Thermal Paste
Thermal paste, also known as thermal compound or thermal grease, is a thermally conductive material applied between a computer's CPU/GPU and its heatsink to improve heat transfer. It fills microscopic air gaps and imperfections on the surfaces, reducing thermal resistance and preventing overheating. This ensures efficient cooling and stable performance of electronic components.
Developers should learn about thermal paste when building, maintaining, or overclocking custom PCs, servers, or high-performance computing systems, as proper application is critical for thermal management. It's essential for preventing thermal throttling in CPUs and GPUs, which can degrade system performance and longevity, especially in gaming rigs, workstations, or data centers.