by Do all Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste? Or just those with coolers.
Updated December 13, 2022 11:53 am
It’s important to keep your processor cool to avoid thermal throttling of the CPU. Thermal throttling can result in a significant performance hit, especially when playing games. Depending on the processor, you need an adequate cooling system so that your CPU has a longer service life.
Now read: Best thermal paste for CPU.
However, most people prefer to stick with the stock cooler that comes out of the box. That’s fine considering the majority of gamers aren’t interested in overclocking. While standard coolers aren’t great, they do their job well. We recommend upgrading to an after-market cooler, which is less noisy and performs better. However, sticking with the standard cooler will save you some money.
Now read: Optimal CPU and GPU temperature
While some CPUs come with a stock cooler, you might be wondering whether Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste or not.
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Do Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste?
After installing the CPU in the mainboard socket, the thermal paste is applied in the second step and then the cooler is installed. To keep the CPU temperature under control, you need to apply the thermal paste properly and install the cooler properly. So where do you get thermal paste from?
Well, thermal paste is never applied to the processor itself. Also, CPU boxes don’t come with a tube of thermal paste. However, if the CPU comes with a heatsink, thermal grease is pre-applied to the heatsink plate.
Many Ryzen processors include a CPU cooler in the box itself, so these Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste pre-installed on the cooler. The Ryzen 5 5600X, Ryzen 5 2600, and Ryzen 5 3600 all come with stock coolers and thermal paste pre-applied.
In general, all Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 processors (3300X, 3600, 5300G, etc.) come with a stock cooler and thermal paste pre-applied. The second and third generation Ryzen 7 processors (2700X, 3700X) also come with stock coolers. However, most Ryzen 9 processors like that (3900X, 5900X, etc.) don’t come with stock coolers or thermal paste.
Ryzen 7 processors, which are part of the Ryzen 5000 family, also don’t include a stock cooler or thermal paste. These include the Ryzen 7 5700X and 5800X3D in particular.
Conclusion
In summary, a good number of Ryzen CPUs ship with thermal paste already applied to the stock cooler. However, you must check the product page of the processor you purchased to see if it comes with a standard cooler. If it includes a stock cooler, the thermal paste is pre-applied at the factory.
If the CPU does not include a cooler, the CPU does not come with thermal grease. More specifically, the CPU coolers come with thermal paste, not the CPU.
