Whether you’re building your own gaming rig or making some serious upgrades to your workstation, a quality thermal paste is essential. It helps transfer heat from your CPU to your cooler, allowing it to run at a lower temperature and increase overall performance. However, choosing the best one can be a little confusing. There are a lot of choices available, from brands like Arctic, Noctua, and Thermal Grizzly, but not all of them will be ideal for your system.
The GC Extreme from Gelid offers great performance for an affordable price, and it’s also non-electrically conductible and resistant to corrosion. This makes it the perfect choice for PC enthusiasts who are looking to keep their systems cool and stable. It’s thicker than some other thermal compounds, but it’s easy to apply and won’t leave residue on your motherboard. It’s available in a wide range of quantities, including a starter variant that will last through five to six large-size CPU installations.
If you’re planning to overclock, look elsewhere for a thermal interface material. The liquid metal-based thermal greases like the Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut may offer superior cooling performance, but they’re electrically conductive and can cause short circuits if spilled on your motherboard. If you’re not into overclocking, consider a non-conductive thermal compound such as the Arctic Silver Ceramique instead. This non-conductive solution is also suitable for beginners who are worried about accidentally shorting out their components. best thermal paste for cpu