When it comes to modern gaming consoles, thermal management is just as important as GPU horsepower or SSD speed. Inside a PlayStation, Xbox, or handheld device, a surprising amount of engineering goes into making sure components stay cool during marathon gaming sessions. At the heart of that cooling strategy are thermal interface materials (TIMs)—especially thermal gap filler pads.
Why Game Consoles Need Thermal Pads
Unlike a desktop PC, game consoles are designed as compact, sealed systems. They need to:
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Dissipate heat in tight spaces – with processors, memory, and power delivery packed closely together.
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Minimize noise – quieter cooling systems require more efficient thermal transfer.
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Maintain longevity – overheating shortens the lifespan of chips, VRMs, and memory modules.
Thermal gap filler pads bridge the microscopic and macroscopic air gaps between hot components and cooling hardware like heatsinks, heat pipes, and vapor chambers. Without this thermal “bridge,” heat transfer is inefficient, and temperatures rise quickly.
Key Components That Use Thermal Pads in Consoles
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GPU & APU Packages
The main processor (often a combined CPU/GPU APU) generates significant heat. While thermal paste may sit directly on the die, thermal pads are commonly used around the package to bridge supporting chips or uneven surfaces. -
GDDR / DDR Memory
High-bandwidth memory chips run hot under heavy gaming loads. Pads couple these chips to heatspreaders or metal shielding plates, preventing localized overheating. -
VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules)
VRMs powering the GPU and CPU are small but dense heat sources. Low-hardness pads like Bergquist Gap Pad or Tflex™ thermal gap filler pads provide intimate contact between these modules and a heatsink, ensuring stable power delivery under load. -
SSD & Storage Modules
Next-gen consoles use fast NVMe SSDs that generate notable heat. Pads are applied to both the controller and NAND packages to stabilize temperature and prevent throttling.
Why Pads Instead of Paste in Consoles?
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Reworkability – Pads can be removed and replaced more easily than paste, especially important for serviceability and modular assembly lines. Gap Pads that are reworkable like Gap Pad 1450, or TFLEX HR6.5, TFLEX 7.5
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Gap filling – Pads conform to uneven gaps between stacked boards, shields, and heatsinks.
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Mechanical cushioning – Pads absorb vibration and reduce mechanical stress on delicate chips.
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Consistency – Unlike paste, pads are pre-formed with uniform thickness and performance, reducing variability in mass production.
Popular Options: Bergquist Gap Pad & Tflex™
Two widely used families of thermal gap filler pads are:
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Henkel/Bergquist Gap Pad – Known for its balance of thermal conductivity and softness, making it well-suited for VRMs, memory chips, and other uneven surfaces inside consoles.
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Tflex™ Thermal Gap Filler Pads – Designed for high compliance and thermal transfer, these pads are ideal where larger tolerances or softer interface materials are required.
Both offer excellent thermal conductivity (measured in W/m·K), compressibility, and dielectric isolation—properties essential to console design where space is limited and consistent performance is mandatory.
The Bigger Picture
Thermal pads in game consoles might not get the same attention as flashy cooling fans or vapor chambers, but they are the silent enablers of performance and reliability. They make sure your console can push 4K graphics, ray tracing, and high-frame-rate gameplay without thermal throttling.
As game consoles continue to evolve toward denser SoCs and higher memory bandwidth, thermal gap filler pads such as Bergquist Gap Pad and Tflex™ will remain critical to their design—quietly doing the work that keeps your games running smoothly.