Excess heat is the enemy of high-performance computing. As CPU and GPU speeds continue rising, keeping temperatures in a safe range requires efficient cooling solutions. The physical link between hot processor dies and their heatsinks is vital for rapid heat extraction. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) like thermal paste and thermal pads fill air pockets, maximizing heat transfer from chip to sink. But which interface option is right for your build? We’ll compare the TIM alternatives to help beat the heat.
A quick summary for those who’d find this to be too long:
- For extreme overclocking: Liquid metal paste
- For high-performance gaming: Thermal paste
- For silent computing: Efficient heatsinks with thermal pads
- For compact builds: Thermal pads
Let’s start the thorough comparison.
Thermal Paste: Viscous & Versatile
Also called thermal compound or grease, thermal pastes consist of thermally conductive filler particles like ceramics or metals suspended in a carrier fluid. Popular pastes use silicone oil, while extreme formulations employ gallium metal alloys. This paste gets applied as a tiny bead or thin layer between a CPU-integrated heat spreader (IHS) and mating heatsink cold plate.
As the heatsink mounts and compresses, the conformal paste spreads evenly and seeps into microscopic surface irregularities. It displaces trapped air pockets that impede conduction. The fluid can adapt to various surface finishes and IHS shapes. Dielectric pastes prevent electrical issues for foolproof installation while metal alloys offer the highest conductivity.
The result is low thermal resistance for efficient cooling. Premium compounds withstand years of duty, surviving countless thermal cycles without drying or pump-out. Their exceptional durability makes paste well-suited for permanent CPU and GPU installations. Long-term performance does require periodically re-applying fresh paste after removing heatsinks.
Thermal Pads: Convenient But Limited
Thermal pads present a tidy alternative to messy paste application. Pads consist of solid filler materials like silicone rubber, acrylic, graphite or ceramics laminated between protective films. Pressure-sensitive adhesive coats one side to affix the pad directly onto chip surfaces before heatsink assembly.
Pads conveniently avoid installation mess or electrical shorting hazards from excessive conductive pastes. But their solidity prevents conformation into all the microscopic nooks and crannies on rough chip and heatsink surfaces. Small air gaps are left between pad filler and mating surfaces, increasing thermal resistance. This limits cooling efficacy versus thin fluid paste layers.
Additionally, thermal cycling stresses can degrade pad fillers over time. The material loses efficacy as it ages while changing dimensions that reduce contact area and pressure. This cumulatively raises operating temperatures further until paste replacement restores proper coupling.
Choosing the Best Thermal Material for Your PC
Keeping computers cool is important, especially for high-powered gaming rigs and overclocking. Thermal pads and thermal paste help move heat off hot components like CPUs and GPUs into cooler heat sinks. But which one works better? Here is an easy breakdown:
Application
Putting on thermal pads is clean and easy – just peel and stick. Thermal paste requires carefully applying a small dot or line for best results. Too much or too little paste makes cooling worse. So pads are simpler, but paste gives better control.
Filling Gaps
Thermal paste is fluid so when compressed it seeps into tiny dips and valleys in the surfaces. This kicks out trapped air that insulates components from the cooler. Pads stay solid so some small air gaps usually remain when installed. Air gaps hinder heat transfer, so paste has an advantage.
Conductivity
Think of conductivity like how easily heat travels through a material. Thermal paste formulas with metals or carbon fillers have great conductivity, especially “liquid metal” kinds with gallium. The best pads only manage about 70% as good as average paste. So again paste helps move more heat away.
Compatibility
Both pads and paste work for cooling standard computers. But for extreme gaming and overclocking rigs pushing big heat loads, thermal paste is a must. That tiny bit better conduction makes a bigger difference when every degree counts for stability.
Durability
Quality thermal paste holds up for many years if applied right. But thermal pads can dry out, get compressed down over time, and lose their springy contact. So while pads avoid initial installation hassles, paste lasts much longer before needing to replace as performance drops.
Which Reigns Supreme for Key Applications?
Motherboards: For moderate builds, pads and pastes cool board components similarly. But thermal paste better tames high thermal loads from hot unlocked CPUs popular in enthusiast desktops. This requires minding paste application and insulation near the CPU socket.
Gaming & Overclocking: Gamers overclock GPUs and processors aggressively to maximize frame rates, exponentially increasing thermal dissipation requirements. The superior conductivity and stability of thermal paste makes it uniquely qualified for extracting dangerous heat loads in these scenarios.
Laptops: Their compact form factor can complicate achieving the required pressure between components and heatsinks when using messy paste. Simple peel-and-stick thermal pads avoid installation hassles but their marginal conductivity requires care limiting internal heat generation through conservative specifications.
Best CPU Cooling: When engineering cutting-edge CPUs, thermal design budgets always demand some overprovisioning safety margin. Pairing premium thermal paste with exotic liquid cooling lets enthusiasts fully utilize this hidden performance headroom obscured by artificial limits. This makes otherwise unattainable overclocking feats suddenly within reach!
Best GPU Cooling: Graphics cards already pump massive amounts of heat even at stock settings. But gamers constantly push frequencies higher through overvolting and overclocking for ultimate frame rates, becoming thermally limited by GPU cooler capabilities. Using the industry’s finest heatsinks paired with highest-conductivity thermal pastes allows more of the produced heat to escape, sustaining GPU performance at settings deemed impossible.
FAQ
Question: Is thermal paste or pads better for long-term use?
Answer: Thermal paste lasts many years even with temperature cycling, while pads can dry out and fail over time. Paste is the way to go for permanent builds.
Question: Can I reuse thermal pads?
Answer: It’s not advisable. Used pads won’t make ideal contact or fill gaps properly. Fresh pads work significantly better.
Question: What temperature does thermal paste expire?
Answer: Around 200°C the compounds in quality thermal paste can start to break down. But under normal usage it should last for years without issues.
Question: Is liquid metal thermal paste conductive?
Answer: Yes, liquid metal pastes like gallium alloy are electrically conductive, requiring insulation around the CPU socket. But they offer extreme cooling capability.
Bottom Line
With all factors considered from application method and long-term usage to individual build goals, thermal paste generally provides superior performance crucial in thermally-demanding computing applications like overclocking. But thermal pad convenience and tidier installation better suit more modest thermal load needs. Properly applied quality paste always enables the lowest temperatures to fully exploit overclocking headroom or simply run cooler and quieter.