Thermal paste is a staple in any PC build, but it can be a pain to work with. That’s where thermal pads come into play. Thermal pads serve the same function as thermal paste, but are much easier to work with, since they are pads you cut to size. They’re also more durable than thermal paste is. Corsair Commander Pro, 100%/50% PWM Speed profiles (liquid cooling pump always @100%, if applicable) We tested each thermal paste with a low-tension air cooler mount, high-tension air cooler mount, and a high-tension AIO liquid cooler mount. Each application was given a 1-hour burn-in using Prime95 with ten load and cooling cycles over the course of the hour; six minutes each with a ten-second cool-down between. Each testing load session was then executed for a one-hour load period, again using Prime95. But where it really shines is in the value it offers, with a phenomenal price for the amount of thermal paste you’ll receive. It’s also a non-curing thermal paste, meaning that it won’t dry out over time like other thermal pastes do.

We're also putting a new take on an old approach to the test — thermal pads. These pads can be used as TIM and come as a single sheet you simply apply to your heatsink, with Thermaltake's Heilos Pad being the first new thermal pad entrant to see our test bed in the coming weeks.The BSFF Thermal Paste has an impressive thermal conductivity rating of 13.9W/mk, making it the most thermally conductive paste on our list that isn’t liquid metal.

This aluminum and zinc oxide based thermal paste is a chart-topping thermal paste that can easily outperform other tried and true thermal pastes from the likes of Arctic Silver and Noctua. Offering a thermal conductivity of 11.2 W/mk, it ranks third on our list among other traditional thermal pastes for the best thermal conductivity. The Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut is a carbon-based thermal pad that offers an insanely high thermal conductivity rating of 62.5 W/mk. Just like with the BSFF thermal paste, carbon-based thermal compounds are excellent heat conductors, making them a great choice for high-performance CPUs.This silicone-based thermal compound utilizes nano aluminum particles to effectively transfer heat between the CPU and the heatsink, making it a great conductor of heat, without being electrically conductive. In fact, with a thermal conductivity of 12.5 W/mk, it’s among the most thermally conductive thermal compounds on the market, with few others edging it out.