Best Thermal Paste for Xbox Series X
Xbox Series X is a 2020 custom-SoC clamp that stays closed for years: 8-core Zen 2 + 52 CU RDNA 2 (360.45 mm², 12 TFLOPS, 16 GB GDDR6) on a vapor-chamber cooler. Microsoft’s sheet is on Xbox Wire. iFixit’s teardown is the TIM map — paste on the Scarlett SoC, putty on the GDDR6 / VRM / SSD sandwich, a 130 mm bottom-intake fan, not PlayStation liquid metal. The 2026 APU buy is Thermal Grizzly PhaseSheet PTM.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
Updated September 2026 · Matched to Xbox Series X (model 1882) paste + putty — not a PS5 liquid-metal list
50×40×0.2 mm PCM pad. Solid on the bench, liquid above 45 °C, written to fight pump-out. The Series X APU default.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓Non-conductive, non-capacitive, no burn-in. The iFixit “small bead on the APU” grease. Arctic even names console GPUs.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓The GDDR6 / VRM job the old page skipped. iFixit named K5 Pro as the putty stand-in. Not APU grease.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Comparison Table
| Product | Best for | Type | Electrical | Series X job | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhaseSheet PTM | Default APU TIM | PCM pad 0.2 mm | Non-conductive | SoC only — cut to lid | $12–$18 | Check |
| Arctic MX-6 | iFixit bead | Carbon grease | Non-conductive, non-capacitive | SoC only | $8–$12 | Check |
| K5-PRO | Putty / pads | Viscous putty | Non-conductive | GDDR6, VRM, SSD — not the SoC | $15–$22 | Check |
| Noctua NT-H2 | Backup grease | Hybrid paste | Non-conductive | SoC only | $10–$14 | Check |
| Liquid metal / Conductonaut | Skip | GaInSn | Conductive | PS5 | — | — |
| Arctic Silver 5 | Skip | Silver grease | Slightly capacitive | Old Budget on this page | — | — |
Street prices move. A PhaseSheet plus a 10 g K5-PRO tube is the honest Series X cart. Do not “save” by buying only MX-6 and leaving torn putty on the GDDR6, and do not spend the putty budget on Kryonaut because the PS5 URL on this site still leads with it.
How We Picked These Compounds
- What Microsoft built: Custom 8-core Zen 2 at 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz with SMT), 52 CU RDNA 2 at 1.825 GHz, 12 TFLOPS, 360.45 mm², 16 GB GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus, 1 TB custom NVMe, 4K/60 target with 120 fps headroom — Xbox Wire, 16 March 2020. iFixit’s Series X teardown is the cooling sandwich: 130 mm fan, copper vapor chamber and fins, mint-green compound on the Scarlett SoC (100-000000388), putty on memory / SSD / VRMs, 315 W PSU. Model 1882. The 2024 2 TB / Digital refresh can swap the vapor chamber for heat pipes; iFixit’s 2 TB guide is still paste on the APU and putty on the board. This is not a PS5 liquid-metal die.
- What the official repair guide actually says: Microsoft’s service path for Series X is genuine parts via the Microsoft Store and iFixit. The partner paste-and-putty guide is the shopping brief: factory paste dries; replace it every time the motherboard comes off the heatsink; putty is more durable but tears; clean with >90% IPA; a small bead of paste in the center of the APU; the heatsink spreads it. There is no Microsoft SKU for “MX-6” or “PhaseSheet.” There is a documented two-material job.
- Pump-out versus the: Thermal Grizzly’s PhaseSheet PTM sheet exists for long intervals: solid at room temperature, liquid above 45 °C, contracts on cooldown so grease pump-out is “only very slight,” non-conductive, peak conductivity after about ten cycles above 60 °C. Arctic’s MX-6 page is the grease that matches iFixit’s bead — not conductive, not capacitive, no burn-in, and Arctic lists console processor GPUs as an intended use. Liquid metal is the other console’s factory TIM. Arctic Silver 5 is the old Budget here: 50–200 hour cure and “very slightly capacitive.” That is a board-sandwich reject, not a 2026 Overall.
