Best Thermal Paste – Top 5 Reviews, Guide, Features, FAQs & More

The liquid metal thermal pastes need more expertise for proper application. This is not because of the fact that they are electrically capacitive by nature but because of the fact that the heatsink must be thoroughly cleaned before the paste is applied.

This cleaning of the heatsink is done with isopropyl alcohol. Once you are done with the cleaning process, the next step is to apply a very little quantity of the paste and spread it evenly using the provided brush.

You are in luck because the Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut provides a proper series of instructions and tools to make the paste application process easier.

At this point, it is worth noting that liquid metal can cause damage to the aluminum heatsinks and even leave black stains. Hence, you should be careful while using it on aluminum.

Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut is highly efficient and it can lower the temperature by over 10°. However, the amount by which it lowers the temperature is highly dependent on the heatsink, cooler, and computer rig that you are using. Lower temperature means further overclocking of CPU and/or GPU, hence higher performance.

With a thermal conductivity of 73 W/mk, this is by far the best thermal paste present in the market. 

For people who cannot compromise on performance, this is definitely the best choice. We do accept that the application process might take some time but all with be worth it. You won’t face any disappointment.

Best Thermal Paste – Buyer’s Guide

What is a Thermal Paste?

Thermal Paste can be considered a compound that is highly heat-conductive. Its best use is during the installation of the Graphics card’s heatsink/cooler or CPU’s heatsink/cooler.

So, the big question is why do you need to apply the paste before installing the heatsink? The heatsink can be perfectly seated.

Well, this is a valid question, but there is an equally valid reason to take this step.

Think of it this way; even when you place the heatsink in a proper manner, there are still some microscopic gaps that indicate poor heat dissipation. This leaves you with a hotter CPU that can potentially be damaged in the long run.

The purpose of the thermal paste is to ensure that the microscopic gaps and imperfections are eradicated by filling up the gaps. Due to the property of heat conduction, the process of heat dissipation from the GPU or CPU to the heatsinks/coolers is enhanced.

It should be noted that thermal paste is also referred to as thermal compound, TIM, silicon compound, thermal gunk, heat sink paste, etc.

Even if heat sinks or coolers perfectly fit onto your CPU and do a good job yet thermal pastes are required to keep the CPU or GPU cool. Thermal pastes can lower the temperature of your CPU or GPU up to 10 degrees. They can flow into the micro spaces and make heat conduction more effective.

Types of Thermal Pastes

Metal-based Pastes

Metallic pastes provide maximum heat conduction since metals are good conductors of heat. We highly recommend metal-based pastes as this is the best thermal compound available but if you are a beginner or applying CPU thermal paste for the first time then we advise you not to use it.

Metallic pastes are not only good conductors of heat, but electricity too, so if there was any paste spilled during installation and you did not notice or properly clean up, it can touch the motherboard circuitry and damage internal components by short-circuiting.

Ceramic-Based Pastes

In our research, we found that the most common type of thermal pastes used are ceramic-based. We found that it was the perfect paste for beginners. Since this thermal paste is non-conductive, even if any material is spilled, there will be no damage to the motherboard or other structures.

Silicone-Based Pastes

The third most common type of thermal paste present in the market is silicon-based thermal compound, which is usually packaged as thermal pads embedded with the paste.

This patch is directly attached to the processor or to the heatsink. Unfortunately, out of all the available thermal pastes, this thermal paste was the one that performed the worst but somehow still managed to dissipate heat from the processor or even the graphic card.

How to Apply Thermal Pastes – Which Method is the Best?

Now that you are aware of the basic types of thermal pastes and compounds available in the market, it’s time to find out the best way to apply the pastes. The method of application is as important as the product itself.

One of the most common mistakes that people make with thermal pastes is that they try and use a large amount of it, however, this is wrong. A small amount or even a layer of thermal paste is sufficient to produce the desired results.

There are methods to make sure that the right amount of paste is applied to your CPU or GPU. Discussed below are some of the methods used to apply pastes and what methods are suited based on the type of paste used. 

Pea Method

In the gaming world and for people who use heavy systems, overheating is an issue. The best CPU thermal paste usage for them will be the pea size method. It is easy to use. Just apply a pea-sized amount of thermal paste into the IHS of the processor or graphics card and then move on to mount your cooler.

Vertical Line Method

In our opinion, this was the easiest method. Our team also found that this was the most common method used. Just squeeze out a small amount of the thermal paste and then carefully draw a vertical line. Just do not go beyond the limits or boundaries of the surface of IHS.

Circular Method

The name says it all. A circle is created using the thermal paste when applying. It is important to note that the circle should be very thin. This will not introduce more than the required amount of paste on the IHS.

Thermal Paste Tips

Here are some of the things that you should do to make sure that your thermal pastes would perform to their maximum so you can have the best results. Our team found these tips to help you select the best thermal compound.

Clean First

Make sure that you always clean before applying the paste. The first thing that you need to do right before you apply the paste is to clean the surface of the integrated heat spreader or IHS. Clean the metal part with rubbing alcohol or isopropyl. Use a piece of tissue paper as the tissue paper is a non-conductive material.

