Intel i5-2500 and extra cooling compound

[soulweeper]

I'm building my first computer, and purchased the Intel i5-2500 CPU, and it comes with the cooling compound already "installed"
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h412/ukiah5060/DSCF2841.jpg
so to speak, but a friend of mine that has built many computers is adamant about putting another tiny glob(about the size of a small pea) on before I install the heatsink/fan. I asked hey why, thinking that Intel must know how much is needed. She says she never trusts the amount that is used. I've never built a computer, and she has built many, but it still kind of defies logic that a company like Intel would put the compound on, and not put a sufficient amount, but I simply don't know. I don't totally doubt she's right, but I'm curious what others think. Thanks in advance!

 

[jaguarskx]

Intel provides enough thermal paste on their heatsinks. If you do not want to use the pre-applied thermal paste, then it's best wipe it off with at least 90% alcohol, then apply a fresh coat (pea / rice size) of thermal paste. I recommend Arctic Silver 5 which you can probably buy at your local BestBuy.

Mixing thermal paste is generally not recommended because the properties of both can interfere with one another. Your temps will not be crazy high or anything like that, but your temps may not be as low as they could be.

 

[soulweeper]

Intel provides enough thermal paste on their heatsinks. If you do not want to use the pre-applied thermal paste, then it's best wipe it off with at least 90% alcohol, then apply a fresh coat (pea / rice size) of thermal paste. I recommend Arctic Silver 5 which you can probably buy at your local BestBuy.

Mixing thermal paste is generally not recommended because the properties of both can interfere with one another. Your temps will not be crazy high or anything like that, but your temps may not be as low as they could be.

Thanks for reply....much appreciated!

So, if I'm following you correctly, nothing at all wrong with the pre applied paste Intel puts on, yes? I have no reason that I know of to remove their paste and use something else, unless that is common practice and recommended.

And the second part of your reply, where you said my temps might not be as low as they could be....were you referring to what might happen if I mix pastes, or if I use the pre installed paste? Just want to make sure I understood that correctly.

 

[mcnumpty23]

And the second part of your reply, where you said my temps might not be as low as they could be....were you referring to what might happen if I mix pastes, or if I use the pre installed paste? Just want to make sure I understood that correctly.

both--if you mix pastes or use the intel pre-installed paste then your temps may be a little higher than just

using a high quality paste

not by a huge amount --and if not heavily overclocking then it wouldnt really be significant enough to bother

about

kind of like petrol in your car i suppose--normal petrol works fine but a higher octane petrol gives a bit more

performance--so its not strictly necessary to use other than the stock paste but if you want the maximum

cooling performance then you use a more expensive paste

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The thermal paste used on our stock HSF (heatsink/fan) is good http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Intel-Stock-Thermal-Compound-Review/1273/5 as seen in this testing. Now the stock cooler is designed to deal with temperatures that processor would normally experience. So if you are going to overclock pick up a good 3rd party HSF.


Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[soulweeper]

The thermal paste used on our stock HSF (heatsink/fan) is good http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Intel-Stock-Thermal-Compound-Review/1273/5 as seen in this testing. Now the stock cooler is designed to deal with temperatures that processor would normally experience. So if you are going to overclock pick up a good 3rd party HSF.


Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

And thank you as well for your reply....also appreciated! No, no overclocking with me. I'm not even a gamer. I guess the possibility exists that I might play a game, because this computer will be able to handle it, but highly unlikely. I'm guessing the most "workout" this machine might get will be playing a Blu Ray once in a while, if that tells you anything. My use is pretty basic, by most people's standards. This computer will be a little overkill, but that doesn't hurt, just in case. This person that recommended extra compound is a gamer and all that, and I know she's smart, but I think she simply forgets that not everyone stresses their computers a lot. She does, but she can easily fix something too. I took her suggestion seriously, but also knew that Intel has to know how much is needed.

