4 best paste for heat sinks

Thermal paste, also known as thermal compound or heat sink paste, is a vital component in computer systems and electronic devices for efficient heat dissipation. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the temperature of internal components, such as central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), within safe operating limits.

Here are some key points about thermal paste:

Purpose: Thermal paste is used to improve the thermal conductivity between a heat-generating component (e.g., CPU or GPU) and a heat sink or cooler. It fills microscopic gaps and imperfections on the contact surface, ensuring better heat transfer.
Heat Transfer: The primary function of thermal paste is to enhance heat transfer from the electronic component to the heat sink. Without it, air gaps or uneven surfaces can lead to poor thermal performance.
Materials: Thermal pastes are typically made from a variety of materials, including silicone-based compounds, ceramic compounds, and metal-based compounds (e.g., silver or aluminum). The choice of material depends on factors like thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and cost.
Application: Applying thermal paste correctly is crucial. Typically, a small amount is spread evenly over the CPU or GPU, and the heat sink is then attached. The paste fills the gaps and ensures a tight, conductive bond between the two surfaces.
Replacing Thermal Paste: Over time, thermal paste can dry out or degrade, reducing its effectiveness.When upgrading or maintaining a computer, it's a good practice to clean off the old thermal paste and apply a fresh layer to optimize cooling.
Performance Impact: Properly applied thermal paste can significantly improve the cooling performance of a computer. It helps prevent overheating, which can lead to reduced performance or even hardware damage.
Types of Thermal Paste: There are various types of thermal paste available, including standard pastes, high-performance pastes for enthusiasts and overclockers, and even non-conductive pastes to prevent short circuits.
Safety Precautions: When handling thermal paste, it's important to avoid contact with skin and eyes. Some thermal pastes may contain compounds that can be harmful if ingested or inhaled.

In summary, thermal paste is a critical component for efficient heat dissipation in computers and electronic devices. It ensures that heat-generating components can operate within their specified temperature ranges, thereby extending the lifespan and performance of these devices. Proper application and maintenance of thermal paste are essential for optimal thermal management.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best paste for heat sinks on the market

FlightGear Realistic Flight Simulator 2020 Plane & Helicopter Sim | Premium DELUXE Edition Flight Gear Incl 600+ Aircraft | DVD CD Discs for Microsoft Windows 10 8 7 Vista PC & Mac OS X

Based on 403 reviews Check latest price

Product description

⚠️PLEASE NOTE: You will receive EXACTLY as advertised, disc as pictured, in protective sleeve. Retail box is NOT included. IMPORTANT - Please ensure your computer meets these Minimum System Requirements - CPU: Quad-core / RAM: 6GB / GPU: Nvidia/ATI with 2048MB VRAM / HDD: 5GB.

⚠️THIS IS NOT 'Microsoft' flight simulator; this is FLIGHTGEAR flight simulator exactly as advertised, and it includes all the excellent features listed below.

Summary:

FlightGear flight simulator has been developed over two decades, resulting in a highly sophisticated, detailed and ultra-realistic flying experience! Including 20,000 real airports worldwide, the chances are if it exists in real life, it exists in this flight simulator. Fly planes, helicopters and even airships! You have the freedom to fly anywhere, anytime, night or day, and experience the ultimate flight simulation! Compatible with both Windows PC and Mac OS X (10.8 to latest).

Main Features:

Latest FlightGear version included on disc for both PC and Mac
Hundreds of aircraft ready to fly, from the classics to modern
Free for life updates
Live and current weather
Real aviation charts
Multiplayer servers
Realistic scenery and time of day modelling
Scenery night lighting
Multiply display support
Supports keyboard, mouse, joystick, yoke, pedals etc.

PixelClassics Exclusives:

FULL worldwide scenery
600+aircraft
Close to 800 aircraft liveries included on disc
Easy to use installation menu (PC only)
Installation guide, 200+ page software manual, email support and more!

This is a GNU licensed product and PixelClassics has been granted full rights under this license to distribute derivative works.

