can i install a cpu without any thermal gel?

Question

can i install a cpu without any thermal gel?
so it will just be the heat sink touching the surface of the cpu with no thermal gel, will it work?

Answer 1

No. Thermal gel is used to dissipate the heat generated from the cpu.You'll fry your cpu if you don't use it.

Answer 2

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear ... what, a kapuffle! (IMHO)

Thermal paste aids the transfer of heat from the
processor chip to the heat sink, and evens out the
contact between the two surfaces. Note the word
*aids* in there. It a recommendation not a mandatory
requirement. As long as the two surfaces mate well,
and the fan is able to dissipate the heat to the
atmosphere, without hindrance, then there is no
problem.

Much worse .. is the zealous layering on of thermal
paste as if with a trowel! Then it acts as an insulator
hindering the transfer of heat: and many a burnt out
processor has there been, for just that reason.

All the modern boards have temperature sensors with
the readouts available from the BIOS. Always worth a
check to see that all is well, and within the limits
set by the manufacturer...

Answer 3

You can but ur processor must have the thermal gel or else the processor will be gone.
How ever you can use the CPU without any thermal gel

Answer 4

I from time to time artwork on cpu at abode as well as rebuild some machines - after I reinstall the cpu i take advantage of "arctic silver" for my thermal grease between cooling fins and cpu - I continuously get good consequences from that product

Answer 5

Not a great idea there friend. Not unless you have loads of cash and want to be replacing your processor regularly.

Thermal grease it what transfers the heat to the heat sink itself; without it you can expect high temps, poor performance and finally death from the chip.

Spend a couple of bucks and protect your investment.

Answer 6

Technically, it will work.

But the thermal transfer capabilities will be severly compromised. Also, depending on the processor, you might see a drop in performance or even a fried processor.

Answer 7

It's not recommended. It could cause your CPU to overheat or to throttle down its speed to prevent overheating. You can get decent thermal paste for less than $5, and it's money well spent.

Answer 8

It should burn up the cpu just fine. Go get the gel.

Answer 9

u can, but the cooling performance will not be so good. for best results, use arctic silver 5.

see this page for details on how the gel/paste works:

http://www.arcticsilver.com/thermal_interface_basics.htm

Answer 10

It always works for me. I suppose it depends on how much cooling you have in your case.