Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago

---

What happens if you run a graphics card with NO thermal paste? Will it instantly overheat… crash… or actually keep working?

In this video, I remove the thermal paste from a GTX 960 and test the temperatures under stress and benchmarking. Then I replace it with a thermal pad to see if it performs better.

Results:
• No thermal paste → 96°C under load
• Thermal pad → ~80°C under benchmark

Is thermal paste absolutely necessary? Can a GPU survive without it? Let’s find out.

⚠️ This is for educational purposes only. I do NOT recommend running your GPU without proper thermal compound.

Test Setup:
• GPU: GTX 960 2GB (HP OEM)
• CPU: i7-6700
• Benchmark: Heaven Benchmark
• Stress test + temperature monitoring

If you enjoy PC experiments, GPU testing, and budget tech content, subscribe for more videos like this.

Comment below:
Would you ever try this on your graphics card?

#gpu #thermalpaste #pcbuild #graphicscard #gtx960 #overheating #pcgaming #techexperiment #benchmark #pcmasterrace