[Solved] Thermal Pad vs. Thermal Compound?

I just got an AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz.. The heatsink and fan came with it in the box..

The thermal pad is already on the heatsink (came like that).. I also have thermal grease..

My question is should i use the thermal PAD or thermal GREASE? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

Thermal pad : Advantages - Less effort, less likely to kill CPU (if thermal paste is conductive)

Disadvantages - Higher temps - CPU might come off when removed

Thermal grease : Advantages - Lower temps, easy to remove, higher quality

Disadvantages - Requires removal of thermal pad, costs money, if electrically conductive, there is a small accidental chance you might short circut the CPU

In general, non-conductive thermal paste is the best option, something like Tunia TX-3

Well, if you use the pad, it's harder to get rid of. It sticks really badly.

I recommend thermal grease.

Mmm, I killed my 478 Pentium 4 with a thermal pad, but it is the OP's choice.

If using the stock HSF and not planning to put on a substancial overclock, stock with factory applied thermal compound should work fine. If the system will be OC'd the stock HSF/thermal compound will have limitations. A high performance aftermarket HSF as well as thermal compound will do you well in that situation. Also, having a case and case fans that provide adequate fresh airflow across the MB chips and CPU will help with system cooling . The stock fans do a reasonablly good job cooling the 45nm chips, but much better is available.

I forgot to mention, there is no factory thermal pad on the factory HSF. That is thermal grease and it will wipe right off with a soft cloth and alcohol. Thermal pads are something entirely different.

Well, thermal pads are what Intel used on socket 478, at least that's what I saw. But not the modern stock HSF's. Remember, those hard thermal pads on the 478. I used a plastic scrapper to get some of them off. A knife? A thermal pad is a physical piece of 'tape' for lack of a better word. Thermal grease is a compound that wipes off, not 'peeled' off in one piece or pieces.