Note: I'm in the middle of building my new computer. I do not have much experience building them...

When I intially was trying install an Intel heatsink on my e8400, I was a little frustrated. The thing was a pain to click in. I simply could not do it. Anyways, in my frustration, I removed the heatsink to make sure I was not ruining any of the pins. While I could see that they all made it through the motherboard, something just felt wrong. Well, I do not know what happened, but when I later put the heatsink back on again (about 5 minutes later), it acually clicked in completely.

My question to the experts out there, should I have removed the thermal paste and reapplied a new layer when I briefly took off the heatsink? Is it safe for me to continue with my build?

Also, after thinking about what I just did, I believe I ended up pressing down on the heatsink itself a little bit. Was that a really bad idea? Should the motherboard and processor pins be okay?

Thank you in advance.

Don't sweat it. Just monitor your temps.

The problem with the paste is exposure to contaminants. Particles or hairs drift into the paste and cause a bad contact surface.

5 mins should not be a big deal as long as you weren't scratching your head (literally) over the board.

Thanks for the quick respons!

Anybody want to try my second question (slightly pressing down on the heatsink)...?

shouldnt be bad....the main part of the heatsink is the fins....as long as they are straight you'll be fine.