Thermal Gel required on processor ?

[gwalker]

Is thermal gel required on the top of the processor when placing the heatsink on top? I just bought a P4 socket LGA775 and corresponding heatsink but the processor didn't come with any thermal gel... just wondering if it is required or just recommended?

 

[DonNagual]

New ones usually come with some thermal tape already attached to the heatsink. They work alright (I am using one on my CPU now).

But if you plan any overclocking, or find you are having heat problems, you may want to strip that tape off and apply some good thermal paste instead.

 

[sllewe]

But if your not using a pad, then you most defintly need paste, one or the other is needed. Just using the bare contact alone is not safe.