 

[soulweeper]

She did say it would most likely be fine, but to keep an eye on my core temps. That and the extra compound would give the CPU a longer life. I listen to her, being it's my first build, but common logic told me to just double check with some other people. This sounded like a preference thing, and I'd rather not mess with something that is already o.k.

 

[mcnumpty23]

quite right to double check

like a lot of us on here shes probably running high end stuff and heavily overclocking

so will be using an aftermarket cooler or water cooling and would use artic silver compound or similar

but in your case its just not needed

 

[soulweeper]

Yeah, it doesn't sound like it's worth it, with the way I'll be using the computer. Based on her type of use and preferences, I'd be "best" off removing the stock paste, and applying a different type, but like you and everyone else has said, doesn't seem to be the need, in my application. Her attitude is I might get a couple more years life out of it. Maybe true, but my Dell that I'm replacing is almost 10 years old, and still going, so that says something....seeing how it doesn't have nearly the quality stuff, and fans, that I'll be using in this build.

For whatever it's worth, this is my list of parts.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19488066

 

[mcnumpty23]

your list of parts looks pretty much ok for what i would class as a middle to upper middle of the range pc

only thing i might have changed would be the 550ti to a 560ti

but other than that shes picked pretty good stuff if your friend picked the parts for you

 

[soulweeper]

your list of parts looks pretty much ok for what i would class as a middle to upper middle of the range pc

only thing i might have changed would be the 550ti to a 560ti

but other than that shes picked pretty good stuff if your friend picked the parts for you

Well, some people on Geekstogo suggested a list that got changed into what you see, based on what I need, and opinions from my friend, and then me doing research, reading reviews, etc. It's funny you mention the 560ti, and I looked at that, but I was trying to stick to a certain budget, and I felt I really didn't need that card, though I wouldn't have mind, just because. Even the people at NVIDEA felt I'll be fine with the 550ti, being that I'm not a gamer. Watching a Blu Ray or HD video online will be about the most I'll need a card to do. If not, that's an easy swap down the road.

 

[mcnumpty23]

fair enough if the 550ti suits what you need it to do then stick with it and save some money--budget is always

the deciding factor

pretty solid build then

 

[willard]

Just wanted to chip in here, even though the thread seems to have moved past it.

Aside from the problems of mixing paste, and the fact that Intel's paste is fine, adding additional paste is just not a good idea. The paste's only job is to fill in the tiny imperfections in the metal and provide better contact. Too much paste acts as a buffer and actually hinders proper heat transfer.

Adding more paste to what is already the right amount of paste is never good.

 

[soulweeper]

fair enough if the 550ti suits what you need it to do then stick with it and save some money--budget is always

the deciding factor

pretty solid build then

Thanks! It's my first build, so it's a little intimidating, but I'll do it. It's not my first time inside a computer, so it's not completely foreign. In fact, I hear that the heatsink/fan installation is the biggest pain, and after that, it's pretty much downhill. I'll find out soon enough.

 

[mcnumpty23]

yeah the stock heatsink pushpins are sometimes a problem

i would highly recomend fitting the heatsink outside the case so you can see if the pins have fully engaged

through the motherboard

dont know how many questions i have answered on here about high temperatures and that was the problem

its not that difficult to actually build a pc

the difficulties occur the first time you push the on button and it doesnt work

still we are always here to help if that happens

 

[soulweeper]

Yeah, my friend told me exactly that........she said do it on a wooden table, lay it on the anti static bag, and install the heatsink and RAM while it's out. Plus, I'll be doing it on my dining room table, and the dining room has wooden floors, so she said without having the little wriststraps, I'd be good as far as static. Makes sense, and I hope she's right. I hear it's kind of scary because you get the feeling you'll break the motherboard. I've been warned a few times about that.

 

[soulweeper]

Just wanted to chip in here, even though the thread seems to have moved past it.

Aside from the problems of mixing paste, and the fact that Intel's paste is fine, adding additional paste is just not a good idea. The paste's only job is to fill in the tiny imperfections in the metal and provide better contact. Too much paste acts as a buffer and actually hinders proper heat transfer.

