In this episode, NEDC (the Network for Engineering and Device Cooling) conducts a detailed examination of two different types of thermal pads, focusing on how their thermal conductivity affects their performance in real-world applications. The primary distinction between these two pads lies in their thermal conductivity—one has a lower thermal conductivity than the other. Typically, thermal conductivity is a key metric for evaluating the effectiveness of a thermal interface material (TIM), as it indicates the material’s ability to transfer heat from a hot surface (such as a CPU or GPU) to a cooler heat sink or other cooling solution.
At first glance, one might assume that the pad with the higher thermal conductivity would outperform the lower-conductivity pad, as it should theoretically transfer heat more efficiently. However, the episode delves into the complexities of heat transfer and performance in thermal management systems, showing that the situation isn’t always that straightforward.