Old Arctic Silver

[AyashiKaibutsu]

So my e6400 is coming today and I've got a 3.5g thing of arctic silver 5 from 2 years ago. Is this stuff likely still good, or should I use the generic compound that came with my aerocool xfire heatsink?

 

[VinDSL]

All depends on HOW you stored it...

Source

Like any mix of particles that are many times heavier than the suspension fluid, there will be some separation in the compound over time when stored in the original syringe. (All thermal compounds eventually experience some separation in storage.) This does not affect the performance of the unseparated or remixed compound.

To keep the compound fresh for future applications, always replace the cap on the syringe after each use. The syringe should be stored tip down so that any separation that occurs will be at the back end of the syringe with fully suspended particles below that. Storing in a cool place like a refrigerator will also lessen the separation over time.

If it was me, I'd squeeze ALL of your AS5 compound out of the syringe and into a 'baggie' -- or whatever -- and 'remix' it before applying it. Then I'd store the remaining compound in your 'fridge'...

 

[dBTelos]

"To keep the compound fresh for future applications, always replace the cap on the syringe after each use. The syringe should be stored tip down so that any separation that occurs will be at the back end of the syringe with fully suspended particles below that. Storing in a cool place like a refrigerator will also lessen the separation over time."

Yea, I never do that . Considering I will probably never get a new HS.