Pros and cons of thermal paste vs thermal tape

[btacular]

i'm going to build a new system and on another forum someone said not to use thermal paste because it dries out and becomes ineffective over time. is this ture? i haven't had this experience and i was wondering what other people thought.

 

[Sonic587]

First of all, whoever said thermal compound dries out while in use is wrong. I've never expecienced that before.

Second, what will you be using the tape/compound on?

 

[Mem]

btacular,just use some high quality thermal paste like Arctic Ceramique and you`ll be fine,installation guide here.

Thermal tape is ok if you don`t OC and is easy to install since it`s normally already attached on the heatsink so an easy & once only use solution,thermal paste can vary in quality but thermal paste compounds like from Arctic Silver range are some of the best & very high quality and designed for overclocking as well as general use ,can also be used again and again since the thermal paste tube normally has enough paste for several CPU/heatsinks.


I`ve used Arctic Ceramique on several of my PCs and have never seen it dry out or increase temps etc.
Just remember if you keep the same heatsink on your PC for a long time to give the fans a clean with an air duster now and then since dust always collects inside fans and PC cases.

 

[wfbberzerker]

its generally agreed on this board that the arctic silver brand of thermal pastes are the best thermal compounds out there. go to http://www.arcticsilver.com/ for details about their different compounds, as well as instructions for applying the stuff.

besides, isn't thermal tape dry to begin with?

 

[Pollock]

Thermal tape is supposed to heat up when in use and then cool off and solidify again when not in use. But thermal paste won't dry up because it's basically grease. I'd also second the recommendation of anything from Arctic Silver.

By the way, what's the difference between Arctic Silver 5 and the Ceramique?

 

[Lonyo]

Thermal paste usually offers better heat conductance, also, a tube of thermal paste will last you a while.
Thermal paste is also easier to clear off (but can also be more messy when you apply it), while tapes/blobs of stuff are quite a lot harder to remove.
Tapes are easier to apply however, so there is less chance of going wrong, but may offer inferior heat transfer (vs properly applied thermal paste).
Most heatsinks also come with a thermal paad/tape on the bottom, so it's more convenient than cleaning this off then applying paste.

 

[0roo0roo]

the concern with paste was that it would eventually work its way out. a risk tape doesn't have. or pad or whatever. if building for non tech..pad/tape is safe way to go. most tech people fiddle/upgrade too rapidly for anything bad to happen

 

[btacular]

i'm going to get an athlon 64 3500 with thermatake venus 12 heatsink/fan combo to answer someone's question

which arctic compound is a better cooler... ceramique or arctic 5?? they seem to cost about the same price at some places

also should i be suspicious if someone is selling Ceramique 2.5 gram tube for for 3.99?? i thought i read there were counterfeit artic compounds going around a while ago.

thx

 

[Mem]

the concern with paste was that it would eventually work its way out. a risk tape doesn't have. or pad or whatever.

Two points to remember with Arctic Ceramique is you only need a very small amount and also it`s 100% non-conductive so if you happen to get any on the contacts or pins it`ll won`t cause any shorting problems,another point as well it doesn`t run,anybody that as used Ceramique knows what I mean.

Electrical Insulator.
Céramique does not contain any metal or other electrically conductive materials. It is a pure electrical insulator, neither electrically conductive nor capacitive.

 

[Mem]

which arctic compound is a better cooler... ceramique or arctic 5?? they seem to cost about the same price at some places

Arctic Ceramique is about equal to Arctic Silver 3,so Arctic Silver 5 is the newer improved version which will offer slightly better performance,however Ceramique is still very good thermal paste in its own right,another main difference is stated below.

Electrical Insulator:
Ceramique does not contain any metal or other electrically conductive materials. It is a pure electrical insulator, neither electrically conductive nor capacitive.

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

 

[btacular]

thanks

i'll get the ceramique... i'm messy

 

[Zepper]

Here is a reply I posted in the Case & Cooling section, where this thread belongs...
-------------
Question: Which is better, pad or grease?
Answer: It depends - do you want to do it just once and forget it? If so, then use the pad. If you use grease (any of them except perhaps for Shin Etsu - but it is also the hardest of the greases to apply), it should be redone at least annually. Most of the ATF denizens don't leave things alone long enough for the 'pump-out' (thermal cycling causes the interface between the CPU and HSF to become tighter and looser, thus eventually pumping the grease out) phenomenon to occur.
. Pads are called "Phase Change Thermal Interface Material" which means they must change from a solid to a liquid and back (preferably just once or they could be pumped out too) to work properly. So your HSF should be chosen keep your CPU below the melt temp after the melt occurs.
. The pad you have sounds like Shin Etsu PC material (usually gray) which has a PC point of around 50 deg C (the pink ones are Chomerics and need 60 deg C or so to melt). So you need to allow your CPU to rise into the mid to upper 50s for a few seconds to be sure it melts. This may require that you disconnect or reduce the speed of your CPU fan for a brief period depending on the efficiency of your HSF.
. Done properly, there won't be but a few degrees difference between the pad and the grease, so it's better to make your decision on other considerations. If you want further details on how to do the melt, PM me.
---------------------
. Shin Etsu pads are sold at retail in packages by Akasa. I haven't seen many others out there on the retail market - though the company that makes many of AMD's retail HSFs does sell the Chomerics pads for a reasonable price - Ajigo.
. I sent for some free "evaluation samples" from Chomerics as I'm tired of dealing with grease. If necessary, melted pads are easily removable with lighter fluid (naphtha). There is another thread in the C&C section on cleaning PC material off.

.bh.

 

[Bovinicus]

Just get the paste. It's a little more of a hassle to install. However, that is only an extra few minutes of your time on the rare occasion you have to detach your heatsink. As well, those tubes of Arctic Silver last forever.