A good CPU or GPU cooler can help to keep your system cool, but even a great heatsink will struggle to do so if the gap between it and the processor is filled with bad thermal paste. A bit of TIM can go a long way to improving temperatures and helping your overclocked rig maintain its peak performance.
There are dozens of options to choose from, and while most will work fine for mid-range systems that won’t be pushing their overclocks too far, you’ll need something better than your standard brand of paste if you want to push your rig past its factory settings. The best thermal pastes will provide excellent performance for the money and should last a while, too. We’ve cherry-picked the very best of them for this article, starting with the infamous Noctua NT-H1.
Next up is the Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme, which offers a much higher level of thermal conductivity than most other pastes. It’s a bit more expensive than some of the other choices here, but a single 5 gram tube will last you for several PC builds or dozens of cooler swaps.
Another good option is the Kyronaut from Thermal Grizzly, which has a reputation for being great for overlockers. It uses a blend of nano-aluminum and zinc oxide that supposedly interpolates slight imperfections in the heat-transfer surface between your CPU and its heatsink. It’s a little pricey, but it will likely hold up for years to come, and it’s incredibly easy to apply, unlike some other liquid metal compounds that can be a pain.best thermal paste