ahmad9794

Keep in mind, thermal conductivity is only a property of the material. The actual temperature delta across the TIM is highly dependent on the thickness of the TIM. Just because it has a higher conductivity does not mean it's better for this purpose.

I have never heard of a thermal pad that is even approaching the effectiveness of thermal paste.  Even those pieces of carbon nanotube cloth (is this what you are talking about when you say “pad”? “Pad”s are generally sort of like double stick foam tape) are only meh compared to paste.  Reviewers use them because they’re quick to apply and remove which makes a lot of sense if you rebuild a computer multiple times a day instead of once every several years.

It's safe. Pads don't usually corrode metals like some pastes do. Although, I'd always recommend a decent paste over a pad if the gap isn't that large that paste can't fit.