Do I really need thermalpaste?

[Kowalski]

I recently cleaned my cpu cooler and dried thermalpaste, ive run my pc without thermalpaste in a game and the temps seem fine, so do i really need it?

[Omega]

Yes, otherwise the cooler will not make proper contact with the CPU causing it to overheat.

[_I_]

yes, the paste fills the small gaps between the cpu and cooler

air is an excellent insulator keeping heat at the cpu not transferring it to the cooler

[Set-115689]

Originally posted by Kowalski:

I recently cleaned my cpu cooler and dried thermalpaste, ive run my pc without thermalpaste in a game and the temps seem fine, so do i really need it?

Seems a bit weird. Usually when the paste dries up or turns to dust temperatures skyrocket. Anyways thermal paste is a very good idea. What cpu do you have ? Temperatures and clock speeds?

[Irene ❤]

With less thermalpaste, about 4 degrees difference at max temperature. Maybe more when without it.

Use the X method.

This video compared thermalpaste draw style with temperature.

YouTube™ Video: How To Apply CPU Thermal Paste Methods - Compare and Benchmark 

Views: 14,582,660

How To Apply CPU Thermal Paste Methods - Compare and Benchmark CPU : I7-9700K CPU Cooler : Noctua NH-D15 MB : ASUS ROG Strix Z370-E Gaming RAM : 16GB(8x2) DDR4@3200 Mhz SSD : M.2 Transcend 220S 1TB...

[hawkeye]

Theoretically no, but in practice, yes.

The purpose of the thermal paste is to exclude air from any gap between the cpu and cooler. Static air resists heat transfer. That's why it is advisable. However every layer of material reduces heat transfer slightly so the thickness of the thermal paste should be thin. It needs to cover the gap for maximum performance. But as long as the area covered provides enough contact to transfer the heat the other layers can handle then that doesn't matter that much.

If you can get an airless gap between the cpu and cooler then you don't need it. But that would be extremely difficult. It might work for a while.

In the long run, for a heat transfer situation with multiple layers, the last layer tends to determine the overall performance. In other words, get a good cooler. Many coolers have the paste pre-applied anyway.

[plat]

The weight of the cooler will eventually mess with the seal. Also, if someone accidentally bumps into it or kicks it under the desk. It doesn't take much--we are talking fractions of millimeters.

The cpu manufacturers themselves don't leave home without it. But it's an idea with merit, especially since the paste can make such a mess at times.

[DeadPhoenix]

Never ever install a cooler without Thermal paste.

[A&A]

Yes
With thermal paste you will have better contact between cooler and CPU
This is the reason why termal paste is important
Lower temps = Higher performance
Better Materials = Higher performance

[Overseer]

I mean there is no law about it and if it works it works. But there are plenty of possible factors that will have a negative impact. Like a high TDP will encounter increased resistance which can lead to thermal throttling.

Originally posted by plat:

The weight of the cooler will eventually mess with the seal. Also, if someone accidentally bumps into it or kicks it under the desk. It doesn't take much--we are talking fractions of millimeters.

Ummm, actually no. The physical pressure will hold everything in place. It's much more likely that you will damage or destroy your motherboard or CPU with the paste still applied and ready to go.
Good pastes also don't go "bad" or "dry" unless you maybe use some cheap 1 cent crap from some chinese dude who mixed it in his backyard. The actual problem the engineers face is thermal expansion of both the IHS and the cooler during operation. Their expansion and contraction slowly pushes the paste out. Which at first helps to spread it over time after application but then leads to a lack of paste.

[plat]

Overseer said: Ummm, actually no. The physical pressure will hold everything in place.

Yes, it was more like I had the heavy-duty coolers like the big Be Quiet! or Noctua ones vaguely in mind when writing this. I mean, if you've ever seen gpu sag, you know, it's that kind of dragging down but on a much smaller scale due to less surface area.

It seems the OP had the "perfect" match of interfaces but who knows how long that would last? A day? Just some more microns apart and temperatures start to rise exponentially. You could even achieve this dislodging with merely bumping the PC. The paste serves as glue.

This was strictly my thinking, nothing from any official source Regardless, why take any chances at all? Use decent paste! And I really agree: anything from any dubious, obscure sources should be avoided, even if they cost much less.

[Carlsberg]

Originally posted by DeadPhoenix:

Never ever install a cooler without Thermal paste.

Dust, dirt and minor corrosion will eventually form a seal between cpu and heatsink and prevent heat transfer, the cpu may just go into protective mode and throttle but it will fail.

[jamesglen7]

The paste provides uniform heat transfer and readily available. Insufficient paste or no paste will shorten component lifespan. This is important as using static discharge wristband along with latex gloves in assembly or disassembly. Little errors can create big problems.