Thermal Pad from Thermal Grizzly. In computers and electronic devices, thermal pads are pre-formed rectangular pieces made from solid material, often based on paraffin wax or silicone. They are usually placed on the underside of heatsinks to facilitate heat transfer from components being cooled, such as a CPU or other chip. They serve as an alternative to thermal paste, used as a thermal interface material. AMD and Intel have included thermal pads on the bottom of heatsinks that accompany some of their processors, as they are easier to install.