Best Thermal Paste for Xbox Series X: Detailed Reviews
Thermal Grizzly PhaseSheet PTM View on Amazon
| Format | Phase-change pad, grey, 50 × 40 × 0.2 mm (TG-PS-50-40) |
|---|---|
| Phase change | Solid at room temp · liquefies above 45 °C |
| Electrical | Not electrically conductive |
| Operating range | −75 °C to +150 °C |
| TG notes | ~300–400 N clamp for thinnest bond line · ~10 cycles above 60 °C to stabilize |
| Not for | GDDR6 / VRM gaps — that is putty |
Why it fits Series X. The old Overall on this URL was MX-6 after a first-person 4K “stress test.” The pairing is the clamp. This SoC sits under a sprung vapor-chamber (or 2024 heat-pipe) cold plate until someone opens the tower again. Thermal Grizzly wrote PhaseSheet for that interval: the pad is a dry sticker on the bench, a thin liquid in game, and it pulls back when the console cools so the pump-out that empties grease toward the edges is the thing it is designed to reduce. 50 × 40 mm more than covers a 360.45 mm² die. Cut it to the SoC lid. Leave the memory chips for putty. Buy the Thermal Grizzly print — S-TG-PS-50-40 — not a generic “PTM7950 40×80” listing with no brand on the liner.
Skip this if you are following iFixit’s bead-of-paste photos and do not want to cut a pad. That is MX-6. Skip KryoSheet: TG’s graphene sheet is a different product and it is electrically conductive.
- TG’s own anti-pump-out write-up matches a console that stays closed for years
- Non-conductive · dry handling · 0.2 mm starting thickness
- Named consumer SKU instead of a counterfeit PCM lottery
- Needs heat cycles above 60 °C before TG says it is fully in
- Does not replace the putty on GDDR6
Arctic MX-6 View on Amazon
| Format | Carbon-filler silicone grease · 2 / 4 / 8 g syringes |
|---|---|
| Electrical | Not conductive, not capacitive · 1.8×10¹² Ω·cm · 7.5 kV/mm |
| Viscosity / density | 45,000 poise · 2.6 g/cm³ |
| Temperature | −50 to 150 °C continuous |
| Cure | None — Arctic says full performance after mount pressure |
| Console note | Arctic lists direct-die / console processor GPUs as an intended use |
Why it fits Series X. iFixit’s step is a small bead on the APU, then the heatsink. MX-6 is the grease that matches that sentence without the: no silver, no liquid metal, no 200-hour Arctic Silver cure, and Arctic’s own page says it is for console GPUs and that a spatula spread is the wrong method — use cooler pressure. That is the Series X sandwich. A 2 g or 4 g tube is enough for this SoC plus a second pass if you smear the first alignment. Run the Arctic authenticity check; counterfeit MX tubes exist the same way fake PCM pads do.
Skip this if the console is staying closed until 2030 and you want TG’s pump-out write-up instead of Arctic’s. That is PhaseSheet. Skip MX-4 as a “close enough” cart add — this page is MX-6. Skip using MX-6 as putty on the GDDR6. Arctic’s viscosity is for a bond line, not a 1 mm memory gap.
