What is the difference between thermal grease and thermal paste?
Rachel Hernandez
Updated on April 30, 2026
Thermal grease and thermal paste are the same thing. So is thermal compound, thermal goop, thermal gunk, heat paste, that gooey stuff you put between your CPU and heat sink, hot ass gloop-a-doop for your CPU-pa-doop. The terms are used interchangeably, but the brands and types vary in composition and effectiveness.
Simply so, are thermal pads better than thermal paste?
The fact that thermal paste is more durable than thermal pads means that, if the heat sink ever needs to be replaced, the heatsink will be very difficult to remove. Some of the thermal paste will remain stuck to the component (see the image below) and it can be very difficult to remove.
Secondly, are all thermal paste the same? It doesn't matter much which type of thermal paste you use with regards to cooling. The difference between products is maybe 1-2C. There are certain types of thermal paste to avoid. Some almost act like a glue and bond with the CPU and cooler, making it nearly impossible to separate them.
Also Know, what is thermal grease used for?
Thermal grease, also called thermal paste or thermal compound, is a substance used to promote better heat conduction between two surfaces and is commonly used between a microprocessor and a heatsink . The top surface of most microprocessors is not perfectly flat.
What is a good thermal conductivity for thermal paste?
Thermal grease that is just right – good spread and good conductivity. For example, the thermal conductivity of a high-grade thermal paste is 8.5 W/mK, and the heat conductivity of copper is 385 W/mK, or for aluminum 205 W/mK.
Related Question Answers
Are thermal pads worth it?
Thermal Pads. Thermal pads are a lot easier to install than thermal grease. Unfortunately, they aren't as effective as a thin layer of thermal paste. Some stock CPU coolers come with pads, because they're nice and clean, and they'll work fine.What happens if you don't put thermal paste on CPU?
The role of thermal paste is to "fill in the gaps" and allow for better transfer of heat from the heatspreader to the heatsink. What happens if you don't have thermal paste? Things don't work as efficiently as they should. Your CPU's operating temperature will be higher.Is Arctic Silver 5 still the best?
The Arctic Silver 5 AS5 is a good choice for people who are looking to apply paste to multiple CPUs. The oil-based paste is a little unusual, and its lack of silicone is somewhat reflected in the price. But it's performance is marginally better than what you'll find in less expensive thermal pastes.What can be used as a substitute for thermal paste?
Thermal Paste Alternatives: Check Household Substitutes- Mix half teaspoon of toothpaste and mucaine in the vacuum-packed container.
- Make use of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) and blend it with toothpaste.
- You can make use of baby nappy rash cream which contains zinc oxide.
- The hair wax displays low temperature so you can make use of it as the thermal paste substitute.
How long does thermal paste last?
four yearsCan I reuse thermal pads?
You should NEVER, EVER re-use thermal pads, just like you should never re-use thermal paste. It will be a compromised product and will likely open up your hardware to thermal damage.Do thermal pads dry out?
Some thermal pads will dry out because of the material they are made out of. BUT, if you are talking about the thermal pads on the memory chips of the GPU, you can just leave them there, as memory doesn't create as much heat as an actual core does.How often should you reapply thermal paste?
If you're gaming, or otherwise have intensive use, you may need to replace it every 3–5 years, but even then you can usually get away without doing it for basically forever if you don't see any temp issues (Like if your CPU was running above 60C all the time).Can we use toothpaste instead of thermal paste?
Remember, toothpaste drops the temperature by 20 degrees, even after 12-hours of burn-in, and arctic silver 5 drops it by 29 degrees at most. So toothpaste gets you 69% to cooling nirvana, even after the dry-out period. All of these ideas will help you in a pinch but ALWAYS get proper thermal paste.How much does thermal paste cost?
I'm getting better temps with Noctua Thermal Compound than Artic Silver 5. Noctua is my favorite Heatsink/Fan/Compound manufacturer these days!!! In Stock. Only used a portion of one tube for CPU that seemed to be running hot.Top Selected Products and Reviews.
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Does thermal paste improve performance?
Posts: 4,840 +1,264. Replacing the thermal paste wont improve performance unless the CPU is throttling under thermal load. Check your temps - there are a few good CPU temp utilities around, and if the the temp is getting out of hand under average load/gaming conditions then replacing the TIM would be in order.How does thermal grease work?
Thermal compound, also known as thermal paste and thermal grease, is a material used to fill the microscopic gaps between a computer's CPU and its heat sink. Thermal compound significantly increases the heat sink's ability to cool the CPU, allowing the CPU to run at a higher speed and improve system performance.What happens if you use too much thermal paste?
If you put too much, it actually acts as an insulator, which is the exact opposite of what you want. In the worse case scenario, you can overheat and damage components. The point of thermal paste is to provide a medium to increase the thermal conductivity between your CPU and the base of the heatsink.Is thermal paste toxic to skin?
Not only what you mentioned, thermal pastes (some of them at least) are toxic - avoiding skin contact is healthy. Isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol, is probably the best solution to this problem. You're already going to be using it to remove thermal paste and its relatively non-toxic for topical use.What is the best thermal paste 2019?
Let's take a look and breakdown what truly is the best thermal paste available in 2019.- Editor's Pick. Arctic Silver 5. A great basic thermal paste.
- Air Cooled Systems. Arctic MX-4. Best pick for air cooled systems.
- Water Cooled Systems. Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut.
- Overclocked Systems. Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut.
Does thermal paste act like glue?
Fresh thermal paste is somewhat similar to the consistency of toothpaste. But after a long period of time, it can harden and act a bit like glue. Although, its purpose is to enable the most efficient transfer of heat possible from the CPU to the heatsink.Is thermal paste cheap?
People saying you can't get big differences in cooling between dirt cheap no-name paste and 'good stuff' need to consider whether the 'cheap stuff' actually is anything that could honestly be called thermal paste, or if it's just snake oil. It should be fine, maybe a few C warmer than the decent stuff.Which thermal paste is the best?
The Best Thermal Paste to Use in 2020- Best high-end ceramic TIM — Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut.
- Best carbon-based thermal paste — Arctic MX-4.
- 99.9% silver thermal compound — Arctic Silver 5.
- Best thermal paste for GPU and CPU overclocking 2020 — Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut.
- Cooler Master MasterGel Maker.
- Conclusion.
- Source.
Which thermal grizzly is the best?
- "The by far best thermal compound!
- "For my high end systems, Thermal Grizzly's Kryonaut Thermal Grease is the absolute top product!"
- "For overclockers, Kryonaut Thermal Grease is the top product on the market!"
- "Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is #1, just like me"
- "The by far best thermal compound!
