AS5 best compound for cooling?

[Jincuteguy]

Is Artic Silver 5 is the best thermal compound to use currently? Or is there a better one out there? Can you guys recommend any brand ?

 

[PianoMan]

There is a TIM review out on the 'net somewhere - I'm sure someone remembers where it is and can post it.

Can't really go wrong with AS-5. I switched to my tube of Ceramique after my tiny AS-5 tube ran out. Only issue with AS-5 is the electrical conductivity.

Arctic Cooling's MX series seems good as well. I removed the stock MX-1 paste on my AC Freezer 7 Pro and replaced it with AS-5 awhile back, looking for improvement. There was hardly any. I've heard the MX-2 is better.

 

[Zepper]

AS-5 still holds up pretty well, but there are others now that apply easier and you don't have to wait for 200 or more hours of burn-in before best numbers are achieved. Immediate post-application numbers generally equal AS-5 post burn-in. I'll be buying MX-2 or TX-2 next time I need some.

.bh.

 

[Cutthroat]

I've been testing different TIM's for months, so far it's ICD7 FTW. Shin-Etsu X23 in second place.

 

[mpilchfamily]

The diffeernce between the differnt thermal compounds is only a couple of degrees at most. Often it comes down to how you apply it. too much and you may not be getting the full benifits of the compound.

 

[PianoMan]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
The diffeernce between the differnt thermal compounds is only a couple of degrees at most. Often it comes down to how you apply it. too much and you may not be getting the full benifits of the compound.

Indeed. Ceramique is probably within a few degrees of AS-5. I'm kinda getting spoiled with Ceramique - maybe even sloppy. Nice not to worry too much of getting stray TIM in the case that would cause havoc.

 

[Jakeisbest]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
The diffeernce between the differnt thermal compounds is only a couple of degrees at most. Often it comes down to how you apply it. too much and you may not be getting the full benifits of the compound.

Totally agree. Thermal compound is to computers as expensive speaker wire is to audio equipment. Very little (if any) real benefit between all the expensive brands.

 

[Duwelon]

I wanna know which lasts the longest without needing to re-apply the stuff. After a few months to maybe a year, AS5 seems to dry out, especially when the PC isn't running hot anymore and it gets time to cool off. Temps then go through the roof. Maybe that's ceramique though, I can't remember anymore which stuff I had when my temps went crazy after having my PC off for more than a cpl days and cleaning and reapplying the TIM restored my temps and in turn overclock levels.

 

[mpilchfamily]

You'll have more trouble heat wise from dust building up inside the cooler then you will from the TIM gettting old after a year. The idea with AS5 is its suppose to set. Its not suppose to stay fluid. It fills in that micro scopic gaps between the CPU and cooler and is suppose to stay there.