artic silver3-about the 200hour burn in

[MiExStacY]

has anybody ever see there temps drop after this period of time

this was from there website

Due to the unique shape and sizes of the silver particles in Arctic Silver 3, it will take a up to 200 hours to achieve maximum particle to particle thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on the heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) The CPU's temperature will drop as much as 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period.
This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer.


if so what were your temp drops? if i can get 2c drop from this peroid of time that would be awesome

 

[maluckey]

Do you know that the average life of the electrolytic capacitors is about 2000 hours? Look it up in your Digikey catalog. Some motherrboard makers (Abit, Asus, etc) use Nichicon, Os Con, and such, forr caps, so have longer life. If it requires this long to get any use from the HS compound, then you will be replacing the capacitors, and likely the motherboard after a twenty four hour per day burn in around four months, long before you get maximum gain. Use the stuff, burn it in for a day or two in combination with a better HS, and be done with it. I'm sure it's great and all, but great enough to wait till rebuild time for your board, just to see maximum results?

That being said, I am currently using the stuff, because I did a "me too!" I saw it at Comp USA and gave them the cash. I see little, if any difference (my room temps fluctuate too much to tell). Would I buy it again? No, I'm going to use only the cheap stuff, as I take the assembly apart from time to time, and a four month burn-in seems absurd to me.

I'd like to find a compound with less than 24 hour burn-in that outperforms the cheap stuff by a price/performance margin worth noting.

 

[beatle]

Originally posted by: maluckey
Do you know that the average life of the electrolytic capacitors is about 2000 hours?

2000 hour capacitor life? It makes me wonder how all these old computers are still running with these capacitors with an average life of 83 days.

and a four month burn-in seems absurd to me.

You mean 8 day? I didn't see much of an improvement in temps after it had "settled." I was already too busy changing voltages and clock speeds before I hit 200 minutes, much less 200 hours. When the stuff is cheap @ only $5 for a tube big enough to do install after install, why not use it?

 

[maluckey]

I hope that was a joke.

For those who may have fallen for it...(ha! ha!) Average life hours for a capacitor, are based on average hours run at it's rated temperature before failure. If you run your caps at 85 degrees C. for three thousand hours, you have exceeded the design of most motherboards made by OEM. But you knew that................Right.

24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year = 8760, and thats way above even the 105 degree C. "long-life" caps.

Run it 3 hour per day, and you get just shy of 1100 hours, so you get the picture.

Degradation of capacitors is a gradual thing, and normally accounted for by the manufacturer to give a little leeway, based on projected use.

 

[lchyi]

In my experience, yes, the AS3 actually makes a difference in your temps in 200 hours. You'll start to see a difference sooner than that though. I was running 45C idle and 56C load when I first applied it to my 2.4B, In about a week, temps dropped to 41C idle and 52C load... Unless I magically got better weather (newp, it's still 100F here) or better ventilation, it was the AS3.

 

[beatle]

Originally posted by: maluckey
I hope that was a joke.

You never know around here...

 

[maluckey]

Cool! No puns intended/maybe....!!!!

I'm glad we have someone seeing temp drops in under 2000 hours. I'm still using the stuff, till I run out at least. I'm glad that not too many people take themselves so seriously on this board. I've been to others that it seems that they are running for office with the slander and crap getting slung about.

I screw up and sometimes blow up perfectly good equipment, just to see what a certain mod can do. Then I back it off a bit and try again.

I once blew up a perfectly good Yamaha RD Daytona, like the one Bruce Lee rode, just because I felt that a different carb and jet setup might get some free HP. NOT! It threw #1 piston out of the tailpipe and stranded me near Columbus GA., in the middle of August. Not good.......Wrong neighborhood..........worse.

 

[Nevin]

maluckey,

CompUSA does not sell Arctic Silver brand products.
If you have the small syringe with the red cap, you do not have Arctic Silver.

Nevin House
Arctic Silver, Inc.

 

[lchyi]

Hrmm wonder what it's like to work for AS. You guys get tubs of it for free?

