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TG recommend the spread method, but as stated previously, it really depends on the paste and its own individual properties, viscosity etc, so you should follow the manufacturer recommendations for the individual paste you go with.
I have been using Thermal grizzly kryonaut for years and it works great.
Treated myself to a 20g tube... ~£8For AM4, mx4 is plenty... (and non-conductive) and is cheap AF, especially in bigger quantaties - 20g is £11-15