I still don't use thermal paste and my old PC runs fine

I built my desktop from spare parts back in 2021 because I didn't want to pay a shop $150 just to clean and reapply paste. People online said the CPU would overheat without it, but I figured I'd try it anyway since the parts were already junk. Four years later, that same AMD processor stays under 70 degrees even when I game. I just use a thin layer of cheap silicone grease from the hardware store for $3 instead of actual thermal paste. My friend laughed at me until I showed him my temps were lower than his brand new build. Has anyone else tried a weird substitute that worked out fine?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnfoster7d ago

Wait, you're saying your temps are lower without thermal paste than with it? That doesn't even make sense physics-wise. Honestly, I think your friend's build might just be badly put together or you're not pushing your CPU hard enough.

caseyw127d ago

Hang on, is this really that big of a deal? I mean, yeah, it sounds weird, but unless you're running some crazy overclock or rendering 4K video all day, are we really talking about a difference that matters? Like, if your CPU is staying under 80 degrees under load, who cares if the paste application is a little sloppy? It's not like your friend's computer is gonna explode or anything.