 

[maluckey]

Hey Nevin, please be more polite to our members whenever possible. I didn't say that Arctic Silver sold to anyone. I said that I bought it at Comp USA. The tube has a white cap, and states clearly that it is made by Arctic Silver.

 

[WarCon]

Originally posted by: maluckey
Hey Nevin, please be more polite to our members whenever possible. I didn't say that Arctic Silver sold to anyone. I said that I bought it at Comp USA. The tube has a white cap, and states clearly that it is made by Arctic Silver.

Huh? How was he impolite? He simply stated a fact, that he doesn't distribute to CompUSA. So either you bought it elsewhere or you received "fake" Arctic Silver. There is a third option, but I am being polite enough not to suggest it.

 

[Nevin]

maluckey,

I did not realize that I had been impolite.

Since CompUSA has never sold Arctic Silver brand products, it always raises a red flag when someone says they bought Arctic Silver at CompUSA. Kind of like when someone says they bought a new Rolex for $75 in Mexico.

Rereading your initial post, it looks like you misread our break-in time as being 2000 hours rather than 200 hours.

We specify a break-in time of two hundred (200) hours because most people apply thermal grease in a much thicker layer than is required. With flat mating surfaces and an initial layer of 0.003 or less, AS3 will achieve optimum performance in about a dozen hours and three or four thermal cycles. When the initial layer is thicker than necessary, it takes additional time and thermal cycles for the vibration and pressure to force the excess compound out of the thermal joint.

In practice, most people use their computers enough that the compound break-in takes less than a week.

If you would like a compound with a very short break-in period, send me an email at the address in my profile and I will send you some Ceramique.

Nevin House
Arctic Silver, Inc.

 

[maluckey]

No, I'm not a Rube. I am a middle aged businesman, and the product sold at Comp USA, states that it is manufactured by Arctic Silver, and distributed through pctoys.com. Whether or not they (pctoys.com) are committing fraud is not my concern, but it might become Arctic Silver's, if it is not indeed their (Arctic Silver) product.

After rereading the entire thread, I did see one less zero (sorry), and I did ask about Ceramique, and it looks like the answer to a lot of my problems.

 

[TennesseeTony]

Last night I used AS3 for the first time. This morning, I thought I could do better, so I pulled the sink off and added a little more compound. What I added was and extra 3 degrees Celcius to my temperature! I guess I will wipe that extra off in a minute or two...thanks for the info Nevin!

Oh, I am using a stock Intel Heatsink/fan on a 2.4b running at 3060Mhz, and I am comfortable with the 54C/125F temp. It was only 44C/111F, but had to up the voltage to improve stability of Prime95.

 

[pspada]

This ^ is a perfect example of why it can take 200 hours of burn it time! No doubt about it, AS3 (or any compound, for that matter) should not be applied with a trowel!

 

[TennesseeTony]

gee, uhm thanks for the cut down. I did not say I used a trowel, but you are right, a trowel full is bad.

Anyway, I am down to 49.5 C/ 121 F. After FOUR retrys since last post, not long ago. And guess what, it is about the same amount of compound I had. Only thing I can figure is that I finally used my (almost oil free, alcohol cleansed) finger to spread it with. I just couldn't get it spread evenly using the recommended methods.

A few points:

1.) Even the best compound may require experimentation.
2.) You may not want to take off the sink on a Socket A 9 times like I have, due to the lesser design of most socket A clips.
3.) Can you believe my stock Intel Heatsink/Fan is cooling my P4 2.4b OC'd to 3060Mhz with 1.625 volts on the core to a cool 49.5C/121F at 100% load? (ambient temp is 79F, by the way)

Now a question for Nevin/all: Does the ArcticSilver 'cure' 'settle' 'burn-in' better if I run 24 hours a day, or if I let it cool every now and then?

 

[RichC]

I've been using Arctic Silver for years now. One tube has lasted me through about 4 computers and multiple upgrades. One thing I noticed yesterday when I was upgrading/swapping out 3 Athlon's - there seemed to be very little AS left on the chip and on the contact surface of the heatsink... They seemed almost bare. Is that a good thing?

