I5 2500k Question

7thx

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Hi, I was just wondering if the i5 2500k CPU comes with pre-applied thermal paste or it comes in a separate plastic tube? I'm asking because I plan on using different thermal paste with the stock cooler and was wondering if I would need to buy cleaner/removers, and if so any recommendations?

Thanks!
 

Dougx1317

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Usually the stock cooler comes with thermal paste pre-applied, but you don't need special chemicals to remove it. Rubbing alcohol or even water will work fine. Just be sure to dry it well before you apply the new thermal paste. You can just use a piece of cloth or paper towels.
 

Wampbit

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A bit further out of the topic but I'd suggest that you get the OEM and then an aftermarket heatsink - there's a £20 difference between retail and OEM, which is already the cost of something such as a coolermaster hyper 212+, far better than the intel stock cooler.
 


I wouldn't suggest that. The OEM only has 1yr warranty while the retail box has 3yr warranty. Worth the extra money if you ask me.
 

someonewhoknowsalittle

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Not necessarily, although that may well be the case in the USA. In Canada, a friend of mine bought OEM Seagate Hard Drives which he RMA'ed when they became defective. They had the full 3 year warranty even though they were OEM. So, I'd advise before you make a decision on whether to buy the retail or OEM version, to check with the manufacturer of the product on their actual website specifically for the country you're in, before assuming that a OEM version would only have a 1 year warranty. It may well be the case, but if it isn't, why blow the extra money? Unfortunately, it's a complicated world, and simplistic aphorisms aren't always accurate, even when propagated by the well-intentioned.
 

Dougx1317

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We're talking about processors here. The OEM processors have a 1 year warranty vs the normal 3 year. Seagate OEM drives have a 3 year warranty vs the normal 5 year. In either case it's a shorter warranty.
 
I have bought OEM CPU's before and have never had one fail on me! If you are an overclocker that will want to squeeze every bit of free performance out of the CPU I suggest retail over OEM. If you are running std or mild overclock without voltage increase OEM is fine.
 


Ummm....were not talking about hard drives, were talking about processors. Please pay attention. :bounce:

I'm not saying the cpu is gonna die. But if your buying a 2500K, your most likely going to OC the crap out of it, and in that case I would want the full 3yr warranty.
 

someonewhoknowsalittle

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Actually, it wasn't entirely clear that "GeekApproved" was talking only about processors in his/her comment previous to mine.

"GeekApproved" wrote and I quote: "I wouldn't suggest that. The OEM only has 1yr warranty while the retail box has 3yr warranty. Worth the extra money if you ask me."

"GeekApproved" did not write "The OEM cpu only has..."

I think it was a valid point to make that people shouldn't automatically assume that an OEM warranty will be shorter than a Retail warranty for any computer component so that people who don't know that fact, wouldn't be misled by "GeekApproved"'s statement.

And while it is true that Seagate OEM drives now have a 3 year warranty, many of them, if not all, used to have a 5 year warranty, which Seagate reduced to a 3 year warranty effective January 3, 2009 in the United States. Certain of these bare (OEM) drives purchased prior to January 3, 2009, retained their 5 year warranty. Please check this website for confirmation of this fact and listing the drives affected by this change in Seagate warranty policy: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/seagate-slashes-warranty-from-5-years-to-3-on-selected-bare-drives/3188

I think we all try to be clear, precise and fully accurate in the "facts" we present to others in this forum.

Also, there was no need for "GeekApproved" to try to "school" me by using language such as "Please pay attention." It was a little "over the top" and inappropriate. Next time, "GeekApproved" should clarify what he/she is referring to, e.g. something in particular such as an OEM cpu instead of all OEM components re: warranties.


 

Wampbit

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The warranty point is fair, although I'm going to put my hand up here and say I've never had a CPU fry on me. If it fries it's most likely to die whilst you're creating a stable overclock - this (for a normal overclocker) is within a few weeks, not over a year. Furthermore if we follow the old rule that every 10 degrees halves the lifespan, the after-market cooler will be doing a lot of good.

You could be unlucky, but largely I only see a higher risk if you don't pay attention to your temperatures/keep care of everything... or if you do something stupid. I don't know the experience of the OP, but if you're comfortable with hardware I see no reason at all to buy the retail. If you're a newbie - play it safe - however after 2 years (yet alone 3) I wouldn't even want my CPU anymore.
 

Dougx1317

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I quoted and was talking to someonewhoknowsalittle. I never said anything to or about GeekApproved. I'm not sure what you're talking about. And again, hard drives are not the issue at hand.

Anyway the point is warranties vary by product and type. You should check your specific product in your country for details. BUT, generally in the US OEM processors come with less of a warranty than retail processors. It is up to the specific person to decide if the warranty and heatsink/fan is worth it to them.
 

someonewhoknowsalittle

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Yes, sorry for any confusion, Dougx1317. I should have put the part of the reply to GeekApproved in a separate post.

Agree with your last statement. It is up to each to determine if the extra warranty and heatsink/fan of a retail cpu is worth it. I overclock and never had a cpu fail so it's not worth it for me. From what I've read, "modern" Intel and AMD cpus hardly ever fail due to manufacturing defect over 1 year after they are first used.
 


The original poster of this thread was talking about PROCESSSORS, not HARD DRIVES> I replied to his post.

Also hard drives do not come with heatsink fans in the box. LOL

mod edit: lets be civil here guys.
 

someonewhoknowsalittle

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Heatsinks and fans would be a good idea in some cases (no pun intended) to cool hard drives. And Western Digital does provide "free" heat sinks with their Velociraptor hard drives, but sadly, no fans. Cool is good. And yes, this is a thread about cpus, not hard drives, so nuff said.
 

Dougx1317

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I've heard hard drives are meant to run warm. Metal expands as it heats up. The manufacture makes the parts so they fit together best when they are at a normal operating temperature. Using fans to cool them during operation, actually causes more wear on the drive. This is the same principle used in car engines. The heatsink on the Velociraptor keeps the drive from running too hot. So, warm is good. You should let the drive run at the temperature the manufacturer intended.

I can't verify this as fact. I forgot where I heard it. Don't quote me on this.
 

someonewhoknowsalittle

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Interesting, I hadn't heard that hard drives are supposed to be run warm. Good to know. I looked at WD specs for their Caviar Blacks at

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=100

and their recommended operating temps listed at from 32 to 140 degrees F (0 to 60 degrees C). But it didn't mention optimal temps. My ambient is 22, and hdds run from 30 to 34 degrees C, slightly below the ave acc. to Speedfan. Just don't want them to overheat. But this was a thread about cpus, so sorry for digressing.
 

Dougx1317

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I had a brand new SSD that died after a month. And an 80GB WD that died in 6 months. I think a lot of it is luck. Mechanical hard drives seem to fail more often than other parts of a computer.

This thread should be moved to the hard drive section where it belongs.