Thermal Paste
From TPU Reference
Thermal Paste, also known as a Thermal Interface Material or TIM, is a gel or paste like substance used to fill the microscopic gaps between a heat source's surface (such as the die of a processor) and the surface of a heatsink.
While it may seem that the surface of something is perfectly flat to the naked eye, in reality there are microscopic gaps across the entire surface. Thermal pastes fill in these tiny gaps, effectively increasing the transfer of heat from one surface to another material (such as a heatsink or a waterblock) which can conduct the heat away into a more manageable medium (such as air or water). With the proper application of a highly conductive TIM, the idle and load temperatures of a modern processor can be decreased by anywhere from five to twenty degrees Celsius. The efficient transfer of heat away from thermally sensitive equipment such as processors can not only increase stability, but also increase longevity.
Most TIMs are either:
- Silicone based. Typically white, cheap to make. Electrically non-conductive.
- Metal based pastes have metal particles suspensed in a compound. The particles are typically silver, because of its thermal properties.
- Ceramic based. Tiny ceramic particles are suspended in a compound. Compared to metal based TIMs, these are non-conductive.
Compared to solid metal, all thermal pastes have extremely low thermal conductivity, around 2 W/(m*K) compared to 401 W/(m*K) of copper.
