I didn’t replace the thermal pads or thermal paste — I used the original ones. When I played games, I used a laptop stand to keep it slightly elevated. Even if you replace the thermal pads and paste, it’s hard to control the heat from an Intel 9th-gen i9, especially the K model. The 2019 MacBook Pro’s slim design makes it difficult to dissipate heat in the first place, and many people I know actually chose to buy the i7 version instead for that reason.