Question Best Thermal Pad For M.2 WD Black SN850X

Mar 29, 2023
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Hello,

I was looking at purchasing the following heat spreader:


...for the WD Black SN850X which I plan on installing in a laptop.

I'm a little worried that the heat spreader may not as effective with the included thermal pads and was looking at upgrading to better thermal pads.

Initially I planned on purchasing the Thermal Grizzly Minus 8, but saw a review:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlPApAV_VKE


...that actually showed worse performance with the Thermal Grizzly vs the stock thermal pads that come with the heat spreader listed above (by about 2 - 3 degrees Celsius).

After watching a thermal pad showdown:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdIIA57treo


I noticed that the reviewer spoke highly about the following thermal pad: Gelid GP-Ultimate 15W


...but noticed some complaints about how hard the thermal pad is vs the following thermal pad: Gelid Solutions GP-Extreme 12W


...which seems to be more pliable/soft plus is reviewed more highly.

Before purchasing either thermal pad, I was hoping someone on the forum might have a suggestion as to what thermal pad (whether Gelid or not) to purchase?

Also, was curious if anyone knew of better copper heat spreaders (keep in mind, the heat spreader has to fit in a somewhat slim laptop - specifically a Dell 5330)?

Thank you,
Nelson
 
Hello,

I was looking at purchasing the following heat spreader:


...for the WD Black SN850X which I plan on installing in a laptop.

I'm a little worried that the heat spreader may not as effective with the included thermal pads and was looking at upgrading to better thermal pads.

Initially I planned on purchasing the Thermal Grizzly Minus 8, but saw a review:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlPApAV_VKE


...that actually showed worse performance with the Thermal Grizzly vs the stock thermal pads that come with the heat spreader listed above (by about 2 - 3 degrees Celsius).

After watching a thermal pad showdown:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdIIA57treo


I noticed that the reviewer spoke highly about the following thermal pad: Gelid GP-Ultimate 15W


...but noticed some complaints about how hard the thermal pad is vs the following thermal pad: Gelid Solutions GP-Extreme 12W


...which seems to be more pliable/soft plus is reviewed more highly.

Before purchasing either thermal pad, I was hoping someone on the forum might have a suggestion as to what thermal pad (whether Gelid or not) to purchase?

Also, was curious if anyone knew of better copper heat spreaders (keep in mind, the heat spreader has to fit in a somewhat slim laptop - specifically a Dell 5330)?

Thank you,
Nelson
You are waaaaay overthinking it. Just install with whatever you have, +/- couple of degrees is not gonna make it or break it.
 
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