Thermal Pad by Thermal Grizzly. In computers and electronics, Thermal Pads are pre-shaped rectangular pieces made of solid material, often based on paraffin wax or silicone. They are mainly used on the underside of heatsinks to help transfer heat from components being cooled, such as the CPU or other chips. They serve as an alternative to thermal paste and are 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.