User questions & answers

Question:	El flight Simulator 2019 tienen versión en español
Answer:	Hola Gracias por tu mensaje. Juegos de simulador en ingles y español. El manual está en ingles, frances e italiano, pero la guía de instalación está solo en ingles. Lamentablemente no hay manual en español en la actualidad. Saludos cordiales, Dean
Question:	Are the graphics better than those in fsx? If not I'm not interested
Answer:	Hello Thank you for your question. Comparing graphics is subjective and different opinions will of course vary. What I can say is that the quality will vary from aircraft to aircraft and from airport to airport/scenery, but you can checkmark various settings via the launcher and advance settings to increase quality (please read included manual on disc for how to do this). The leve of detail you can obtain will of course also depend on the capabilities of your graphics card. While of course graphics are important, as a simulator and not an arcade/console game, the most important aspect is the actual simulated flight physics, of which this simulator faithfully recreates for many hundreds of different aircraft. This sim has been in development for over 20 years, and has been used in a range of projects in academia and industry (including NASA) and even home-built cockpits. ATC Flight Simulator Company builds FAA approved flight simulators that use FlightGear for the visuals, so it's safe to say this is one of the more advanced simulators available. Kind regards, Dean
Question:	can this be returned if not what was wanted
Answer:	Hello Thank you for your question. If you are unhappy with your purchase, please contact us directly and we will be happy to assist. As others have mentioned, you can indeed download this, however the download does not include the many extras that our disc version includes. Some customers prefer software on disc for a number of different reasons, along with the additional benefits and after sale support provided by PixelClassics. There are many benefits to this package which are not included by default with the download. 1) This deluxe edition includes the entire world wide scenery. That's over 13GB of data and includes scenery that is not included within the initial download. 2) 600+ bonus aircraft on disc. That's around 580 more over that of Microsoft's offerings, and of course at a much lower cost. Again, these bonus aircraft are not included in the initial download, and it would take you a great deal of time to download them all individually. 3) 800 aircraft liveries provided on disc, with link to download 100's more. 4) Exclusive PixelClassics installation guide on how to install the main simulator, bonus aircraft/scenery, plus quick start guide. 5) Multiplatform edition include installs for both Windows PC and Mac OS X on the same disc. 6) 200+ PDF user manual. 7) Custom PixelClassics PC installation menu, giving easy access to installation, user manuals, email support and more. 8) All software is fully scanned 100% virus clean via three leading security programs, AVAST, SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes. Some people do not feel comfortable with downloads which are open to viruses and malware if not downloaded from original source, and this is one very good reason why some prefer to purchase a disc based version over free download. 9) Professionally designed and printed discs. 10) Full after sale support is provided. While there are support forums, any help there is voluntary and therefore you are not guaranteed to receive help, where as I am obliged to help and happy to do so. I answer all messages within 24h Mon-Fri, and continue to help until a suitable solution is found. PixelClassics
Question:	I just bought this game, can i make a digital copy of it so i can play it on my gaming laptop that has no cd rom
Answer:	Hello Thank you for your question. Yes simply copy the whole content of the installation disc to a USB memory stick and install from there. Alternatively message me directly and I can send you a download link. Kind regards, Dean

ARCTIC MX-4 (4 Grams) - Thermal Compound Paste, Carbon Based High Performance, Heatsink Paste, Thermal Compound CPU for All Coolers, Thermal Interface Material

ARCTIC

Based on 31 reviews Check latest price

Product description

ARCTIC offers innovative solutions incessantly - changing impossible user requirements into new. Always focused on our customers, ARCTIC is devoted to deliver excellence through a strong dedication and a high sense of commitment. In light of the ever-changing consumer landscapes, we aspire to continue to expand and diversify our products and solutions. From computer cooling and peripherals to audio and digital home entertainment, we strive to enrich people's lives by creating innovative, user friendly yet affordable products with a great value of benefit. For us value for money is a key factor - a constant our customers rely on.

WELL PROVEN QUALITY: The design of our thermal paste packaging’s has changed several times, the formula of the composition has remained unchanged, so our MX pastes have stood for high quality
HIGH PERFORMANCE: With excellent temperature reduction performance, the MX-4 is ideal for CPU and GPU cooling, and other applications between power semiconductor components and heatsinks
SAFE APPLICATION: The MX-4 is metal-free and non-electrical conductive, which eliminates any risks of causing short circuit, adding more protection to the CPU and VGA cards
HIGH DURABILITY: In contrast to metal and silicon thermal compound, the MX-4 does not compromise over time. Once applied, you do not need to apply it again as it will last at least for 8 years
EASY TO APPLY: With an ideal consistency, the MX-4 is very easy to use, even for beginners

User questions & answers

Question:	will this work for adding a heat sink to a 18v 550 dc motor
Answer:	Should work just fine.
Question:	How many coffee lake cpu applications is the 4g enough for? i will be doing the "one spot" method as recommended
Answer:	I did two and have some left in tube - not sure how much.
Question:	How does this one (current edition?) for 8.99? Compare to the one a few dollars more expensive
Answer:	I've never done a true comparison but I believe the more expensive paste does a slightly better job at transferring heat for the extreme overclocking crowd. It might also resist caking and drying at higher temperatures like those found in extreme OC builds. I can't say for sure any of this is true, not having done the tests for myself, but this logic seems to be the general consensus among PC builders.
Question:	Full page of blahblah about performance, but where is tge number? Wm/K
Answer:	Thermal Conductivity: 8.5 W/(mK) https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/mx-4.html#techspecs

GENNEL 20 Grams Grey Thermal Compound Grease Heatsink Paste for CPU GPU Chipset IC Ovens Cooler Cooling

Based on 62 reviews Check latest price

Product description

* 100% New.

