Glossary › PC Repair › Thermal Paste
What is Thermal Paste?
Thermal paste is a heat-conducting compound applied between your CPU (or GPU) and its cooler, filling microscopic gaps so heat transfers efficiently.
Why it matters
Thermal paste dries out over 2–4 years. When it does, heat gets trapped, temperatures climb, and your PC starts thermal throttling — slowing itself down to survive — or shutting off randomly under load.
Signs you need a repaste
Fans roaring at full speed, hot air from the case, FPS drops after 20–30 minutes of gaming, or sudden shutdowns during heavy use. A repaste plus dust cleaning often restores like-new temperatures — it’s one of the cheapest, highest-impact services we do.
Graphics cards need it too
Older and second-hand graphics cards, especially ex-mining GPUs, often run hot because of dried paste and worn thermal pads. A repaste and re-pad can bring a used card back to its expected performance. Check what a card should score in our RTX GPU comparison.