Does Thermal Paste Come With Motherboard?

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Does thermal Paste come with a motherboard a very crucial question for many PC motherboard buyers. Only sometimes, there are two cases: either your product had already come as pre-applied on it, or you should have to get it separately to apply.

If the CPU comes with a stock fan, that’s a sign that thermal Paste is included in case you buy from the retailer shop.

Not included with an OEM product (CPU only). Any place that sells CPUs will also carry a heat sink compound.

In this article, we will briefly describe the actual purpose of thermal Paste. Why do you need it, and what should be the best practices to apply it for better motherboard heat protection to make your device lifespan long-term?

Are you ready? Let’s come with us!

Table of Contents

What Is A Thermal Paste, And What Does It Do?

Thermal Paste is a widely used material in various electronic products. It is used to fill the unevenness level between the heat source and the surfaces of the radiator.

While using this thermal grease, its thickness is only 0.1mm. The thermal resistance is very low and will never overflow.

All the silicon-made materials can work well with good electrical insulation and thermal productivity.

It will spread out when you press it down with your fingers. Moreover, it will fill out all the imperfections between the surfaces of the mother.

It is the ideal product to prevent your CPU from overheating and damage caused by thermal resistance.

Thermal Paste isn’t an extremely special compound other than that it doesn’t dry up easily and prevents heat.

On the other hand, toothpaste will give the same heat-spreading performance for a few days before turning into useless dust. It is needed, so an old/dry thermal paste is far better than no thermal paste. Better to have it.

Why Does The Motherboard Need Thermal Paste?

It will help if you need the product’s thermal Paste, as the two metallic surfaces won’t be perfectly flat.

The gaps between these two surfaces are filled with Paste to replace the air.

That air will prove as a bad conductor of heat. Thermal compounds are high-conductivity materials that will do the job and ensure good heat flow from the CPU surface to the heatsink.

So, how easily can they overheat your PC and damage it?

Occasionally you can find a CPU/cooler bundle, but when you buy a CPU, you get what the product description tells you you’re getting. When you buy retail, you will often get the CPU, Air cooler & Paste.

The mobo comes with the mounting brackets and screws; the cooler comes with what it needs too.

The stock stuff will work fine if you’re building a computer for light general internet surfing and YouTube kitten-watching.

Mainly, it also depends on your need, but better to always have your own it.

To replace it is another best practice. Why below are some reasons:

Once you remove the heatsink from the CPU, you create a void where the thermal Paste used to be.

Reapplying the heat sink will not guarantee the entire surface will be equally covered and will have a great risk of overheating because of the unprotected areas.

So, why take the risk of it? Thermal Paste is inexpensive and readily available in computer stores and repair shops. Use it and mainly avoid using too little quantity. Good luck.

It will work best before your next digital task!

Best Method To Apply Thermal Paste:

Start from the slow procedure, wipe carefully, but how to apply read the below instructions carefully and have a great device experience.

1. Select A Good Thermal Paste.

Most basic thermal pastes have silicone and zinc oxide, expensive compounds containing heat conductors such as Silver or ceramic.

The Silver or ceramic thermal greases facilitate more efficient heat transmission. However, basic thermal grease will sufficiently fill the needs of most applications.

2. Clean The CPU Plus Heat Sink:

Wipe the surface slightly with a cotton ball or use isopropyl alcohol as a cleaning agent. The more the percentage of alcohol, the better it gives results. Seventy per cent is good, but 90 per cent is better.

3. Sand The Heat Sink And Processor:

If the bottom of the heat sink looks rough, then it’s good to wet it with grift paper. This step is only necessary if you aim for the ultimate cooling performance.

4. Place A Tiny Drop Of Thermal Paste:

In the centre of the cooler base, put the thermal drop.

The paste bead should be smaller than a grain of rice. There is no need to cover the surface of circle shape coolers, as the pressure applied will spread it evenly across the surface.

5. Attach The Heat Sink To The Processor.

Install the heat sink with pressure from all sides, and the bead you placed on the surface will spread over the entire contact surface.

This step will create a thin, even layer that will fill any gaps but avoid excess build-up.

6. Avoid Removing The Heat Sink After Installing It.

It can be challenging to figure out whether your Paste has been applied well. You have to restart the process. If you break the seal created when installing the heat sink.

7. Reconnect The Fan To The Motherboard.

The CPU fan wire is plugged into the CPU fan socket because it mostly has the PWM function, which allows the computer to adjust the fan speed automatically without changing the voltage.

8. Boot The System.

Check the spinning of the fan. Enter the BIOS code while pressing F1 or Del key. Check if the temperature is normal at that point.

CPU temperature should be below 40 degrees Celsius when idle, same for GPU.

So, by this method, you can easily protect your Motherboard from overheating and damage. Check out this tutorial guide for a better understanding.

FAQ:

1. Can Excessive Thermal Paste Harm The CPU/motherboard?

Well, it depends. If your Paste is electrically conductive, you must ensure it does not get anywhere on the Motherboard.

It only does damage if it is conducive. Excessive application can slightly reduce your cooling capability, but only by a very small margin (around 1C)

2. Can Thermal Paste-like Product Damage The Motherboard?

Usually, that’s yet to happen. The Thermal Paste is a dielectric material that should not short any components on a computer PC motherboard.

But If it leaks out of the heat sink assembly for the processor into the socket, it’s one hell of a mess to clean up.

That situation could cause a lack of connectivity in the CPU socket.

It can be cleaned up well, using isopropyl alcohol as a perfect cleaning agent.

Conclusion:

With final thoughts, it usually depends upon the shop or processor type that thermal Paste comes with a motherboard or not.

So, we always recommend you to have it for outclass PC performance.

The thermal Paste always serves you better to give the best results preventing heat from causing any damage.

So, the next time you worry about it, always apply it. Take guidelines from the above tutorial too that we shared, and happy working!

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About Post Author

Joseph Watson

The author of this website is Joseph Watson. He is a professional writer and journalist with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Joseph Watson has a passion for technology and staying up to date with the latest trends. He started this website as a way to share her knowledge and insights with a wider audience. In addition to writing for this website, Joseph Watson is also a contributor to several major publications and has been recognized for her work with multiple awards.

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