If this story helps, I bought a pre-assembled system (still pretty much computer-illiterate in those days) around ~1998. After years of use I disassembled it, and when I lifted the very tiny heatsink from the K6-2 350 ~20W TDP I found that no thermal paste have been applied, and that a huge paper label with some reference that was adhered on the K6-2 IHS have been "acting as thermal interface" all the time 😵 .

In spite of all that sabotaging, the CPU still works 😀 .

Forevermore wrote:

Afternoon folks,

As most of you know, Cyrix processors have their labels printed on top as opposed to etched. I made the mistake once of cleaning one with alcohol only to strip the label off.

So my question is, is thermal paste/grease/etc necessary for any Cyrix up to an M2? And if it is, is there other methods effective at removing the old stuff/prepping the surface that wont damage the label?

I would use thermal grease/compound to ensure maximum conductivity of heat as those Cyrix CPU's do get very hot. The only thing you can really do to ensure that the label will protected is to make replacing whatever you used as a conductor a part of your regular maintenance schedule at some reasonable interval, long enough that you get good use out of it but not so long that it sets like concrete and you need a jackhammer and dynamite to get it off. I have a few CPU's here that I am terrified of trying to remove the heatsinks from out of fear that I will damage it in some way because they are stuck on so well. Prising them with a flat screwdriver isn't even getting me anything but gouges in my fingers when the screwdriver inevitably slips. I'm beginning to think these things are bonded together at the molecular level somehow. 🤣