Thermal Glue Vs Thermal Paste (Which is Better?)

Thermal glue transfers heat by bonding the CPU and heatsink permanently. In contrast, the thermal paste transfers heat by preventing air bubbles. So the working system is the main difference between thermal glue and thermal paste.

Though thermal glue and paste both keep your system cool by transmitting heat. There are some significant differences, and knowing them will help you choose one worthy of your purpose. 

Thermal Glue Vs Thermal Paste Quick Comparison Table

Difference	Thermal Glue	Thermal Paste
Known as	Thermal Adhesive, Conductive Glue,	Thermal Grease, Thermal Gel, Thermal Compound, Heat Paste, Heat Sink Paste, CPU Grease
Viscosity	Silicone Viscous	Liquid Viscous
Color	White	White or Gray
Dry/Cure Time	5-24 hours	2-3 hours
Temperature Resistance	-60° to 250℃	-50 to 150°C
Texture	Sticky	Non sticky
Durability	Maximum 7-8 years	2-3 years
Reapplication Time	No need	Every 2-3 years
Usage	Easy	Easy

What Is Thermal Glue?

Thermal glue has adhesive properties that can permanently bond electronic components and transfer conductive heat. It helps to keep the system cool by filling the gap and regulating the temperature between the CPU and heatsinks. 

Where To Use

There are some specific spaces where thermal glue performs better than thermal paste. Such as

• When you want to permanently bond 2 1″ processors with 4 aluminum blocks to attach them on Ram heat sinks and 1 GPU heatsink. 
• Unify the cloud keygen plus in your aluminum heat sink. 
• To design a PCB with a copper heatsink pad under the linear regulator. 

Pros 

• Works better under 30% humidity and 90°F temperature. 
• Excellent adhesion and thermal transfer ability
• Thinner the  glue application faster it cures

Cons

• Not suitable for the temporary bonding 

What is Thermal Paste?

Thermal paste is also like a glue-type liquid formula. But it has less strength adhesive formula than thermal glue. It can efficiently transmit heat from the system to avoid conductive issues. 

Where To Use

If you don’t want to cook your CPU when it runs, you should use thermal paste when attaching different components. For example 

• Good to use on MacBook Air with Intel Core I7 
• To build PC with different microchips and keep them cool when running 
• To attach TEC1-12706 modules with aluminum water cooling blocks

Pros

• Improve heat coupling between two electronic components
• Reduce 10-30°C idle CPU temperature after reapplying the paste 
• The noise level also will be very minimal than before 

Cons

• Need to maintain the system 

Thermal Glue Vs Thermal Paste Detail Comparison  

The above table and one-by-one discussion will tell you about the paste and glue score differences and specific performance. But, still knowing side-by-side differences will also be helpful to justify which one you should choose. So, let’s see the differences in detail. 

Easy To Use  

Since both are designed to serve almost the same purpose, it’s better to choose which is easy to use than another. 

• Thermal Glue 

Using this glue is as simple as using super glue. You need to clean the components where you apply the glue, pour 1-2 drops of glue in the middle of one component and press it with another. The pressure will spread the glue and hold them. 

• Thermals Paste 

The thermal paste-using process is similar to the glue. Cleaning, applying and pressing. That’s all. 

Winner: Draw

Dry Or Cure Time

No matter what you use, paste or glue on your thermal components. Both of them need time to dry and cure. 

• Thermal Glue 

Honestly, it’s not like super glue that will dry instantly. This glue will take at least 1 hour to dry and 5-12 hours to cure. Even if you leave the components for around 24 hours, that will be great to get the most intense bonding. 

• Thermal Paste 

It takes approximately 15 minutes to dry and 2-3 hours to completely cure because it does not have adhesive properties. 

Tip: The thumb rule for both paste and glue is that the thinner, the faster. This means the thinner coat you apply on your mechanical parts, the faster it dries and cures. 

Winner: Thermal Paste 

Temperature Resistance

Thermal paste or glue transmits heat and keeps the system cool. So, their temperature resistance range is vital in determining which is better. 

• Thermal Glue 

In most cases, the glue formula can resist a wide range of temperature from -60 to 250℃ or -76°f to 482°f. That’s great for the guys who live in summer-based areas like Florida. Because the system produces heat when it runs, and the weather is also hot. Both of these combinedly create more heat in your system. 

• Thermal paste

On the other hand, the paste can resist -50 to 150°C or -58°f to 302°f temperature. which is pretty lower than glue. So, it’s good to use mostly winter based area. 

Winner: Thermal Glue 

Durability

Nobody likes to use any PC or other devices that start generating unbearable heat within some years. Because it’ll lessen their productivity, device performance, and even gradually damage the device. So checking thermal paste or glue durability is necessary before use. 

• Thermal Glue

Though it isn’t super glue, it will offer you excellent durability for 7-8 years. In some cases, it can extend even for 10 years. 

• Thermal Paste 

Thermal paste, however, will offer less durability than glue. It’ll last 2-3 years, and you must re-apply the paste after this time. Otherwise, it will start to decrease the component’s lifespan. 

But fortunately, some thermal grease comes with a maximum of 8 years of durability. To avoid frequent reapplication, you can use that.  

Winner: Thermal Glue 

Thermal Glue Vs Thermal Paste: What To Choose 

It depends on your purpose, which will be better for you as everyone’s needs are unique and different. 

However, thermal glue will be perfect for industrial applications, electric vehicles, printer chipsets, CPU, and GPU. 
The thermal paste will be nice for the CPU, GPU, PC, Heatsink, PS4, XBOX, etc.

Check related article: How to remove glue from laptop keyboard