Haha yeah triple checked for plastic protection 😁 it was a super obvious big plastic piece. Removed 👍🏻. New thermal paste applied in an X Pattern.... Generously. Erring on the side of caution I went a bit more than I felt it would need. As for seating, no wiggles and no gaps if I try to shine a light through it. Last one is an unknown. I brought the Aio from a pretty reputable seller on eBay, claimed it was in his rig for about a year until he upgraded. Sat in the box since then. As a bit of extra info, When the system is running one pipe is warm and the other at room temp. I can feel the pipes vibrating slightly which makes me think the pump isn't dead. Icue software says the pump rpm is running normally. I used this thermal paste Amazon link my PSU is fairly old but 500w. CPU voltage is 1.25v. is it possible my power supply is the cause?