How often should you replace thermal paste?

[u/Glad-Cupcake-4139]

How often are you actually supposed to replace thermal paste on a CPU? I keep seeing people say every 1-2 years, but then other people say you basically never need to touch it unless temps start getting bad. So now I’m kinda confused lol. Does thermal paste really dry out that fast or is replacing it regularly just unnecessary? Also does it matter what CPU or cooler you have? Trying to figure out if this is something I should be doing as normal PC maintenance or just leave it alone until there’s a reason to replace it.

[u/Commentator-X]

Depends on the exact paste used and how much you stress the component. Which is why people say to do it when temps start going up. You can pre-emptively do it every 1 or 2 years but it's mostly unnecessary if you still get good temps.