Hi All was just wondering when fitting a new hs/fan is it adequate to fit it with the factory applied thermal paste or should i clean that off and apply different?

A small amount of any thermal paste/compound should suffice if you are running the CPU at "stock" speed.

Yup , you should remove the old thermal paste and apply a new layer of it when installing a new heatsink.

With a high quality silver-based thermal compound you get:

Greater heat-transfer-- 10-20% lower CPU temps

easier removabilty if there IS a problem

less mess to apply-- a thin film is critical-- some of that "whitestuff" is like working with bathroom caulk -- messy/sticky & tough to clean off if you do make a mistake.

doesn't 'dry out' over the long-term. SOME of the lower quality stuff can become like 'glue' after it's been in there a while. I've seen CPUs that got so stuck that you couldn't get the sink off-- you had to remove the thing as one unit-- and CAREFULLY pry/coax it loose-- not fun.


http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/...rctic_silver5/

http://www.thetechzone.com/reviews/r...nd/page9.shtml

I buy arctic silver-- cause it's the best IMHO.
A very small tube will last you for years if you don't build or repair a lot. It also does not conduct electricity-- where many others-- even "premium" compounds conduct it very well. Not good for placing on/near a delicate electrical system.

My two-cents worth-- your call.

I have to agree...Arctic Silver has proven the very best for me too over time