thermal compound arctic silver 5

Solution
Love the test article ^

Bottom line..... it matters little so far as performance goes.
My thought, a small drop uses the least paste; you get more applications per tube.
I agree with every post on this thread above. My thoughts are watch some de-lidding videos on your specific cpu. The reason they recommend the line is because of the rectangular cpu die. What most people don't understand is that the latest processors have cheap ineffective thermal compound INSIDE the processor, so this is just another reason why thermal paste application methods don't really matter. As long as you don't apply too much or too little, your temp changes will be negligible no matter what application method used.