A technician is assembling a new high-performance workstation that will be used for graphics-intensive tasks. They have opted for an aftermarket CPU cooler to handle the additional heat. When installing the cooler, they notice that it comes with pre-applied thermal paste. What should the technician do to ensure optimal thermal conductivity between the CPU and the heat sink?
Let the pre-applied paste dry for a few hours to improve its heat conductivity before installing the heat sink.
Add another layer of thermal paste on top of the pre-applied paste to increase the effectiveness of heat conductivity.
Proceed with installing the heat sink as the pre-applied thermal paste is designed to provide optimal thermal contact.
Remove the pre-applied paste and apply a fresh layer to ensure maximum freshness and performance.
Correctly applying thermal paste is critical for heat transfer from the CPU to the heat sink. If the thermal paste is pre-applied, as long as it's free from contaminants and evenly spread, there's no need to apply an additional layer or remove the existing one. This ensures proper thermal conduction without introducing air bubbles or excessive thermal material which can affect heat dissipation.
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What is the purpose of thermal paste in CPU cooler installations?
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Why is it important not to add additional thermal paste on top of the pre-applied layer?
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