Select the Perfect Heat Transfer Solution for Your CPU - Ranked Analysis of 90 Pastes

2024’S Leading Thermal Pastes for Computers Tested and Ranked - Discover Your Top Picks

Choosing the best thermal paste may sound simple, but a dizzying array of options can turn this seemingly easy choice into a time-consuming and confusing task. Thermal paste is designed to minimize microscopic air gaps and irregularities between the surface of the cooler and the CPU’s IHS (integrated heat spreader), the piece of metal built into the top of the processor, to transfer heat to the CPU cooler.

Good thermal paste can have a profound impact on your performance because it will allow your processor to transfer more of its waste heat to your cooler, keeping your processor running cool. Choosing the best thermal paste is also important if you plan on overclocking your rig to its fullest. Even thebest CPUs for gaming can often hit slightly higherCPU overclocks if paired with a good thermal paste.

Performance enthusiasts often swear by a favorite brand of paste, but new recipes crop up fairly frequently. We’ve extensively tested some of the top thermal pastes on the market. If you’re hunting for more exotic pastes off the beaten path, we also have plenty of historical data below covering 90 different pastes (and yes, we’ve even tested toothpaste).

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Thermal paste goes by many names, such as “thermal compound,” “thermal grease,” or “TIM” (Thermal Interface Material), but they all have the same purpose — to help keep your chip cool by ensuring that heat passes efficiently from the CPU to the cooler.

LATEST VIDEOS FROM tomshardware Tom’s Hardware

Most pastes are made of ceramic or metallic materials suspended within a proprietary binder, allowing for easy application, spread, and cleanup. Depending on their specific formula, these thermal pastes can be electrically conductive or non-conductive. Electrically conductive thermal pastes can carry electricity between two points, meaning that if the paste squeezes out onto other components, it can cause damage to motherboards and CPUs when you switch on the power. A single drop out of place can lead to a dead PC, so extra care is imperative.

Liquid metal compounds are almost always electrically conductive, so while these compounds perform better than their paste counterparts, they require more focus and attention during application. They are very hard to remove if you get some in the wrong place, which would fry your system. In contrast, traditional thermal paste compounds are relatively simple for every experience level. Most, but not all, traditional pastes are electrically non-conductive.

Even though a dizzying array of different thermal pastes are available—some blends have been around for over a decade—new formulations still come to market at a surprising pace. As new pastes arrive, older pastes also retire.

We’re also putting a new take on an old approach to the test — thermal pads. These pads can be used as a thermal paste and come as a single sheet you simply apply to your heatsink, withThermaltake’s Heilos Pad being the first new thermal pad entrant to see our test bed in the coming weeks.

Here are the best thermal pastes, along with our complete test results. Remember that you don’t always get what you pay for as some budget pastes come awfully close to or overtake their more expensive competitors.

TubeDigger - online video downloader from mostly any site

Best Thermal Paste for CPUs You Can Buy

Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test .

Best Premium (Standard) Thermal Paste

Power Tools add-on for Google Sheets, Lifetime subscription

(Image credit: Amazon)

1. Toplamp TL-A40

Best Premium

Average Amazon review:

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Specifications

Electrically Conductive: No

Thermal Conductivity: 14.9 W/mK

Ease of Use: 4.5 (1=difficult, 5=simple)

Relative Performance: 5.0 (1=poor, 5=excellent)

Cleanup: lint-free absorbent paper towels, alcohol pads or cotton swabs and alcohol

Price per gram: $1.75

Today’s Best Deals

Check Amazon

View at Amazon

Reasons to buy

Stability

Easy to use

Easy to clean up

Reasons to avoid

None

While it doesn’t beat liquid metal compounds in our tests, Toplamp’s TL-A40 is the best traditional thermal paste we’ve tested on our air cooling system. It is easy to apply to all surfaces and simple to clean up. You can’t go wrong with this one — and with its relatively budget price of $6.99 USD, it shows that you don’t need to spend a lot of money for good thermal performance.

Best Premium Paste (Runner-up)

(Image credit: Amazon)