Like so:Ī lot of CPU coolers come with thermal paste pre-applied to the contact plate, though I think it’s worth learning how to dab it onto the CPU yourself. Intel LGA 1700 processors are taller than 10th and 11th Gen chips, so could also use a tiny bit extra. On Intel chips that fit in LGA 1151 or LGA 1200 sockets, that amounts to about a small pea-sized blob of paste, while AMD’s bigger Ryzen chips need a slightly-bigger-than-pea-sized blob. You just need to apply enough to form a thin, even layer across the top of the CPU – think a single coat of paint.

Yes, getting the thermal paste right is important, though it’s not as scientifically precise a process as the horror stories make it sound. Apply too much, and it will seep all over your motherboard socket, while insulating the CPU rather than facilitating the thermal transfer. Apply too little, and not enough heat will transfer from the CPU to the cooler, causing overheating. Sadly, thermal paste has a reputation, maybe not entirely undeserved, for being a pain point of PC builds. Add some highly conductive thermal paste between the two, however, and heat from the CPU has a much easier time passing through to the cooler, which eventually dissipates it. If you simply pressed the bare metal of your CPU cooler onto the processor, it wouldn’t absorb as much heat as it needs to: tiny gaps between the two would prevent proper conduction. Thermal paste: how it works and how much to use Otherwise, use these links to jump to the relevant section: Be sure to have your tube of thermal paste at the ready too, and have a read of the thermal paste section below if you’re not already familiar with how this heat transfer gloop works. I can give you broad-strokes walkthroughs, though, and if you’re ever unsure about a specific detail, you can always check your cooler’s manual.Īs with installing the CPU itself, installing a CPU cooler onto a motherboard is easier when the mobo is outside the case – though AIO coolers will eventually require you to affix the fans and radiator to your PC’s chassis. This guide will outline how to install both types, though admittedly there might be more hedging here than in other sections of our how to build a PC guide, as different manufacturers use slightly distinct mounting systems for their coolers and trying to cover them all would be an incomprehensible mess.

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