Which component can be used to improve the cooling efficiency of a system?

The choice to install thermal paste significantly enhances the cooling efficiency of a system. Thermal paste is a thermally conductive substance applied between the CPU (or GPU) and its heatsink. Its primary role is to fill in microscopic imperfections on the surfaces, allowing for better thermal conductivity. When properly applied, thermal paste helps to efficiently transfer heat from the processor to the heatsink, ensuring that the CPU maintains optimal operating temperatures. This is particularly important during high workloads, where excessive heat can lead to thermal throttling, reduced performance, or even hardware damage.

In contrast, replacing the power supply, while it could potentially lead to slight improvements in overall power efficiency or supply heat, does not directly target cooling efficiency. Adding more RAM primarily affects system performance rather than temperature management and does not impact the cooling of existing components. Lastly, using SSDs instead of HDDs may reduce heat output from storage components, but the difference is generally minimal and does not improve the cooling of critical components like the CPU or GPU. Thus, installing thermal paste stands out as the most effective method for enhancing cooling efficiency in a system.