With processors working at higher and higher clock speeds, a certain concern with thermal dissipation is necessary, because the higher the clock used, the higher the heat produced. To give you an idea, a 486DX2-66 dissipated something between 3 and 6 W, while a modern Pentium 4 processor with 3.8 GHz dissipates 115 W! In case you don’t adopt a thermal solution compatible with the specific model of processor you use in your system, several problems can appear, such as random resets, freezes, reduction of processor lifespan, and it can even make the CPU burn, in extreme cases.

Several solutions were proposed in order to solve those problems, such as the elaboration of a new motherboard standard (the BTX standard was created to maximize air circulation inside the PC) and the launching of cases with ventilation ducts and liquid cooling systems.

But those solutions are still expensive and we are not always willing to pay for them. Those who work assembling and selling computers are aware of market problems and know how difficult it is to convince a client that the final cost of the computer got higher due to a better cooling system. In most times the client is not very interested in that and their only concern is the price.

But there’s a simple and cheap solution to be used with the right cooler for the specific model of processor installed, that can help reduce the problem of processor overheating: the use of thermal grease.

In this tutorial we’ll talk about the role of the thermal grease in the process of thermal dissipation, how to correctly use it and the most common mistakes made during thermal grease application.

We have a follow-up review for this tutorial, called “What is the Best Way to Apply Thermal Grease” that you should read as well.