Effective cooling is becoming more and more crucial as electrical gadgets get more powerful. By 2025, advanced thermally conductive grease will provide efficient and reliable cooling for CPUs, GPUs, and other components, even under heavy workloads. In this article, we’ll review the best thermally conductive grease available in 2025, highlighting their features, performance, and what makes them stand out in the crowded market.
What is Thermally Conductive Grease?
Thermally conductive grease, also known as thermal paste or thermal compound, is applied between heat-generating components (such as CPUs, GPUs, or power transistors) and their cooling solutions (like heatsinks). Its primary purpose is to fill microscopic air gaps and surface imperfections, enhancing heat transfer and preventing overheating.
How It Works
Thermal grease fills these gaps, replacing the air with a material that conducts heat efficiently, boosting overall cooling performance.
Key Benefits
- Fills Micro-Gaps: Eliminates tiny air pockets between components and heatsinks, ensuring maximum surface contact for efficient heat transfer.
- Enhances Heat Transfer: Boosts cooling performance, helping prevent overheating and maintaining stable device operation.
- Non-Permanent: Can be removed and reapplied easily, making maintenance, upgrades, and component swaps straightforward.
- Improves Longevity: Lowering the operating temperature of CPUs, GPUs, and other components reduces wear and stress, helping them last longer and maintain reliable performance.
- Versatile Use: Suitable for a wide range of electronics, from PCs and servers to LEDs and industrial devices.
- Cost-Effective Cooling: Thermal paste offers an affordable performance and cooling boost.
Common Applications
- PCs & Laptops: Cools high-performance CPUs and GPUs.
- Servers & Embedded Systems: Maintains stability in compact or industrial electronics.
- Electric Vehicles (EVs): Manage heat in power electronics and battery systems.
Thermal grease is essential for effective heat management, helping devices run cooler, more reliably, and with a longer lifespan.
Choosing the Right Thermal Grease (Thermal Paste)
Selecting the right thermal paste is key to keeping your electronic components cool. The best choice depends on your device, performance needs, and operating conditions. Here’s a guide to help you decide:
Key Factors to Consider
- Thermal Conductivity (TC): Indicates how efficiently a thermal paste transfers heat, measured in W/m·K. Higher TC means better heat transfer, but it should be balanced with the paste’s viscosity and safety for your components.
- Thermal Resistance (TR): Measures how much the temperature increases for each watt of power, expressed in °C/W. Lower TR means the thermal paste transfers heat more efficiently.
- Viscosity: Indicates how easily the thermal paste spreads. The right viscosity ensures smooth, even coverage without dripping or being too thick.
- Electrical Conductivity: Non-conductive pastes are safer for most electronics, while electrically conductive pastes may offer better performance but carry a risk of short circuits if they spill.
- Operating Temperature Range: The range of temperatures where the paste remains effective. Choose a thermal paste that matches your device’s typical operating conditions.
- Pump-Out and Dry-Out Resistance: Indicates how well the paste stays in place over time. Stable pastes resist drying and displacement, maintaining performance longer.
- Ease of Application and Cleanup: Some thermal pastes spread and remove more easily than others. Choosing a convenient paste can save time, especially if you need to perform maintenance often.
- Cost and Value: Higher-priced pastes may offer better performance, but ensure the benefits match your needs.
Types of Thermal Grease
- Metal-Based: Excellent heat transfer, ideal for high-performance systems.
- Ceramic-Based: Good balance of performance and safety; non-conductive.
- Carbon-Based: Easy to apply, non-conductive, slightly lower performance.
- Liquid Metal: Superior heat transfer but electrically conductive; requires careful handling.
By considering these factors, you can select the optimal thermal paste for your system, ensuring efficient cooling and prolonging the life of your components.
Top Thermally Conductive Grease Products in 2025
Top 1: TG-N909 Non-Silicone Thermal Paste
It safely and efficiently transfers heat from high-wattage chips, making it ideal for CPUs, chip coolers, LEDs, optical instruments, and other sensitive electronics. Offers reliable, long-lasting cooling without silicone-related risks.
Applications: Suitable for a wide range of electronic components and industries, including AI, 5G, automotive, consumer devices, industrial, medical, telecom, EVs, and smart technologies.
Top 2: TG-AS808 / TG-S808 Thermal Paste
TG-AS808 is a high-performance thermal paste with 8 W/m·K conductivity. Its organic silicon base is eco-friendly, providing low thermal resistance, excellent leveling, and the ability to fill surface unevenness for optimal heat transfer. Reusable in thin layers (<0.1 mm), it’s ideal for high-wattage wafers and widely used in CPUs, ICs, LEDs, servers, AI systems, 5G equipment, and other high-performance electronics.
Applications: Ideal for various electronic components across industries such as AI, 5G, automotive, consumer devices, industrial, medical, telecom, EVs, robotics, and smart technologies.
Top 3: TG-AS606C / S606C Thermal Paste
TG-S606C is a versatile thermal paste with 5.3 W/m·K thermal conductivity, ideal for moderate-power applications such as computer IC wafers, robots, and 3C electronics. Its thin application reduces thermal resistance, fills small gaps effectively, and ensures reliable heat dissipation. Stable and easy to apply, it is best suited for devices that can be serviced, as it may gradually dry over time in high-power or hard-to-access applications.
Applications: Suitable for a wide range of electronic components in industries like AI, 5G, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, medical, energy, telecom, robotics, and smart technologies.
Top 4: TG-AS606B / S606B Thermal Paste
TG-S606B is a cost-effective thermal paste with 1.9 W/m·K thermal conductivity. Its fluid texture efficiently fills contact gaps, reducing thermal resistance. Easy to apply via syringe or screen printing, it’s perfect for electronics with moderate heat-dissipation requirements, especially when high conductivity isn’t needed and space or budget is limited.
Applications: Used across electronics, AI, automotive, consumer devices, industrial, medical, telecom, EVs, and more.
How to Apply Thermal Paste Correctly
- Clean the Surfaces
- Clean the CPU and heatsink with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth or coffee filter to remove any old thermal paste.
- Ensure both surfaces are completely dry and free from dust, oils, or any contaminants.
- Apply a Small Amount
- Place a pea-sized dot of thermal paste in the center of the CPU.
- Don’t spread it manually, the pressure from the heatsink will naturally spread it evenly across the surface.
- Install the Cooler
- Gently place the cooler on the CPU.
- Tighten screws in a diagonal pattern for even pressure.
Why Surface Cleaning Matters
Cleaning ensures the paste fills tiny gaps properly. Any leftover residue can reduce heat transfer, causing higher temperatures.
When to Reapply
- After removing the Cooler: Always clean and reapply paste.
- Every 1–2 Years: Reapply if temperatures rise or performance drops.
Signs You Need New Paste
- Higher CPU temperatures at idle or load.
- Frequent thermal throttling.
- Paste looks dried or degraded.
Following these steps helps your CPU stay cool, perform better, and last longer.
Conclusion
In 2025, using the right thermal paste is essential to keep your electronic devices cool and working reliably. Thermal paste fills tiny gaps between components and heatsinks, improving heat transfer and preventing overheating. Top options like TG-N909, TG-AS808/S808, TG-AS606C/S606C, and TG-AS606B/S606B suit everything from high-performance CPUs and AI systems to moderate-power electronics, offering a balance of performance, reliability, and cost.
Correct application keeps devices cool and prolongs their lifespan. Choosing the right thermal paste and applying it properly is a simple step that greatly improves your device’s performance and lifespan.
