Good thermal paste?

[Atty]

I am about to order myself a XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 and need to know what a good thermal paste is?

I also want to know, whats the best application method for this heatsink? Still the 'ol pea in the middle of the processor, put heatsink down, twist, and then you're done?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

i do it like this. see my review here.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

IMHO the base of these should be tinted like we used to do with un-even aluminum heatsinks back in the day. Basicaly drop a small glob in the middle of the heatsink and spread it thinly and evenly throughout the base of the heatsink filling in all the little gaps then wipe off the excess with a lint-free cloth(coffee filters work really well) Don't try and rub it all off, just wipe off the excess then use the standard small pea or grain of rice method.

 

[nevbie]

MX-2 seems like a fine thermal paste at the moment. It's possible that the HDT-S1283 package comes with some inferior thermal paste also. At least if it is the same xigmatek brand paste as reviewed here: http://hardwarelogic.com/news/...E/2752/2008-03-03.html

I'm planning to spread the thermal paste exactly as shown by TBD's picture. And after that only utilize the normal pressure between HSF and IHS, no spreading by yourself or anything. The copper pipes are the primary path of heat.

 

[Billb2]

Originally posted by: iAtticus
...whats the best application method for this heatsink??

It depends on the CPU used, not the HS. Here's the directions for AS5., though I prefer Shin Etsu X23-7783D.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: nevbie
MX-2 seems like a fine thermal paste at the moment. It's possible that the HDT-S1283 package comes with some inferior thermal paste also. At least if it is the same xigmatek brand paste as reviewed here: http://hardwarelogic.com/news/...E/2752/2008-03-03.html

I'm planning to spread the thermal paste exactly as shown by TBD's picture. And after that only utilize the normal pressure between HSF and IHS, no spreading by yourself or anything. The copper pipes are the primary path of heat.

And here I was half expecting you to suggest a cardboard box....

:rofl;

 

[superstition]

as reviewed here: http://hardwarelogic.com/news/...E/2752/2008-03-03.html

It's funny how different sites end up with vastly different results. One recent roundup gave LiquidPro the top performance rating, by 1 degree C.

I suppose it comes down to how much is applied.

In theory, liquid metal should outperform any other thermal compound. Apple chose to use it on the Mac Pro, which lends credence to this view.

 

[Lithan]

Shin etsu looks scientific, I say go with that.

Frankly I've used all kinds of thermal pastes, and the differences are vastly overstated. If the claims were true, going from white paste to AS5 (or whatever the modern shit is) would net you 15+ degree drops... which is laughable. Seemed every time something new came out, it was 3-8 degrees better... even that is laughable. I use ceramique cause I got like a half kilo of the stuff for $10 once and it supposedly lasts until the sun explodes and isn't conductive. The only way you'll see gains of more than a couple degrees (and even that is stretching it) is if you gouge the bottom of your heatsink with a screwdriver and then put a tube full of paste on it. A well machined heatsink should have such a thin layer of paste between it and the cpu that the thermal properties of it are almost negligible. Use a piece of tissue paper the next time you get a cookie sheet out of the oven... it's kinda like that.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: superstition

as reviewed here: http://hardwarelogic.com/news/...E/2752/2008-03-03.html

It's funny how different sites end up with vastly different results. One recent roundup gave LiquidPro the top performance rating, by 1 degree C.

I suppose it comes down to how much is applied.

In theory, liquid metal should outperform any other thermal compound. Apple chose to use it on the Mac Pro, which lends credence to this view.

The gallium used in it has a SCARY tendancy to fuse metals though! I happen to think thats one of the reasons apple chose to use it. negates the possibility of use upgradability, thats the apple we've all come to know through the years!!

 

[Atty]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
i do it like this. see my review here.

Thats nice, whats the procedure for doing that? Just a dab at each end of the exposed heatpipe then smooth it out over the bottom? Then apply to CPU? Or different?

Any other suggestions on application? I'll be using this on my E6600, I got MX-2.

 

[Muse]

I'm going to assemble my rebuilt system this week and it includes a socket 754 AMD Athlon 2.2 GHz Venice CPU and Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 HSF. I have a suringe of Arctic Silver 3 from a few years back, barely used that's been sitting around. Am I OK using it? Can I just use the instructions for Arctic Silver 5? I see that there are several other products being offered by that company now, and have no idea what's appropriate and what I can use.

I used AS3 last time I did this but I think I used way too much. The instructions linked above say to use just a drop in the center of the CPU.


My impression now (didn't realize this last time) is that it is only a smallish square in the center of the heat spreader on top of the CPU that's really giving off the big heat and that most of that big square isn't giving off heat, just spreading it somewhat. So, the important thing is that there be a very thin layer of compound near the center where it counts, not all over the big square (which is something like 2 square inches).

 

[Billb2]

Here's the ticket:
Since there are so many variables in mounting a HS, use whatever method/paste you prefer, but do multiple mounts (5-10 times). Check the idle and load temps after each. That will give you an idea of the best you can do with a particular HS/paste/application method. Then continue to remount until you meet or beat those "best" temps.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Billb2
Here's the ticket:
Since there are so many variables in mounting a HS, use whatever method/paste you prefer, but do multiple mounts (5-10 times). Check the idle and load temps after each. That will give you an idea of the best you can do with a particular HS/paste/application method. Then continue to remount until you meet or beat those "best" temps.

So, I guess you are suggesting that I use a few different application method with each.

What can I do to give me load temperatures? I don't normally game (although I have a few games on hand, I haven't played any in years). Is there a utility or program I can run to generate load conditions? Thanks.

 

[Zepper]

I've come to prefer ease of use over a lot of other factors. AS Ceramique, TX-2, MX-2 are all easy to use and test out within very few degrees of the best. All this fuss is nearly meaningless except for perhaps insane levels of OCing.

There are tests out there showing toothpaste, Vegemite or distilled water to work reasonably well - for a while...

Muse,
AS 3 or 5 will settle out on long storage, so it should be resuspended gently (so as not to incorporate air bubbles in the mix) before reuse. It should almost never go bad. Use a VERY clean tool to resuspend as you don't want any debris in your goop. Figuring out how to get to the goop to stir it w/o making a big mess is up to you.

.bh.

 

[ICD7]

Try some glass slides

Glass slides showing compound application for those that have an interest

http://www.overclockers.com/articles1529/

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: ICD7
Try some glass slides

Glass slides showing compound application for those that have an interest

http://www.overclockers.com/articles1529/

Yes, the winning geometry/size was the "pea" although the judgment was somewhat subjective. AS5 instructions (linked above) suggest a 1.5 x short-grain rice size. Maybe I'll go for 2x.

Thanks Zepper for that explanation, I do understand what you are saying.

Also, I'm going to reclean my CPU, using coffee filters and acetone, and more than once, to get the surface as clean as possible, and of course, compressed air to blow off any possible dust particles.

 

[Atty]

Wow! This heatsink is awesome, under normal windows operation load I'm getting lower temperatures with CoreTemp then I did when I was super cooling my old HSF with 20f air from outside my house, lol. Its awesome, thanks to everyone who helped and gave suggestions!

 

[Muse]

Today, I put some old Arctic Silver 3 on my 2.2GHz socket 754 Venice AMD CPU, after cleaning it extremely thoroughly as well as an Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 HSF. Last time I used the MX1 compound that came with the HSF. Today, I posted the mobo outside the case, and the room ambient temperature was around 58 F. The CPU core temp never got over 23-24 C. Is that to be expected under those conditions?