Keeping electronics from overheating is crucial for both performance and longevity. But between similarly named thermal glue and thermal paste, how do you pick the right cooling solution? This guide will clarify their distinct compositions and applications so you can make the optimal choice.
We’ll compare thermal glue vs. paste across various factors – from thermal conductivity and ease of reapplication to environmental impact and usage recommendations.
A Brief History of Thermal Interface Materials
First, let’s understand why specialized thermally conductive materials are so important in electronics and processors. Modern computing components generate significant amounts of heat that requires rapid dissipation to prevent throttling or complete failure. This heat moves through various layers using several heat transfer methods:
In early computing history, simply attaching metal heatsinks to processors sufficed. But at higher computing speeds, minute air gaps between components caused heat transfer bottlenecks.
Engineers then developed thermally conductive thermal interface materials (TIM) to fill these microscopic gaps. The TIM layer dissipates heat efficiently from the CPU/GPU die through attached heatsinks using heat spreaders.
The two most common TIM types – thermal glue and thermal paste – serve this basic purpose but have evolved optimized properties and ingredients for varied applications.
Thermal Glue vs. Paste Compositions Compared
While both conduct heat efficiently, thermal glues and pastes contain different functional ingredients tailored to their distinct roles:
| Thermal Glue | Thermal Paste | |
|---|---|---|
| Key Ingredients | Epoxy resins, metallic particles like silver, zinc, aluminum | Silicone/fluorocarbon grease, ceramic/metal microparticles |
| Purpose | Permanently bonds parts by adhesive action + heat transfer | Non-permanent transfer of heat between tightly mating surfaces |
| Consistency | Semi-solid epoxy | Grease-like paste |
Thermal glues contain epoxy resins that act as the adhesive agent and binder that cures to permanently glue components together. Metallic particles like silver, zinc or aluminum enable heat conduction.
Thermal paste uses a non-adhesive silicone or fluoropolymer grease vehicle to carry heat-conductive ceramic and metal microparticles like zinc oxide between the microscopic gaps. This allows efficient heat transfer without permanent sticking.
Now with an idea of the ingredients, let’s analyze the conductivity and cooling performance you can expect.
Thermal Conductivity and Resistance
The composition directly impacts thermal characteristics – a crucial electronic cooling metric. Thermal pastes generally achieve higher conductivity:
As seen in the above graph, premium thermal pastes exceed 12 W/mK thermal conductivity using advanced metal alloys and carbon fillers, driving rapid heat dissipation.
The best thermal glues reach around 5 W/mK conductivity. The epoxy binding resin slightly hinders metallic particle contact.
However, thermal glue provides sufficient cooling for most electronics parts requiring permanent adhesion. Exceptional heat output components like high-TDP CPUs and overclocked GPUs do benefit from thermal paste’s maximum heat transfer capacity.
Recommended Application Scenarios
With varying use-cases in mind, here are some examples of applying the suitable material:
- PC CPU + GPU cooling – Thermal paste allows safe reapplication when drying out. Easy to re-seat heatsinks during builds.
- Game console APU cooling – Again pastes permit non-destructive access to the APU for upgrades.
- Smartphone chip – Small glue application permanently bonds chipset/5G modem and ensures reliable thermals over years.
- LED heat sinks – Optimal use-case for thermal glues to permanently attach LEDs to heatsinks.
So whenever tightly mating surfaces like CPUs and heatsinks need safe temporary bonding with maximum heat transfer, non-permanent thermal paste works best.
For permanent adhesion applications, thermal glue provides lasting physical bonds while conducting heat reasonably well.
Performance And Reliability Factors
Besides thermal conductivity, expected product lifetime and resilience also matter:
Thermal glue cures to form long-lasting bonds, maintaining reliable thermal performance for over a decade in typical electronic assemblies. Once completely hardened, thermal glues withstand vibration/shocks and function in extreme temperature environments (-50°C to 200°C).
Thermal paste endures intense heat cycles and temperature spikes less effectively. While pastes enable excellent initial heat transfer from the CPU die, the paste eventually dries out or hardens over sustained use, requiring re-application for optimal cooling.
So if you need permanent thermally conductive attachments resilient to environmental stresses, thermal glue is the superior performer.
Maintainability and Reworkability
Upgradability and maintenance requirements influence material choice:
Removing fully cured thermal glue mechanically damages most components because of its adhesive strength. Once hardened, removing thermal glue using heat or chemical dissolution risks equipment damage.
Thermal paste cleans up easily with isopropyl alcohol rubbed on cotton pads, allowing fresh paste application on CPUs, GPUs and heatsinks during routine maintenance or upgrades.
So pick thermal paste when hardware requires non-destructive access for reworks or cleaning. Permanently bonded thermal glue only suits permanently factory-assembled devices.
Environmental Impact Considerations
Responsible use and disposal principles apply for both thermal materials:
Certain thermal glue epoxies release harsh fumes during curing, demanding worker safety protocols. Metallic particle fillers also complicate large volume glue waste disposal without ecological contamination.
While generally non-toxic, metal micro fillers within thermal paste still require responsible handling to prevent environmental release through drains. Follow appropriate local disposal guidelines after cleaning paste off devices.
Conclusion
With a grasp on the composition, thermal traits and best usage practices for thermal glue vs. paste, you can now make an informed selection tailored for cooling requirements.
Thermal paste enabling temporary bonding suits removable heat sinks on CPUs, GPUs and game console chips. Thermal glue permanently bonds assemblies over long periods where detachment is never needed.
Consider application longevity, operating temperatures, repair access needs and responsible disposal to pick the right thermal material. Utilize the perfect product to efficiently cool your critical electronics!
