Recently, a Reddit user shared an intriguing post: a computer system, outfitted with an Intel Core i7-12700K processor, has been operating for three years without any thermal paste applied. According to the user's account, the system was primarily used for work by their colleague and had previously suffered from issues such as blue screens and sluggish performance. These problems persisted even after the colleague replaced the memory modules. It wasn't until a thorough inspection was conducted that it was revealed that no thermal paste had been applied between the CPU and the heatsink.

During stress testing, the CPU temperature skyrocketed to a staggering 100°C, suggesting that it had been functioning under extreme heat for an extended duration. The system employs an all-in-one liquid cooler with a front intake configuration. Interestingly, even in the absence of thermal paste, the direct contact between the pure copper cold plate and the CPU's top cover still retained a marginal heat transfer capacity. Coupled with the modern CPU's highly responsive temperature control protection mechanism, the processor managed to sustain operation, albeit through continuous frequency throttling.

At present, thermal paste has been reapplied to the processor, and it has resumed normal operating temperatures. However, it remains to be seen whether the prolonged exposure to high temperatures has inflicted any permanent damage on the processor.