Adding more paste to what is already the right amount of paste is never good.

Thank you as well, for your reply! Much appreciated!

 

[mcnumpty23]

Yeah, my friend told me exactly that........she said do it on a wooden table, lay it on the anti static bag, and install the heatsink and RAM while it's out. Plus, I'll be doing it on my dining room table, and the dining room has wooden floors, so she said without having the little wriststraps, I'd be good as far as static. Makes sense, and I hope she's right. I hear it's kind of scary because you get the feeling you'll break the motherboard. I've been warned a few times about that.

it is one advantage of aftermarket coolers that they dont use those pushpins

the other scary bit is the locking mechanism the first time i installed an intel cpu and it made that

grinding noise i nearly had a heart attack--thought i had just broken my new £250 2600k cpu

 

[soulweeper]

it is one advantage of aftermarket coolers that they dont use those pushpins

the other scary bit is the locking mechanism the first time i installed an intel cpu and it made that

grinding noise i nearly had a heart attack--thought i had just broken my new £250 2600k cpu

Oh, are the aftermarket ones much easier/less stressful to install? I'm wondering if I should go that route then?
I guess it's ridiculous to even consider that over a few minutes of freaking out, thinking my motherboard will crack, especially when I already have one. The people that warned me about that did it, they just said it will freak me out to do it, so I'll go for it.

 

[mcnumpty23]

the aftermarket ones normally have a backplate that goes behind the motherboard so the cooler screws into

that

advantages of aftermarket--more secure fixing--quieter--better cooling

disadvantages of aftermarket--much bigger so need to be sure will fit in your case--tall ram modules may not fit

into all the slots on the motherboard

most common aftermarket cooler is probably the hyper 212 plus--quite cheap but very effective

heres the video to show fitting it and how huge it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSq_xbxsm7Q

if you are patient with the stock cooler i cant see cracking the motherboard happening as they are flexible

i have never cracked one yet

 

[soulweeper]

the aftermarket ones normally have a backplate that goes behind the motherboard so the cooler screws into

that

advantages of aftermarket--more secure fixing--quieter--better cooling

disadvantages of aftermarket--much bigger so need to be sure will fit in your case--tall ram modules may not fit

into all the slots on the motherboard

most common aftermarket cooler is probably the hyper 212 plus--quite cheap but very effective

heres the video to show fitting it and how huge it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSq_xbxsm7Q

if you are patient with the stock cooler i cant see cracking the motherboard happening as they are flexible

i have never cracked one yet

Wow.....had I known that, I may have ordered one of those too, for $23 at Amazon. Plus easier to install. I'm using the Corsair 500R.......wonder if would fit that case. I got the low profile RAM, so should be safe there.

Maybe I'll just leave well enough alone, but that is tempting.

 

[soulweeper]

Now my friend is pushing me to get this
http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Silent-1156-CPU-Cooler/dp/B002OJTJIY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1332994253&sr=1-1
just think it will give my CPU much more life, and just better all the way around. She's a gamer/overclocker, so maybe she's using that mindset, or it's simply better. Good reviews....and some people have replaced my exact same cooler that I now have.

Damn, and I thought all the OCD stuff was over, now that my parts are here.

 

[mcnumpty23]

well that thermaltake still uses pushpins

heres a review of it

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/thermaltake_silent_1156_/

and yes the hyper 212 plus will fit in a corsair 500r

 

[DelroyMonjo]

What's the 'big deal'? A 2500 CPU won't overclock, OP doesn't game and a stock HSF is fine. Geez, sometimes friends try to be a bit too helpful...

 

[mcnumpty23]

the op wanted to ask about aftermarket coolers out of interest even if the stock cooler would be adequate for

his needs

and as far as i know you can overclock a 2500 though only by 4 bins above its rated speed--ie

2500 have a "limited" unlocked multiplier so it can OC with four multiplier (CPU bins) above default + turbo, for

2500 that will be for four cores active 3,8GHz and up to 4,1 with only one core active

so nothing like a 2500k but still overclockable