Best Thermal Compound?

[garritynet]

When it comes to the gooey stuff between your heatsink and your processor whats the best kind?

Dose it really matter?

 

[mpilchfamily]

The difference between the top TIm and the bottom TIM is about 8C. If your using the stock cooler on your CPU then stick with what it came with. If your OCing adn using an after market cooler then it came with AS5 or similar. There are better TIMs availible but will only help you by a couple of degrees over AS5. So its all in what kind of performance you need. If every degreee counts then you'll probably be lapping the CPU and cooler to maximize everything anyway.

 

[Billb2]

Here's a comparison of the top 33 TIMs.

If you want to maximize the efficiency of the CPU/Heatsink interface, lapping both and doing multiple mounts (until you can consistently repeat a good one) are the keys to getting the best possible heat transfer.

But then, installing a better heat sink will pretty much afford significant improvement over the best possible installation of an inferior heatsink, no matter what TIM was used or how good it's installation was. But then also, taking this scenario to it's ultimate conclusion leads to water cooling > peltiers > phase change > dice > LN2. So, it's kind of ...How cool do you want to be? ..How much time and money do you have?

 

[Zepper]

Not much diff. between the top handful. I go with ease of application/clean off rather than any other factor(s) among those. I've pretty much given up on the silver stuff due to relative difficulty of application. The last I bought was the Arctic Cooling MX-2 stuff but haven't had an opportunity to use it yet.

.bh.

 

[garritynet]

I had a hard time finding a decent CPU cooler that will fit in my case. I figure I want to give it as much help as possible.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

AFAIK, the best ones were Masscool Shin-Etsu and IC Diamond 7. Or at least, that's what I was using.

 

[Comdrpopnfresh]

A lot of reviews don't allow for pastes to cure, if they need it. Even if you have a better paste, the concavity of your ihs and hsf, and how well you apply the paste will make more difference than choosing a somewhat poorer performing paste.

 

[aigomorla]

best tim:

The easiest to install, the least messy to clean up, and does a fairly good job.

with those in mind:

I like

TIM Consultants,
MX-2
MX-3
AC Ceramic <-- depends if i go sub zero or not.

IC Diamond is okey, but i didnt like there old formula where u needed to allow the solvant to dry b4 u mounted.

 

[Quiksilver]

MX-3??!?

Since when

 

[RallyMaster]

I just throw on some Arctic Silver Ceramique that I buy from Fry's for 3.99 a tube. Works fine for me.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I've always done fine with AS5. It's cheap, it's available, and it works fairly well. Also, it doesn't seem to dry out quite like the white paste stuff does, which is a good feature IMHO.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Quiksilver
MX-3??!?

Since when

I swear i saw something on XS about it.

Lemme see if i can dig it up.

basically same thing as mx-2 only a bit easier to apply i heard.

 

[akugami]

Arctic Silver Ceramique user here. Been using it for years. It's easy to go on, easy to come off. It's also non-conductive so if some droops out by accident you won't short anything. It's not the best by any means but if you look at most benchmarks, it's probably at most a 2C difference between it and the top performers. I'm not an extreme overclocker. I only go for moderate overclocks. Heck, I usually try to find out a stable overclock and then dial it down a tad for thermal and safety reasons.

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: Quiksilver
MX-3??!?

Since when

I swear i saw something on XS about it.

Lemme see if i can dig it up.

basically same thing as mx-2 only a bit easier to apply i heard.

you sure you not thinking of tuniq tx-2?

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Quiksilver

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: Quiksilver
MX-3??!?

Since when

I swear i saw something on XS about it.

Lemme see if i can dig it up.

basically same thing as mx-2 only a bit easier to apply i heard.

you sure you not thinking of tuniq tx-2?

ROFL... i think your right..

maybe i got the 2 confused.

is there a TX-3?

 

[Modelworks]

I guess I'm still in the past.
Prefer plain old silicon grease.
Easy to apply and it works.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I've always done fine with AS5. It's cheap, it's available, and it works fairly well. Also, it doesn't seem to dry out quite like the white paste stuff does, which is a good feature IMHO.

Doesn't matter if it dries out as the metal in the compound is what does the job and that isn't going anywhere, even after years and years.

I've seen 20 year old audio amp transistors that used silicon grease. Still working fine and cooling fine.

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: Quiksilver

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: Quiksilver
MX-3??!?

Since when

I swear i saw something on XS about it.

Lemme see if i can dig it up.

basically same thing as mx-2 only a bit easier to apply i heard.

you sure you not thinking of tuniq tx-2?

ROFL... i think your right..

maybe i got the 2 confused.

is there a TX-3?

nope, but you could dub is as mx-3, as they look exactly the same but tx-2 is slightly better.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I use good ole Skippy Peanut butter!!!

 

[LOUISSSSS]

still using as5 since 2004. tried the IC Diamond crap when they were giving it out for free. not woth any $$ for the pain and time to apply it. and i promise you, you won't apply it "correctly" to achieve optimal results.

unless something is more than 5c better even with a poor application compared to a perfect as5 application then i'll get a new tube.

thank god those small tubes last forever. for only $6 too