Is it a good idea to remove heatsinks and apply new thermal paste immediately when receiving the units?
never do that. the first thing to do is run it at freq 218 for 6-12 hours checking the numbers it gets.
if it is good at 218 go to 225 run it for 6-12 hours checking the numbers it gets.
if it is good at 225 got to 237 run it for 6-12 hours checking the numbers it gets.
do not open or mod the machine or change firmware until you know something is wrong with the machine.if it ain't broke don't fix it!