Editing Computer cooling (section)

===Thermally conductive compounds===
{{Main|thermal compound}}
Often called Thermal Interface Material (TIM).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-030329.htm|title=How to Apply Thermal Interface Material (TIM)|website=Intel|access-date=13 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112204258/http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-030329.htm|archive-date=12 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Thermal compound of different brands.jpg|thumb|Thermal compound is commonly used to enhance the thermal conductivity from the CPU, GPU, or any heat-producing components to the heatsink cooler. (Counterclockwise from top left: [[Arctic GmbH|Arctic]] MX-2, [[Arctic GmbH|Arctic]] MX-4, Tuniq TX-4, [[Antec]] Formula 7, Noctua NT-H1).]]
Perfectly flat surfaces in contact give optimal cooling, but perfect flatness and absence of microscopic air gaps is not practically possible, particularly in [[Mass production|mass-produced]] equipment. A very thin skim of [[thermal compound]], which is much more thermally conductive than air, though much less so than metal, can improve thermal contact and cooling by filling in the air gaps. If only a small amount of compound just sufficient to fill the gaps is used, the best temperature reduction will be obtained.

There is much debate about the merits of compounds, and overclockers often consider some compounds to be superior to others. The main consideration is to use the minimal amount of thermal compound required to even out surfaces, as the thermal conductivity of compound is typically 1/3 to 1/400 that of metal, though much better than air. The conductivity of the heatsink compound ranges from about 0.5 to 80W/mK<ref>http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/thermal-compound-charts/-1-Thermal-Conductivity,3361.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> (see articles); that of aluminium is about 200, that of air about 0.02. [[Thermal pad (computing)|Heat-conductive pads]] are also used, often fitted by manufacturers to heatsinks. They are less effective than properly applied thermal compound, but simpler to apply and, if fixed to the heatsink, cannot be omitted by users unaware of the importance of good thermal contact, or replaced by a thick and ineffective layer of compound.

Unlike some techniques discussed here, the use of thermal compound or padding is almost universal when dissipating significant amounts of heat.