Installing your CPU

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Well the computer will run perfectly fine without thermal paste right? (but more efficently with thermal paste)

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That is about right. I haven't seen comparisons between thermal pads and the "white gunk" but I can tell you that silver based compounds are around 2000% (twenty times) more effective.

There are newer products coming out that I hear are carbon based and even more effective, but I have yet to see any empirical data comparing them.

http://www.coolermaster.com/
http://www.overclockers.com/
http://www.tomshardware.com/

Some sites that may be of interest ;)

One point I would make is that silver is electrically conductive as well as thermally conductive. If you use too much, or get it in the wrong place you will fry your machine. If it is your first time you might get a more experienced person to show you how.

One might conclude that although the thermal pad is probably the least efficient, it is also the safest for a beginner. But never overclock a machine with a thermal pad.

:)

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One point I would make is that silver is electrically conductive as well as thermally conductive

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Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

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Source: http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm

Hi Raion that is spot on. I use Arctic Silver myself, because it is the best formulation I know of to date.

They make the point that copper and silver compounds are generally electrically conductive as well. These were what I was referring to............the white gunk is safe but not too efficient by comparison.

AS may be the most expensive, but worth it IMO ;) My point being that not all compounds are equal, and even with AS you need to be careful.


:)

To add to Nihil post too much thermal past can also cause heating issues with the CPU. So do exactly what Nihil said and only use a little. Dont be scared of the CPU, there more robus than you think. If you do happen to bend the prongs on the bottom use a credit card to streghten them back up.