on the top of the CPU before attaching the cooler.

So do I need thermal paste even though I'm using the stock cooler? Are the three lines of "stuff" on the bottom of the Intel cooler kind of like thermal paste? If yes, does it melt and spread out when you're up and running a little bit? There doesn't seem to be much of it...

Please help. I want to get this build going as soon as possible and I would really like to use the stock cooler without having to buy anything else.

 

[newegg911]

Anyone please....

Was everything I needed included in the i-5 retail box?

 

[sirheck]

If you got a retail cooler/cpu it should have the paste already on it.

Just slap it on and go.

 

[newegg911]

Cool that's what I was thinking.

Does that stuff melt and spread out or anything like that? It doesn't seem to cover much of the bottom surface of the heatsink and it's not all that sticky like proper thermal paste.

 

[sirheck]

No it wont melt but it will spread some, its suppose to.
And it doesnt take a whole lot.

Install and you should be good to go.

 

[newegg911]

Cool....problem I solved,I guess.

thanks

 

[jitpublisher]

The stock heatsink comes with thermal paste on it. It is kind of tricky, but the best way to tell is to turn the heatsink over and look at it. Sorry, just had to be a smart ass.
You can use the heatsink just as is with the stock thermal paste, or if you want to, you can take a little alcohol and clean it off, then apply your own brand of thermal paste. If you are not going to do any big overclocking, and you are careful to mount the heatsink properly, the paste that comes on it from the factory will work just fine.
If you ever remove the heatsink after you have installed it though, you will need to clean the heatsink, the processor, and apply new thermal paste of your own.