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AS5 vs MX-1

C

CurseTheSky

Diamond Member
Age-old topic, I know... is anything superior in performance to AS5 that won't melt away and oxidize my heat sink?

Of course, here we have good old Artic Silver 5. Most of us have experience with this anyway, so no need to go into details.

On the other hand, here's a strange alternative... Arctic Cooling MX-1. It's non-conductive, seems to last longer, and has the same price. However, it also has a curing / burn-in period, and is harder to apply, according to the reviews.

I'm thinking about trying it out for my next build. Think it's worth a shot, or should I stick with AS5 and be safe? I mean, the worst that can really happen is having to tear it all apart a few months from now just to apply some AS5... but who's to say a few months from now I'll have time to deal with the hassle. 🙁

Any experiences with MX-1?

Edit: fixed the links
 
I've been using MX-1 for a while now, and it performs just as well, and maybe just slightly better than AS5. By slightly better, I mean 1-2C lower, and the results would likely vary on a different system. Also, my AS5 is 3+ years old and the MX-1 I've got is practically brand new.

The burn-in period for MX-1 is real....my load temps dropped significantly and stabilized after a 2 week period.

The big difference between the 2 is the consistency. MX-1 is much thicker than AS and isn't as easy to spread. Placing a small dot in the center and using the heatsink to spread it out works fine.
 
Originally posted by: Trippytiger
Originally posted by: CurseTheSky
Age-old topic, I know... is anything superior in performance to AS5 that won't melt away and oxidize my heat sink?
Click to expand...

Gallium as a TIM? That's awesome. My goodness, that stuff has to be tough to apply though.

I wonder if does anything nasty to nickel...
Click to expand...

From what I've read, people have dropped 1-2C on average over AS5, some claiming up to 5-6C drops.

However, just about every review I've read of it claims that it is extremely hard to work with (sort of watery like mercury, compared to AS5 and other pastes), and ofcourse, cannot be used on aluminum heatsinks. On the other hand, I've read at least two different accounts of people claiming that it oxidizes copper as well, so I decided not to take my chances.
 
Over at xtremesystems some people found that the liquidmetal pro stuff actually solidifies after awhile, literally bonding some of itself to the base of the heatsink, or the CPU IHS - sometimes even bonding the heatsink and CPU TOGETHER. Dangerous stuff, stay away from it.
 
From my experience, MX-1 is INDEED a bit better TIM than AS5 especially for Freezer 64 Pro users (or even the other Freezer series users). I noticed a slight difference in temperature between MX-1 and AS5. I would have to recommend MX-1 if it's the same price though.
 
Yep MX-1 is a bit better than AS5, esp on the rough contact surfaces of the FREEZER series of heatsinks. Currently, I get 28C idle and 38C load at 2.8 GHz with my F64 pro and MX-1.
 
Hmm, why does "everyone" stick with AS5 then? Just because MX-1 is harder to use?

I mean, it seems to have every other advantage over AS5...
 
Personally, I think MX-1 works better on heatsinks that have a rough finish to them (ie, CoolerMaster), as the thicker mix does a better job of filling in the gaps. AS5 may work better on heatsinks with a shiny, mirror finish as the thinner consistency is better suited for that type of finish.

The above is just a guess....I've not done any tests to support my opinion.
 
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