If you're searching for the best thermal paste for PS4 or PS5, you're probably here because your console is louder than it used to be, or it's shutting down mid-game, or you just watched a teardown video and got nervous about what's inside your own machine. Either way, we'll give you the short answer first: for a PS4 or PS4 Pro, we'd recommend Arctic MX-4, and for a PS5, we'd point most people toward a thermal pad like Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut instead of paste, for reasons we'll get into below.
Before you buy anything, though, there's one thing worth knowing that most console repaste guides gloss over: PS4 and PS5 are not the same job. The PS5 ships with liquid metal from the factory, held in place by a foam dam around the APU. That changes what "safe" actually means for that console, and it's why we're covering both in one guide instead of two separate ones that repeat the same generic advice.
Quick Picks
- Best for PS4 / PS4 Pro: Arctic MX-4, non-conductive, easy to apply, no cleanup risk if you get a little on the board.
- Best for PS5 (most people): Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut, a reusable carbon pad rated specifically for console remounts, avoids liquid metal spill risk entirely.
- Best for PS5 (advanced users comfortable with liquid metal): Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme or Coollaboratory Liquid Pro, only if you're confident reapplying and containing liquid metal yourself.
- Best budget pick for either console: Arctic MX-4, it's the same recommendation for a reason, it's genuinely hard to mess up.
- Best pad alternative: Thermal Grizzly KryoSheet, graphene-based, reusable, works well on both consoles if you want to skip paste application entirely.
Why PS4 and PS5 Aren't the Same Repaste Job
Every PS4 and PS4 Pro that's ever left the factory uses a standard silicone-based thermal paste between the APU and the heatsink, the same category of material you'd put on a desktop CPU. Over five to eight years, that paste dries out, and dried paste conducts heat far worse than fresh paste. That's the entire problem on PS4, dried-out paste, standard fix.
PS5 is different. Sony used liquid metal at the factory, not paste, specifically because the PS5's APU runs hot enough that standard paste couldn't keep up long-term. That liquid metal sits inside a foam dam that keeps it from spreading to nearby components. If you open a PS5 and remove that dam or apply new liquid metal incorrectly, you risk it migrating onto the board and shorting something out. That's not a hypothetical, it's a documented failure mode, and it's the single biggest reason PS5 thermal paste guides need a different answer than PS4 ones.
This matters for the products we're about to recommend. Some of what we suggest below works for both consoles. Some of it we're specifically steering PS5 owners away from unless they already know what they're doing.
PS4 and PS4 Pro: What to Use
The Symptoms That Mean It's Time
Loud fan noise that doesn't quiet down even when you're not gaming, thermal shutdowns during longer sessions, and a console that feels noticeably hotter to the touch than it used to, those are the three signs dried paste is the culprit. If your PS4 Pro is past the five-year mark and doing any of these, a repaste is a legitimate fix, not just a temporary patch.
Arctic MX-4: The One We'd Actually Recommend
MX-4 is non-conductive, which matters a lot inside a console where you're working in a tight space with other components nearby. If a little bit gets somewhere it shouldn't during application, it won't short anything out, that alone makes it the safer default for anyone who hasn't done this before. It also doesn't dry out for years, so once you've done the job, you're not doing it again anytime soon. We cover the full spec breakdown and application details on our Arctic MX-4 product page, it's the same paste we recommend across most general-purpose CPU and GPU applications, and PS4 is no exception.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut: The Higher-Performance Option
If your PS4 Pro is running unusually hot even after a repaste with a standard paste, or you just want more thermal headroom, Kryonaut is a step up in raw conductivity. It's non-conductive as well, so the safety profile is the same as MX-4, you're just paying more for better performance. For most PS4 owners this is overkill, the console's APU isn't pushing the kind of heat where the difference between MX-4 and Kryonaut is noticeable. It's worth it if you've already tried MX-4 and are still seeing thermal issues.
The Pad Alternative for PS4 Too
Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut isn't just a PS5 recommendation, it's rated for PS4 and PS4 Pro as well, and it removes the mess-free-but-still-messy part of applying paste entirely. If you think you might open the console again down the road, a pad is reusable across remounts without needing fresh compound each time, paste generally isn't. We go into the tradeoffs between the two formats in our paste vs. pad vs. liquid metal breakdown, worth a read if you're not sure which format fits your situation.
PS5: What to Use (and What to Avoid)
Don't Just Copy What's Already in There
The instinct with a PS5 is to open it up, see liquid metal, and assume you need to replace it with more liquid metal. That's not automatically true. Liquid metal only makes sense if you're confident you can contain it the way Sony's factory application does, with a proper dam and careful, precise application. If you've never worked with liquid metal before, doing your first attempt on a device you actually use for gaming is a real risk, not a hypothetical one.
Our Actual Recommendation: Skip Liquid Metal, Use a Pad
Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut is a carbon-based pad rated specifically for console cooling, including PS4, PS5, and Xbox. It's electrically conductive, so you still need to avoid contact with exposed board components, but it doesn't have the flow risk that liquid metal does. It's not going to migrate across the board if you bump it during installation, it just sits where you place it. For the overwhelming majority of PS5 owners doing their first repaste, this is the safer and honestly the more practical choice. Full specs and sizing details are on our Carbonaut product page.
Thermal Grizzly KryoSheet is the other pad option worth considering, it's a graphene-based pad rather than carbon, and it's rated for high-wattage GPU dies as well as consoles, so if you're also doing a GPU in the same order, it covers both. Performance-wise it's close to Carbonaut, the choice between them often comes down to whichever fits your specific console's die dimensions better.
