Thermal pad (computing)
In computing and electronics, thermal pads are a pre-formed square or rectangle of solid material (often paraffin based) commonly found on the underside of heatsinks to aid the conduction of heat away from the component being cooled (such as a CPU or another chip) and into the heatsink (usually made from aluminium or copper). Thermal pads and thermal compound are used to fill air gaps caused by imperfectly flat or smooth surfaces which should be in thermal contact[1]; they would not be needed between perfectly flat and smooth surfaces. Thermal pads are relatively firm at room temperature, but become soft and well able to fill gaps at higher temperatures[1].
As an alternative to thermal grease (sometimes called thermal transfer material), AMD and Intel have included thermal pads on the bottom of heatsinks shipped with some of their processors, as they are cleaner and generally easier to install. However, thermal pads conduct heat less effectively than a minimal amount of thermal grease.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b AMD - Thermal Interface Material Comparison: Thermal Pads vs. Thermal Grease Accessed 29 December 2011
 |
This material-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
