That $45 thermal paste kit was a total waste on my Xbox Series X

I grabbed a fancy thermal paste kit from a shop in Austin that claimed it would drop temps by 10 degrees. Cost me 45 bucks after tax. Spent an afternoon tearing my Series X apart to swap the stock paste. Ran benchmarks before and after and the temp difference was maybe 2 degrees. My stock paste was still wet and spread fine. I think most of these premium pastes are hype unless you're overclocking a PC. Anyone else regret spending big on thermal paste for a console?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sam3d ago

Pretty much the same experience here. The stock paste on a newer console is still fresh and doing its job, so swapping it for premium stuff is just tinkering for no real gain. Save that high end paste for a laptop you're reviving or an old PC that's cooking itself, that's where it actually makes a difference.

keith2643d ago

Actually ran into something similar with my PS5 about a year ago. I grabbed a tube of Arctic MX-6 for like 10 bucks and it dropped my temps maybe 3 degrees at most. The stock paste on mine was still good too, not dried out or anything. I think the real benefit comes when you're repasting a system that's a few years old and the original paste has gone crunchy. On a newer console it's just not worth the hassle or the money. I use the same paste for my gaming laptop though and that thing definitely runs cooler after a fresh application.

juliahall3d ago

Bought some fancy Kryonaut for my PS4 Pro a couple years back. Paid around 20 bucks for a tiny tube. Temps barely budged, like 2 or 3 degrees. The real difference came when I used it on my old gaming laptop from 2018. That thing was thermal throttling bad and the paste was basically dust. After a fresh coat it dropped 15 degrees under load. For consoles that are still relatively new, the stock paste is usually fine. Save your money unless you're reviving something old and crusty.