 

[TennesseeTony]

Just Guessing, but it seems you had a nearly perfect situation, all the excess compound was squeezed out, leaving the perfect amount to fill in the microscopic voids and scratches.

Update. Ten hours later I am running my 2.4b at 3060Mhz, 6.250volts on the core, at 45.5C/115F, 77F ambient, using stock intel HSF. That is a six degree drop (Farenheit), with only a 2 degree drop in room temp. So that is what? 2.5 to 3 degrees Celcius drop in 10 hours?

 

[Jeff7181]

If you would like a compound with a very short break-in period, send me an email at the address in my profile and I will send you some Ceramique.

Does this apply to everybody? =) I'll take some free Ceramique... my AS3 is almost gone.

 

[TennesseeTony]

Nah, you have to gripe and make an a** of yourself, offer up useless trivia regarding capacitors at MAXIMUM temp, and then put down AS3. Then you get offered the freebies.

Sorry Maluckey, but your posts were just so useless, had to take a poke (wouldn't let me post s t a b) at you.:beer:

 

[Jeff7181]

Oh, so I'm not the only one who had no idea how capacitors related to the origional post?

Hey... My AS3 sucks... it separates even though I keep it standing up (tip down) as per the instructions on the AS3 web site. And if I slop it all over the place, it's hard to clean up!

Now do I get my free Ceramique?

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: TennesseeTony
Just Guessing, but it seems you had a nearly perfect situation, all the excess compound was squeezed out, leaving the perfect amount to fill in the microscopic voids and scratches.

Update. Ten hours later I am running my 2.4b at 3060Mhz, 6.250volts on the core, at 45.5C/115F, 77F ambient, using stock intel HSF. That is a six degree drop (Farenheit), with only a 2 degree drop in room temp. So that is what? 2.5 to 3 degrees Celcius drop in 10 hours?

6.250 volts? :Q

 

[Almighty1]

Originally posted by: Nevin
maluckey,

I did not realize that I had been impolite.

Since CompUSA has never sold Arctic Silver brand products, it always raises a red flag when someone says they bought Arctic Silver at CompUSA. Kind of like when someone says they bought a new Rolex for $75 in Mexico.

Rereading your initial post, it looks like you misread our break-in time as being 2000 hours rather than 200 hours.

We specify a break-in time of two hundred (200) hours because most people apply thermal grease in a much thicker layer than is required. With flat mating surfaces and an initial layer of 0.003 or less, AS3 will achieve optimum performance in about a dozen hours and three or four thermal cycles. When the initial layer is thicker than necessary, it takes additional time and thermal cycles for the vibration and pressure to force the excess compound out of the thermal joint.

In practice, most people use their computers enough that the compound break-in takes less than a week.

If you would like a compound with a very short break-in period, send me an email at the address in my profile and I will send you some Ceramique.

Nevin House
Arctic Silver, Inc.

Nevin,

I think the Arctic Silver 3 he got was labeled under the PCToys Silver Thermal Compound which CompUSA does sell on the 3gram tube but charging 4 times the price pctoys.com does.

 

[TennesseeTony]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: TennesseeTony


Update. Ten hours later I am running my 2.4b at 3060Mhz, 6.250volts on the core, at 45.5C/115F, 77F ambient, using stock intel HSF. That is a six degree drop (Farenheit), with only a 2 degree drop in room temp. So that is what? 2.5 to 3 degrees Celcius drop in 10 hours?

6.250 volts? :Q

Ahem hem hem. Oops. err, make that 1.625volts..

 

[maluckey]

After taking my hits, and reading the quibble, I still see the original posters problem, and saw a hopefully better solution than a long burn-in (not feasible for frequent CPU changes).

If some of you still don't get it, I wasn't knocking the product, just the burn-in time, and that my system, (and many other sytems belonging to people that remove the proc. now and again) would be long obsolete after a few configuration/processor changes.

If this forum isn't about discussion, about overclocking issues, and success, then why have it? The poster had issue with the long burn in. I too complained about it (burn-in time), but my opinion, somehow must matter less than the rest of the boads posters. I'm done here, so quibble on.