- Matches the iFixit bead · no cure · not capacitive
- Arctic names console processor GPUs
- Cheap enough to keep a spare 2 g in the drawer
- Still grease on a clamp that may not be opened again for years
- Does not fill the putty sites
K5-PRO thermal putty View on Amazon
| Format | Viscous putty · 10 g twist-up or 20 g jar |
|---|---|
| Job | Soft-pad replacement on mixed-height chips |
| Electrical | Non-conductive — maker spec |
| Gaps | Maker: about 0.5–3 mm, ~1 mm optimal |
| Why this name | iFixit named K5 Pro on the Series X teardown comments when readers asked what to use instead of factory putty |
| Not for | The Scarlett SoC lid — that is PhaseSheet or MX-6 |
Why it fits Series X. The old Budget was Arctic Silver 5. That was a desktop-CPU sitting on a page about a console that also needs putty. iFixit’s repair guide treats putty as its own procedure: scrape the damaged pad, IPA, roll a ball, center it on the memory chip, let the heatsink squash it. Arthur Shi’s teardown reply is why this SKU is on the hero row — K5 Pro was the consumer stand-in they pointed at when factory putty was not on a shelf. Computer Systems still sells it as a non-conductive pad replacement. A 10 g tube covers a Series X memory ring. You still buy PhaseSheet or MX-6 for the APU.
Skip this if the factory putty is intact and you are only refreshing the SoC. iFixit says you can skip putty replacement in that case. Skip rigid 1 mm cut pads as a “close enough” swap — the teardown comments exist because pads of the wrong thickness lift the cold plate off the SoC. Skip smearing K5-PRO across the APU like grease.
- The material the Series X actually uses next to the SoC
- Named by iFixit when readers asked for a putty
- Non-conductive around SMDs
- Not the APU TIM — a paste-only cart is still incomplete if putty tore
- Easy to over-apply and hold the heatsink off the SoC
If You Need Something Else
These are not cheaper versions of the Top 3. One is backup grease. The rest are the extras this URL used to sell.
Noctua NT-H2 View on Amazon
| Role | iFixit-bead alternative when MX-6 is the empty listing |
|---|---|
| Not why | A louder Overall. Still not putty. Still not PhaseSheet. |
The old Value on this page. NT-H2 is Noctua’s current hybrid grease, non-conductive, sold with wipes. Use it like MX-6: a small bead on the APU. If both greases are in stock, MX-6 stays the Value card because Arctic’s page actually mentions console GPUs.
Skip this if MX-6 is on the shelf. That is the Value card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Series X use liquid metal like PS5?
No. iFixit’s teardown and the official paste-and-putty guide show conventional compound on the Scarlett SoC and putty on the surrounding chips. Sony’s PS5 factory TIM is liquid metal. Conductonaut on a Series X board sandwich is a conductive spill next to GDDR6, not a factory restore.
Paste only, or putty too?
Both, if you opened the sandwich. iFixit: replace paste every time the motherboard leaves the heatsink; replace putty if it is damaged or dried. Intact putty can stay. A paste-only cart with torn memory putty is how the cold plate sits on the wrong thickness.
PhaseSheet versus MX-6?
PhaseSheet is the long-interval APU default — TG wrote it to limit pump-out on a clamp that stays closed. MX-6 is the grease that matches iFixit’s bead and Arctic’s console-GPU note. Same SoC. Different service plan. Neither one is putty.
Will a new TIM fix a loud Series X?
Sometimes. Dried paste is one cause. A packed 130 mm intake, a dying fan, or a vertical stand stuffed in a cabinet are others. Microsoft’s service guide starts with inspection and genuine parts, not a syringe. Clean the fan path before you break the heatsink seal.
Generic PTM7950 pads on Amazon?
Treat them as a different product. This page’s Overall is Thermal Grizzly PhaseSheet PTM (TG-PS-50-40). Unbranded “PTM7950” sheets are a counterfeit magnet. If the liner does not say Thermal Grizzly, do not put it on a 12 TFLOPS SoC.
Final Verdict
For most Xbox Series X refreshes, buy PhaseSheet PTM for the Scarlett SoC and K5-PRO only if the factory putty tore — not liquid metal, not Kryonaut, not Arctic Silver 5. Follow iFixit’s bead-and-putty guide, not a PC syringe list. MX-6 is the grease if you do not want to cut a pad. NT-H2 is the backup tube. The PS5 on this site is a different factory TIM.
On timing. Paste, fans and small cooling parts are second-tier discounts during Prime Big Deal Days on October 6–7 — cheap enough to bundle into one order.