thermal paste

[strikermike]

So it has been a few years since I built my last computer. Is Arctic Silver still the best thermal paste available? Or are there better options now?

 

[Burpo]

I recently switched to their Ceramique 2 when cleaning my HSF and dropped temps by 8C on a heavily overclocked hex-core. It's thick to put on, but warming it up first helps a lot. Good stuff.. made a believer out of me..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100017

 

[WilliamM2]

I have an old tube of Arctic Silver 3, and a 4 or 5 year old tube of Ceramique 2. I get almost the same results with both. I think application is just as important as brand/type.

 

[Burpo]

Ceramique 2 is non-conductive tho.. No chance of frying a board accidentally (it happens)..

 

[DrMrLordX]

AS5 is definitely not the best TIM on the market. The best is Indigo Xtreme if you're an Intel user or Coolaboratory Liquid Ultra if you aren't (though CLU is excellent for Intel CPUs as well).

Not everyone wants to deal with the hassles involved with using those TIM products, but if you want the best, then there you have it.

 

[Rakehellion]

They're all pretty much the same.

 

[VirtualLarry]

AS5 is not "the best", but for all practical purposes, it's all you really need for most people. It applies easy, works well, and one application can last a long time before needing re-pasting.

As opposed to standard "white paste", which dries out and turns into a sort of cement after a couple of years. Don't be a chump, don't be cheap, don't use "white paste".

 

[VirtualLarry]

They're all pretty much the same.

Including toothpaste and Vegemite?

http://www.dansdata.com/goop.htm

 

[TurtleCrusher]

I recently switched to their Ceramique 2 when cleaning my HSF and dropped temps by 8C on a heavily overclocked hex-core. It's thick to put on, but warming it up first helps a lot. Good stuff.. made a believer out of me..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100017

I bought a larger tube of this and it is solid. Especially if you're putting it in a form-factor you're not too confident about not shorting on the board. In my laptop/older GPUs, even a little bit it seems like every application I put a little paste (brand agnostic) slips down onto the board. I like knowing it's non-conductive. Temps on a C2D laptop dropped by 10C idle and nearly 20C load (yes, 10/20 degrees Celsius) from the stock paste which still looked good when I took it off.

 

[Soulkeeper]

AS5 is still perfectly viable
I still use it and really don't find myself tempted to get something else

partly because I got one of them big tubes of it and can't ever seem to use it up ...

 

[jihe]

I bought a larger tube of this and it is solid. Especially if you're putting it in a form-factor you're not too confident about not shorting on the board. In my laptop/older GPUs, even a little bit it seems like every application I put a little paste (brand agnostic) slips down onto the board. I like knowing it's non-conductive. Temps on a C2D laptop dropped by 10C idle and nearly 20C load (yes, 10/20 degrees Celsius) from the stock paste which still looked good when I took it off.

If it's dripping onto the board you are applying too much. Just put a grain of rice size of AS5 in the middle of your cpu/gpu and the pressure of the heatsink will spread it out.

 

[jihe]

So it has been a few years since I built my last computer. Is Arctic Silver still the best thermal paste available? Or are there better options now?

It's not the best and it's not the worst. There is a couple of degrees difference at most so don't worry about it.

 

[ArisVer]

Some good information from a member here

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2285595&highlight=delid
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