Can non-liquid metal thermal paste be non-conductive in rare cases?

Me: "Hi, I am looking for evidence of thermal pastes (except liquid metal thermal paste) to be electrically conductive. I know they aren't electrically conductive but with some cheaper brands I see a lot of water like retention when they come out of tube and I have had a motherbaord die on me which might be due to this reason.

So is it possible that kept overtime some cheap ones can become electrically conductive? Or the human thing, companies just lie about the thermal paste and put something else instead?"

ChatGPT: "

Hey, that’s a really good and nuanced question — especially since you're seeing it from practical experience, not just theory.

Here's the deal with thermal pastes and electrical conductivity:

🧪 Most thermal pastes (non-liquid metal) are marketed as “non-conductive”

That means they shouldn’t conduct electricity under normal conditions. This includes:

• Silicone-based pastes (common in cheap/no-name brands)

• Ceramic-based (like Arctic Silver Ceramique)

• Carbon-based compounds (like Arctic MX-4, Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut)

They’re generally insulators, because their thermal conductivity comes from ceramic powders (like zinc oxide or aluminum oxide) that don’t carry current.

But there are exceptions and caveats:

1. ⚠️ Conductive fillers in some pastes:

• Even non-liquid metal pastes can contain metal oxides or carbon particles.

• Aluminum powder, silver particles, and graphite (carbon-based) can be slightly conductive depending on concentration, purity, and dispersion.

Real-world risk?
If the paste is cheap and poorly mixed (think: inconsistent distribution, too much carrier fluid), it might leave concentrated blobs of semi-conductive material that could short tiny SMD components near the CPU/GPU die.

Also — cheaper pastes can separate, especially if they’ve been sitting unused for a long time. That “watery” stuff you’re seeing? That’s probably the carrier oil or silicone oil separating from the solids. That part isn’t usually conductive but...

2. 🧫 Contamination & breakdown over time

• Cheap pastes might use low-quality carrier fluids that absorb moisture over time or degrade into conductive goo.

• If applied in excess, it can spread and seep into delicate components, especially under pressure or heat cycles.

3. 💀 Counterfeit or misrepresented products

• Yes, companies (or shady suppliers) can lie, especially on marketplaces like AliExpress, eBay, or even Amazon under unknown brands.

• There's a whole counterfeit market for thermal compounds where sellers repackage cheap generic paste into tubes mimicking brand names like Arctic or Noctua.

So if your motherboard died and you noticed weird watery separation or residue near the socket? It's very possible the paste was:

• Poorly mixed or separated

• Contaminated or degraded

• Possibly slightly conductive due to poor formulation

🔍 TL;DR:

• True non-metal thermal pastes should not conduct electricity, even when wet.

• Cheap or shady brands may have poor quality control, leading to:

  • Separation

  • Moisture absorption

  • Potential localized conductivity

• Yes, it's possible some cheap pastes become slightly conductive or were never safe to begin with.

If you're suspicious of one, you can test it with a multimeter for resistance across a dab of dried and wet paste on a clean surface.

Would you want a short list of safe, trusted thermal pastes that are 100% non-conductive and affordable?

"