HWC has published several analyses that deserve to be revisited. Although they are not from today—or even yesterday—we still consider them useful in practice. What is the best way to apply thermal paste? Which technique should you use, and how much paste? What about SSD coolers—which of the available models is the most attractive? And how can you improve SSD cooling with small heatsinks originally designed for VRAM?
The age-old dilemma: How should thermal paste be applied correctly to avoid reducing cooling efficiency at the level of thermal interface between the cooler and the processor—or, more precisely, between their heat spreaders? We’ve tested several approaches and have the results. Of course, the outcome may vary somewhat depending on the cooler base and the thermal paste used.
- Link to analysis: Spreading a thermal paste: how and how much?
Another interesting topic is the use of SSD coolers. Should you install your SSD under the cooler included with your motherboard, or is it better to replace it with a third-party solution? We have a database comparing multiple options to help answer that question.
- Link to analysis: More than 100 models tested. Overview of (M.2) SSD coolers
Or perhaps you’ll take a completely different, DIY approach to SSD cooling? Some time ago, we also looked at how you can improve cooling using small finned heatsinks originally intended for memory chips—primarily those found on graphics cards.
- Link to analysis: Small VRAM heatsink on a SSD NVMe? Cheap and efficient…
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
