Which is better for cpu protection thermal pad or thermal paste

I am confused between thermal paste and thermal pad. I am going for a new system where the seller is asking me to spend on thermal pad. It is a sticker type component that fits on the cpu. While my friend says to me to add thermal paste which is more cheaper. I am going to use the system for gaming purpose. Can anyone tell me that which one among this will be better. Thanks.

It is true that thermal paste is cheaper. You can buy a good quality thermal paste and apply it on your processor. It allows your cpu to stay cooler by connecting the cpu fan and cpu together firmly.

It depends on the requirement. Thermal paste are easy to find in the market. But it is complicated to place them properly over the processor. Thermal compound plays a vital role in connection of heatsink with the cpu. It makes the connection firm. Buying a thermal pad is more better choice. As it is does not require manual placement. It is like a sticker which you have to paste over the processor. That's all. In a thermal paste there are chances that some part of the processor might remain empty. Good quality thermal pad will cost you more. They are typicall used in high end system which are meant for overclocking. I will advice you to go for a reasonsable quality that you can find on ebay or any nearby computer shop. Every thermal compound with a expire date. After constantly using them for long time the pad gets burned and it is the time you have to replace it and apply a new one.

I am using thermal paste here whic his working fine. I change that in a time interval of 6months. I think there is no necessary requirement of a thermal pad. For a regular system where you perform day to day job, thermal paste is quiet more than enough.