Adding to this... Airgaps is not emphasized enough here. There is a reason why you don't do closed shapes when applying thermal paste, and why so many system builders have strong opinions on how to apply it.

Personally, I go for an X or a % where the os are actually dots.

Who is saying that is the major consideration here?

Its obvious the major problem here is ustable movement and flexing when those large sink plates are screwed down will not distribute the paste very well resulting in a higher risk of air gaps. So they left a lot of room for it to press out and it doesn't look like they used a ton of that space.