Do Coolers and Fans Come With Thermal Paste?

As you’re probably aware at this point, thermal paste plays an important role in keeping your computer performing well. It ensures the heat can be dissipated from the system effectively, letting your PC perform at its peak capacity for extended periods.

However, it’s valid to be confused about whether a certain hardware component comes with thermal paste in the box or not. That’s why we recommend finding out whether coolers and fans come with thermal paste in the box. And that’s what this post is all about!

Types of coolers and fans that you can buy

There are two major types of PC cooling systems you should know about.

The first one is, of course, the traditional air cooling system with fans and a heatsink. After the CPU gets hot due to extensive load, the heat is transferred from it to the heat sink. The heat sink is then attached to an air fan that eliminates the heat. Such a system consists of a series of fans that ultimately take the hot air out of the computer casing.

The second type is the All-in-One, which is simply referred to as the AIO. It’s a water-cooling system that relies on a radiator, water block, pump, pipes, and fans to eliminate the heat out of the computer.

The pump takes cold water from the radiator and into the water block. The heat generated in the CPU is taken to the IHS and then to the water block. From there, the heat is transferred to the cold water, which is then pumped to the radiator. In the end, the fans on the radiator help move the heat out of the casing.

Do I have thermal paste when I buy coolers?

If you buy the entire cooling system, the thermal paste usually comes in the package — no matter what kind of cooling system you’ve opted for. Be noted that thermal paste is of utmost importance in both systems. It’s the medium to transfer the heat from the CPU for dissipation.

However, if you’re only purchasing the fans and not the entire cooling system, you may not get thermal paste in the packaging. In such a circumstance, you must always order your thermal paste separately.

Is the thermal paste from coolers good enough?

If you’ve got thermal paste in the packaging, you must be wondering how good it is, exactly. The quality of the thermal paste you get heavily relies on the brand of the cooler, as well as the brand of the thermal paste that came along with it.

You see, each thermal paste is made differently in terms of quality — many of them might fall short of the quality that you deserve. Even if you get a free thermal paste, it’s ideal to check its quality first — because most of the pastes that come free of cost in cooler packages aren’t of high-quality standards.

If the thermal paste you got doesn’t look like something credible, you should opt-in for a higher quality paste instead. That’s where Kooling Monster KOLD-01 Thermal Paste comes into play.

KOLD-01 is a silicone-based, high-quality thermal paste that offers easy handling, long-term service, and peak thermal management. It’s your perfect replacement for the sub-standard paste you get in the package.

When should I replace the thermal paste that came with coolers?

The answer to this one could be a bit versatile.

Why? The thermal paste you get could heavily vary in quality. Based on your overall PC usage habits and the quality of the thermal paste, it may get degraded anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years. However, measuring the time frame isn’t a suitable method to determine how soon you should change the paste. In fact, it heavily relies on various other factors, such as the quality of your thermal paste and how you use your PC. But in general, changing thermal paste every 1~2 years would be a safe range if the thermal paste has a good quality.

Say your computer isn’t able to stay cool during an operation now but it used to do so before — that could be due to degraded thermal paste. Plus, if you notice your computer lags or hangs during regular work, it could also be an indication of degraded thermal paste.

So, keep an eye out for unnecessary throttling and overheating. If you encounter such a situation, there’s a good chance your thermal paste needs to be replaced. (Learn more about How Often Should You Replace Thermal Paste?)

The bottom line

Many brands include thermal pastes in their cooler packaging — but it doesn’t always mean you shouldn’t get your own, better-quality thermal paste as a replacement.

In most cases, the free paste you get would be of substandard quality, so getting something like KOLD-01 is the best way to go.