I want to start building my computer and it is the case that "heat spreading gel" or whatever its called might be needed. Will just installing the parts cause any problems? Is the gel really necessary? I've been told to spread the gel on my processor (Retail Q6600). My RAM does not have heat spreaders so I guess I shouldnt put any on it...
Thermal paste, Thermal Grease or TIM, as it's often called, is what is used between a heat-emitting device and a heatsink. It is not necessary for anything without a heatsink, such as normal RAM. With the standard cooler, its use won't gain you too much, but with an aftermarket cooler, it can sometimes improve the results significantly over the standard thermal paste applied. If you are having heat issues, I would recommend replacing the cooler with an Arctic cooling Freezer 7 Pro - this is a good cooler and already has good thermal paste applied.
