by Do all Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste? Or just the ones with coolers.
Updated: December 13, 2022 11:53am
Keeping the processor cool is important so that the CPU doesn’t experience thermal throttling. Thermal throttling can cause significant performance degradation, especially for gaming. Depending on the processor, you will need a proper cooling system so that your CPU lasts longer.
Now read: The best thermal paste for CPUs.
However, most people prefer to stick with the stock cooler that comes out of the box. This is fine considering most gamers don’t bother with overclocking. While the stock coolers aren’t great, they get the job done well. We recommend upgrading to an after-market cooler that is quieter and performs better. However, sticking with the stock cooler will save you some money.
Now read: Optimal temperature of CPU and GPU
While some CPUs come with a cooler as standard, you may wonder whether Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste or not.
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Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste
After installing the CPU into the motherboard socket, the second step is to apply thermal paste and then install the cooler. To keep CPU temperature in check, you need to apply thermal paste correctly and install the cooler properly. So where can you get thermal paste from?
Well, thermal paste is never pre-applied on the processor itself. Also, the CPU boxes do not include a tube of thermal paste. However, if your CPU came with a cooler, there will be pre-applied thermal paste on the cold plate.
A good number of Ryzen processors include a CPU cooler in the box itself, so these Ryzen CPUs come with thermal paste pre-installed on the cooler. Ryzen 5 5600X, Ryzen 5 2600, and Ryzen 5 3600 all come with stock coolers and pre-applied thermal paste.
In general, all Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 processors (3300X, 3600, 5300G, etc.) will ship with a stock cooler and pre-applied thermal paste. Second and third generation Ryzen 7 processors (2700X, 3700X) also come with heatsinks as standard in the box. However, most Ryzen 9 processors such as (3900X, 5900X, etc.) do not come with stock coolers or thermal paste.
Ryzen 7 processors that are part of the Ryzen 5000 family don’t even include stock coolers or thermal paste. This mainly includes Ryzen 7 5700X and 5800X3D.
Conclusion
To summarize, a good number of Ryzen CPUs come with pre-applied thermal paste on the stock heatsink. However, you’ll need to check the product page for any processor you’re buying to see if it comes with a cooler as standard. If it includes a stock cooler, thermal paste will be pre-applied from the factory.
If the CPU does not contain a cooler, the CPU will not come with thermal paste. So more accurately, CPU coolers come with thermal paste, not CPU.
