a quick question im building right now

[lumper]

i have never installd a p4 before or any pentium.
the retail pkg processor and haet synd that come with it.
on the bottom of the heat sync, there is a black pad larger than the cpu itsel, this sits atop the processor.
is this the waxy thermo solution i have been reading about, or do i need to add thermal paste?
i was about to put it on and figured i should double check.,
both manuals say to install it blah blah blah, no mention of paste?
am i safe to just go ahead?

 

[over_c]

You can go ahead and install it. That is the thermal pad that accomplishes the same thing as thermal paste. There may be a plastic covering over the thermal pad. You will need to remove that, if it is there.

If you have damaged the thermal pad in any way, then you will need to remove it and apply a thermal paste instead.

 

[scottkli]

Also I would be aware of the Heatsink and how close it comes to the actual cpu socket. I have seen problems come from people installing heatsinks that do not properly cover the cpu core completly. It seemed that they were sitting the heatsink to far off the cpu die and resting it on the cpu socket causing improper contact and higher levels of heat.