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Which thermal grease?

Originally posted by: pkme2
I've used Arctic Silver 5 on my AMD CPUs, with excellent results.
Click to expand...

As far as I'm concerned, there's only one thermal grease on the market ... Arctic Silver 5. It's tried and proven ... and that little tube lasts for quite a while!

2 votes now for Arctic Silver 5
 
Yup, Arctic 5 will be the forum favorite. It works.
I use generic thermal grease for semiconductors, but just a small amount. It works.
The point is that you have to use something, just not very much, and all will be well.
If you're counting every degree, coumpounds that are conductive can be more effective.
Just make sure that none escapes the top of the CPU!
 
+1 for Arctic Silver 5 - I want to note that when I first used it on my Opteron, I went way overboard as I was excited about overclocking and put it on like ketchup on a hotdog! This is obviously not want you want to do as a very thin layer is all is needed. I have found that the best way (for me) is to put about a rice sized bit over the center part of the processor where the core is and then put the HSF ontop, before you latch it down, press down slightly and twist from side to side just a little bit to move out any air bubbles and spread it out. Within a weeks time when the compound works itself in good, you should be at its optimal cooling potential.
 
The difference between arctic silver and generic rubbish is pretty tiny. Since current gen (and AM2/conroe) CPUs are more limited by the amount of power you're willing to shove through them without suffering a heart attack than the temps i won't be bothering to buy another tube of AS5.
 
Shin Etsu actually has some paste out there that's good too, for what it's worth. Even still, AS5 is probably the best.
 
I vote Arctic Cooling MX-1 also. Rallymaster borrowed some of mine and got lower temps than with his AS5, and he applied both correctly. Also the lower temps with the MX-1 were achieved with almost ZERO burn-in time.

Also MX-1 combined with a Freezer 4 makes my parents' Pentium 4 3.0C Northwood idle at 31C in a case with about 28 CFM of intake airflow.
 
Mx-1 is the best, however its also the most expensive. Its slight advantage in temps is not really worth the price difference imo. Go with ceramique or AS5.
 
Well, MX-1 comes free with many AC Heatsinks, so if you can get some that way it's a great deal; it costs a few dollars more than AS5 for a tube, so it's up to the individual if that money is worth a 1 or 2 degree drop in temps.
 
some "heat sink compound" from Radio Shack.....

Just kidding....AS-5 is good stuff. I don't think anyone has ever had anything negative to say about it.
 
I use AS5 and its superb. MX1 is better and I'll use it when I finish my tube.

The problem with AS5 is that it is difficult and messy to apply. A hazy thin layer is all that is needed. AS3 was a hell of a lot easier to apply.
 
Arctic Ceramique. Only slightly worse than Arctic Silver 5 and none of the fear of conductivity shorting out a circuit. I actually had AS3 that killed an Athlon XP back in the day.
 
AS5 and Cerqmique. You need both.

AS5 for CPUs (Shouldn't be a problem if you have IHS)
Ceramique for GPUs and chipsets (you don't want to short out anything)

That's what I use both for.
 
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