Quote Originally Posted by Killuminati View Post
I never used thermal paste(even though I meant to) when putting together a desktop and I have had no problems. I put my desktop together 3 years ago and have been running it nonstop ever since with no problems.
well, it all depends on the how hot your CPU gets. if it's less powerful or underclocked it will require less heat disipation.

but beside that, just because thermal contact isn't perfect doesn't mean your CPU will fry up. however, it may mean that your CPU's lifetime will be lower than it would be otherwise. if you don't plan on using it for 10 years, it might not be an issue.