If You Do Want Liquid Metal
For the smaller subset of PS5 owners who are experienced with liquid metal application, or who are working with an already-dead unit and don't mind the risk, Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme is formulated specifically to resist migration better than standard Conductonaut, which matters more inside a console than a desktop where you have more room to work. Coollaboratory Liquid Pro is the other option here, slightly higher conductivity on paper, but it's known in the enthusiast community to dry out faster over many months than Conductonaut-based products, so it's more of a maximum-performance choice than a long-term set-and-forget one.
Whichever liquid metal product you use, keep it away from aluminum entirely, it reacts with aluminum coolers and will cause damage, and never let it contact any exposed board component. If that list of cautions doesn't sound worth it for your use case, that's a completely reasonable conclusion, and it's exactly why we lead with the pad recommendation above.
PS5 Symptoms Worth Watching For
The PS5's fan curve is more aggressive than the PS4's by design, so "loud fan" isn't as reliable a signal on its own. What actually matters is a fan that's audibly ramping harder than it used to for the same game, or a console that throttles performance during longer sessions when it didn't before. Since PS5s are younger than most PS4 units still in service, thermal paste degradation is less common right now, most PS5 heat issues at this point trace back to dust buildup rather than dried compound, so check and clean the intake before assuming you need a repaste at all.
Paste vs. Pad vs. Liquid Metal: The Console-Specific Version
We've written a general breakdown of these three formats before, but consoles have a few wrinkles worth calling out specifically here.
Paste is the easiest to apply and the easiest to mess up in small, forgivable ways, a slightly uneven spread still works fine in most cases. It's the right call for PS4 and PS4 Pro almost every time, and it's a reasonable PS5 choice if you specifically don't want to deal with liquid metal or pad sizing.
Pads remove the application guesswork entirely, you're placing a pre-sized, pre-cut piece rather than spreading anything, and they're reusable if you open the console again later. The tradeoff is you need the right size for your specific console generation, a pad cut for one PS5 revision won't necessarily fit another cleanly.
Liquid metal is the highest-performance option and the highest-risk one, full stop. It's the right call when you specifically need the extra thermal headroom and you're equipped to handle the risk, not the default choice just because it's what shipped from the factory.
How to Apply Thermal Paste to a Console (General Steps)
We're keeping this at a high level, since the exact teardown steps differ between PS4, PS4 Pro, and PS5, and a written guide is a poor substitute for a proper teardown video for your specific model.
- Power down completely and unplug the console, then let it sit for a few minutes before opening anything.
- Remove the old paste completely with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth, don't apply new paste over old residue, it defeats the purpose of doing this at all.
- Apply a small pea-sized amount of paste for standard formulas like MX-4 or Kryonaut, consoles typically don't need as much surface coverage as a desktop CPU given the die sizes involved.
- If you're using a pad instead, this step is just placement, no spreading required.
- Reassemble carefully, making sure the cooler is seated evenly, uneven mounting pressure defeats even the best thermal compound.
Comparison Table
- Arctic MX-4 (Paste, best for PS4, PS4 Pro, general use, non-conductive, reapply every few years)
- Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut (Paste, best for higher-heat PS4 Pro units, non-conductive, reapply every few years)
- Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut (Pad, best for PS4, PS5, Xbox, conductive, reusable across remounts)
- Thermal Grizzly KryoSheet (Pad, best for PS5, high-wattage GPUs, conductive, reusable across remounts)
- Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme (Liquid Metal, best for experienced PS5 users only, conductive, long-lasting with careful reapplication)
- Coollaboratory Liquid Pro (Liquid Metal, best for max performance, experienced users, conductive, may dry out faster over time)
Winner: Our Actual Recommendation
For PS4 and PS4 Pro, the winner is Arctic MX-4. It's non-conductive, easy to apply correctly on the first try, and priced low enough that there's no reason to overthink this one. Step up to Kryonaut only if you've already tried MX-4 and are still chasing better temperatures.
For PS5, the winner is Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut. It sidesteps the entire liquid metal risk conversation, it's rated specifically for this use case, and it's reusable if you end up opening the console again. Liquid metal is a legitimate option, but it's a choice for people who already know they want it, not the default recommendation for someone repasting their first PS5.
Frequently asked questions
Does the PS5 really come with liquid metal from the factory?
Yes. Sony uses liquid metal between the APU and the heatsink, contained by a foam dam around the die. This is different from PS4 and PS4 Pro, which both use standard thermal paste.
Can I just use regular thermal paste on a PS5 instead of liquid metal?
Yes, and for most people this is the safer and easier route. You lose a small amount of thermal performance compared to liquid metal, but you eliminate the short-circuit risk entirely. A thermal pad like Carbonaut is an even simpler middle ground.
How often should I repaste a PS4 or PS4 Pro?
There's no fixed schedule, it depends on usage and environment, but five to eight years is a reasonable point to check if you're seeing louder fan noise or thermal shutdowns. Many consoles never need it if they're kept clean and well-ventilated.
Is it safe to open my PS5 or PS4 myself?
Opening either console will void your warranty if it's still active, and the PS5 specifically carries real risk if you disturb the factory liquid metal without knowing what you're doing. If your console is out of warranty and you're comfortable with basic teardown work, it's a manageable DIY job, just follow a teardown guide specific to your exact model.
What tools do I need to repaste a console?
A screwdriver set matching your console's screws (often a security bit for PS5), isopropyl alcohol (90%+) and lint-free cloths for cleanup, and whichever thermal compound or pad you've chosen. Nothing exotic beyond that.
Will a repaste actually fix my console's overheating?
If the cause is genuinely dried-out paste or a factory application that's degraded, yes. If the real issue is dust buildup in the intake or fan, cleaning that out matters more than the thermal compound itself, worth checking before you commit to a full teardown.