Apply A Small Amount

While applying the paste make sure that you don’t need to apply too much. That will reduce heat loss. Instead of letting heat go, too much paste will start absorbing heat.

Do Not Apply A Very Small Amount

Make sure that while you do not apply too much of the thermal paste, you also do not apply too little. That will just not serve the purpose. Applying a very small amount of paste on your CPU or GPU will make hardly any difference in dissipating unwanted heat.

Therefore, to make sure that you are applying the right amount of thermal paste go to the section above and read out on instructions.

Strictly Avoid Spills

Make sure that there is no spillover of the thermal paste while applying it onto the motherboard or any other components of the system. Some of the thermal pastes are electrically conductive and this creates serious issues. It can short other electrical components of the CPU or GPU.

Re-application of Paste – When you should apply Thermal Paste?

Our research helped us understand that even the best thermal pastes have a low lifeline. Thus, the question that arises here is when to apply it.

The best answer to that is to apply the thermal paste whenever you are reseating or installing the cooler of your device. Also, keep in mind that one year after every application you should apply thermal paste even if it is doing its job properly.  Follow this general rule of thumb for every thermal paste in the market.

How to Remove Thermal Paste from CPU Surface?

The best method to reapply thermal paste is to first remove the old thermal paste from the surface of your CPU or anywhere else that you have applied it. Old thermal paste is very easy to remove.

The only thing that has to be kept in mind while doing it is to be very careful and follow proper instructions. Instructions are shared below.

The first step is to lift the CPU heatsink and then simply take it away from the CPU surface and separate it. The previously applied thermal paste will now be very visible so make sure that you remove it with a wipe or a piece of rag. Wait for a while to let it dry thoroughly.

Why is there more overheating in the latest gadgets?

The Latest technology and modern high-speed processes are very fast and can now handle multiple heavy applications. These applications are very resource-demanding but all of this has come at a cost and that cost is simply heat production.

The amount of heat produced during processing is very high. Some of these processes are so complicated that the processors dedicate more resources to accomplish certain tasks. This in the end increases heat production. Thus, a better cooling system is needed for keeping the CPU working properly.

This is a main concern for manufacturers and they keep on trying to improve electronic circuits so that they can make a product that produces less heat. Yet products such as thermal heat bases are very helpful and even essential for people who use their systems for complex high-speed procedures.

How to Avoid Overheating?

The only way to work around heat production is by using cooling systems that can help the CPU to remain at a normal temperature. No matter how complex the data processing tasks being conducted by the CPU are, sometimes these cooling Systems are not enough. Thermal pastes can play a major role in reducing CPU overheating issues.

One of the most important aspects to consider while constructing or maintaining your own computer is heat management. Since excessive heat can spell death for any of your sensitive electronic components and while overclocking this can be of even greater concern.

The CPU cooler is also called a heat sink and may or may not come within a fan.

A CPU cooling system and a thermal paste are applied together to make a very good system for heat loss.

Bad Effects of Heat on Computer Systems

If I put it simply, as the CPU processes data, electronic circuits generate heat. Extra heat when it passes the maximum allowed temperature can destroy the CPU.

The case fan is not very effective against this temperature rise.

Even when dangerous levels of high temperatures are not reached modern processes are programmed to reduce performance to almost half. This reduces the risk of heat generation. Resulting in slow processing which is very apparent in AMD, CPU, etc.

It is seen more in AMD than in other brands. In AMD, as the temperature increases the system stops working properly.

Other problems can occur if this CPU is not properly cooled down which include random reset, reduction of the CPU lifespan, burning in the process, and freezing. If you find the processing speed of a CPU has fallen then overheating might be of the major reasons for it.

Why Do Systems Need Thermal Pastes?

Even the smoothest surface in the world has microscopic gaps. Think of those as very tiny valleys and mountains. The best thermal paste closes those gaps and makes the surface even.

Whenever two surfaces are placed together,  there is always a space between those surfaces. This is where thermal pastes come into play. Thermal pastes close the space and allow better heat removal.

Why Do Systems Generate Heat?

To fight to overheat, we need to understand it.

Modern high-performance systems produce a greater amount of heat. This happens because, with better technology internal PC, parts are now more complex. More electrical energy is required to perform their tasks. Modern CPU, GPU, HDD, and ODD have electrical inputs that need a certain level of resistance. This resistance creates friction and as a by-product heat is produced. 

When Does The Need For A Thermal Paste Arise?

Simply put when you buy a new CPU or a computer, the system will probably already have a thermal paste in it. Therefore, you do not have to worry about thermal paste when you buy a system.

Most of the people reading this are already facing overheating problems. It is highly recommended to change your CPU thermal paste once a year.

Make sure that you remove the previous paste and then apply a fresh thermal paste.

Do not reuse the previous paste as this will create bigger problems for you. If you are facing any overheating problems as soon as you change the thermal paste these problems should reduce. If that does not happen, it means that there is some other problem with your system.

You can try to clean your fans or the fan case and continue to troubleshoot from there.

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