Serious question: is thermal paste really necessary or are we all wasting our time?

I was swapping out a CPU cooler on my old i5-4690k last weekend and I see half the forums saying you absolutely need to reapply thermal paste every time you touch the cooler. But then I talked to a guy at Micro Center who said he's been running the same paste for 4 years with no temp issues. I tested it myself with a spare motherboard and saw only a 3 degree difference between fresh paste and the old dried stuff under load. Has anyone else actually measured temps before and after to see if this whole ritual really matters?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamiekim9d ago

Micro Center guy is living on borrowed time. 3 degrees isn't worth the hassle though.

mason_foster688d ago

Jamie, actually 3 degrees is a bigger deal than most people think for CPU longevity.

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