So I got a bunch of parts for a new PC just now. Unfortunately, as I was examining the CPU cooler (for a Ryzen 3700x), I scratched a bunch of the pre-applied paste away away. So I (I don't know why) decided to wipe all the stock paste away and apply some different paste. I need to wait for some time as the new thermal paste I ordered is stuck in shipping.
So my question is: can I just put all the components together just to see if the build passes POST, without thermal paste for a few minutes?
I need to do this, because the retailer would need to be informed about dead on arrival components within a week of receiving the item.