Which thermal pads offer the best cooling for any GPU?

Question

Hey everyone! I finally decided to open up my RTX 3080 because the memory junction temperatures have been hitting 104C while gaming lately. It is honestly getting a bit scary to look at HWInfo during a long session. I have already ordered some high-quality thermal paste for the core, but I am feeling completely overwhelmed by the endless options for thermal pads.

I have seen people mention a few different brands across various hardware forums, but I am not sure which ones actually live up to the hype for long-term use. Here are the specific things I am looking for:

High thermal conductivity, ideally something around 12 W/mk or higher

Good compressibility so they do not accidentally lift the heatsink off the core

Longevity so they do not dry out or leak silicone oil after a few months

I have heard that Gelid Solutions GP-Ultimate and Thermalright Odyssey are the go-to choices, but I also see people talking about more expensive custom options like Kritical pads. Since I need to buy several different thicknesses like 1mm and 2mm to cover the VRAM and VRMs properly, I want to make sure I am getting the absolute best performance possible before I take everything apart. Does anyone here have hands-on experience with these brands? Which thermal pads offer the best cooling for any GPU?

gmwxdqwppq · Accepted Answer

What specific 3080 model do you have? Sizes vary a ton, and youll save money grabbing Thermalright Extreme Odyssey II 12.8 W/mK Thermal Pad in bulk rather than those pricey custom kits, honestly.

leu.lucia2008 · Answer

Honestly, Gelid Solutions GP-Ultimate 15W/mK Thermal Pad is your best bet. Theyre super squishy which helps with contact, unlike the stiffer Thermalrights. Fixed my 3080 memory temps instantly, tbh.

DR_AWESOME · Answer

checked this thread earlier and i gotta say i had issues with the really popular brands leaking oil all over my card after just a few months. it was not as good as expected and honestly a total mess to clean up. unfortunately i ended up spending way too much money on stuff that didnt last.

Alphacool Eisschicht 17W/mK Thermal Pad gives amazing temps but it is a bit more expensive.

Arctic TP-3 High Performance Thermal Pad is much softer and way easier to work with if you are new to this. i ended up sticking with the arctic pads because they actually squish down enough to make good contact. the stiffer brands usually just caused my core temps to spike because they wouldnt compress enough to let the heatsink sit on the gpu die correctly.