The Best Thermal Paste Kits

Each pack carries an authenticity code, a useful check given how often MX-4 is counterfeited. It matches the MX-6 with cleaner and the MX-7 with cleaner on tube size (4g). It shares an a spatula in the box with the DC2; the MX-6 with cleaner goes with a six MX Cleaner wipes in the box.

It also comes with metal-free carbon microparticles. Clean off old paste with isopropyl alcohol first, then apply a pea-sized dot or a thin line on the heatspreader; on large Intel chips an X or a line covers the longer die better. It was the cheapest of the group when we checked; the DC2 was the next step up.

ships with its Dark Rock coolers, rated at 7.5 W/mK with a spatula in the box. Its 3g tube covers about nine applications, and it is rated from -20°C to 120°C. Its 3g tube size ranks fourth of 5 here, behind the MX-4 with spatula (4g) and ahead of the Kryonaut (1g). It shares an a spatula in the box with the MX-4 with spatula; the MX-6 with cleaner goes with a six MX Cleaner wipes in the box.

Clean off old paste with isopropyl alcohol first, then apply a pea-sized dot or a thin line on the heatspreader; on large Intel chips an X or a line covers the longer die better. On price it sat second of 5, between the cheaper MX-4 with spatula and the pricier MX-6 with cleaner, at the time of writing.

It is neither electrically conductive nor capacitive, which makes it safe for bare GPU dies. On tube size it ties with the MX-4 with spatula and the MX-7 with cleaner at 4g. No other pick in this guide offers a six MX Cleaner wipes in the box; compare the Kryonaut, which has an a syringe and spatula in the box.

It also comes with lower thermal resistance than ARCTIC's MX-4, by the maker's measure and a viscosity suited to direct-die GPU and console chips. Clean off old paste with isopropyl alcohol first, then apply a pea-sized dot or a thin line on the heatspreader; on large Intel chips an X or a line covers the longer die better. When we checked, only the DC2 and cheaper picks cost less, and the Kryonaut cost more.

It is enough for one or two large CPUs. Its 1g tube size is the smallest in this group; the MX-4 with spatula leads at 4g. An a syringe and spatula in the box is unique to it among these picks, while the DC2 uses an a spatula in the box.

It also offers a maker claim that it does not dry out at 80°C. Clean off old paste with isopropyl alcohol first, then apply a pea-sized dot or a thin line on the heatspreader; on large Intel chips an X or a line covers the longer die better. Its price falls between the MX-6 with cleaner and the MX-7 with cleaner, based on our last check.

Apply a dot and let mounting pressure form the thin bond line; spreading by hand is not how it is meant to be used. It matches the MX-4 with spatula and the MX-6 with cleaner on tube size (4g). You get an MX Cleaner wipes in the box here, which sets it apart from the Kryonaut and its an a syringe and spatula in the box.

It also offers a dense, high-filler formula. Clean off old paste with isopropyl alcohol first, then apply a pea-sized dot or a thin line on the heatspreader; on large Intel chips an X or a line covers the longer die better. It was the highest-priced of the 5 picks at the time of writing, so the case for it rests on what it adds over the Kryonaut and the rest.