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I'm installing a P4 chip in a desktop. The chip has no coating of thermal grease. It's a socket 478 setup. How important is the thermal grease? Can I get by without it. Can I substitute lithium grease? Thanks for any responses.
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It's a dime item so be sure you use that much.
CHEAP INSURANCE against many issues.
Bob
do yourself a favor and get some artic silver paste it will asure maximum heat transfer from cpu to heatsink it is not very exspensive
if you need to get the machine up and running now you can use regular white heatsink compound that you can buy at radio shack untill you can get some artic silver just remove fan and heat sink and clean the heatsink and apply the artic silver when you get it
what ever you do not install the cpu without some kind of thermal compound
Thermal grease is not a lubricant. It's a heat transfer agent in grease form. It conducts heat from the CPU to the heat sink. As mentioned above, DO NOT power up the machine without the grease. Well, I guess you could, but a new processor will be needed in short order, probably within ten minutes. Sooooo, your choice. Thermal grease or another processor.
Gentlemen,
I'm convinced. Thermal grease it is. And thanks for the tip on the arctic silver. Sounds like good stuff.
If that's a new CPU, the thermal compound isn't on the chip - it's installed on the base of the heatsink. Usually a grey square or 3 strips. DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT !
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