* Helps disperse the heat from CPU to heatsink effectively.

* Suitable for: CPU heatsink or chip. High temperature resistance

* Non-toxic, tasteless, non-corrosive

* Net Weight: 20g

* Thermal Conductivity: >1.93W/m-k

* Thermal Resistance: <0.225°C-in2/W.

* Color: Grey

Package Includes:

* 1x 20g Grey thermal grease paste.

* 1x Thermal paste spatula

Helps disperse the heat from CPU to heatsink effectively.
Suitable for: CPU, GPU ,heatsink, ovens, chipset, Xbox, High power LED and other PC components.
High Performance ,High temperature resistance, Non-toxic, tasteless, non-corrosive.
Thermal Conductivity: >1.93W/m-k , Net Weight: 20gram
Package Includes : 1 x GENNEL G105 20g Grey thermal grease paste, 1 x Thermal paste spatula

User questions & answers

Question:	is this electrically conductive
Answer:	The place where you can place the gel pack is roughly 8x5. The entire heated surface is approximately 17 inches long and 7 high. In addition to the heating pad, the adjustable straps allow at least 12 inches to each end, 42 inches overall from Velcro to Velcro. Hope this helps!
Question:	Is the product appropriate for these white, box-shaped transistors inside of amplifier which overheat severely
Answer:	I am enjoying this heating pad. it does need to be plugged in to provide heat. If you don't mind being on a short tether, you can work standing up near your outlet. I wear it while working at my computer or in my comfortable chair with a good book. It is very comfortable and has several heat settings: warm, low, medium, high.

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Cooling Compound Paste 3.5g Heatsink Paste High-Density Polysynthetic Silver with Bonus Tool (Arctic Silver with Bonus Tool)

Based on 4 reviews Check latest price

Arctic Silver 5 contains over 88% thermally conductive filler by weight. In addition to micronized silver, Arctic Silver 5 also contains sub-micron zinc oxide, aluminum oxide and boron nitride particles.
Its unique high-density filling of micronized silver and enhanced thermally conductive ceramic particles, Arctic Silver 5 provides a new level of performance and stability
Bonus Tool will come in handy rather then getting your hands dirty
Coverage Area: A 3.5g gram syringe contains enough compound to cover at least 15 to 25 small CPU cores, or 6 to 10 large CPU cores, or 2 to 5 heat plates. At a layer 0.003" thick, the 3.5g gram syringe will cover approximately 16 square inches.
3 to 12 degrees centigrade lower CPU full load core temperatures than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads when measured with a calibrated thermal diode imbedded in the CPU core

User questions & answers

Question:	Is this paste electrically non conductive
Answer:	yes
Question:	What is the Thermal conductivity in W/mK
Answer:	I never trust a product whose critical characteristic, like thermal conductivity, the manufacturers won't specify. Don't buy it.
Question:	Work for PS
Answer:	Yes it should work great. Just order enough as tube is pretty small.
Question:	What is that cursed image? Look at image 5. What is that man doing
Answer:	He's doing it wrong.

Product features

Performance

3 to 12 degrees centigrade lower CPU full load core temperatures than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads when measured with a calibrated thermal diode imbedded in the CPU core.

Coverage Area: A 3.5 gram syringe contains enough compound to cover at least 15 to 25 small CPU cores, or 6 to 10 large CPU cores, or 2 to 5 heat plates. At a layer 0.003" thick, the 3.5 gram syringe will cover approximately 16 square inches

Arctic Silver Thermal Cooling Compound Paste 3.5g High-Density Polysynthetic Silver

Arctic Silver 5 does not contain any silicone. The suspension fluid is a proprietary mixture of advanced polysynthetic oils that work together to provide three distinctive functional phases. As it comes from the syringe, Arctic Silver 5's consistency is engineered for easy application. During the CPU's initial use, the compound thins out to enhance the filling of the microscopic valleys and ensure the best physical contact between the heatsink and the CPU core. Then the compound thickens slightly over the next 50 to 200 hours of use to its final consistency designed for long-term stability. (This should not be confused with conventional phase change pads that are pre-attached to many heatsinks. Those pads melt each time they get hot then re-solidify when they cool.

The viscosity changes that Arctic Silver 5 goes through are much more subtle and ultimately much more effective.)