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Which Thermal Paste to Get?

Synomenon

Synomenon

Lifer
Got a 3960X and am now looking for good thermal paste to go with it. I'm looking at Arctic Coolling MX-4. Is there anything better that's not difficult to use?
 
To be perfectly honest, the difference lies more in proper application and less an material choice. Unless you're just obsessed with temperatures, or right on the edge of stability, it truly doesn't matter that much which you pick.
 
Isn't that liquid metal sealed though? Also, I like the idea of not having to clean and reapply new compound every year (as with the Indigo Extreme).
 
I use ceramique 2 and it seems to give good temps. Pea size method doesn't work too well with it since it is pretty thick.
 
I had good results with Thermalright Chill Factor III. It's very thick and performs better when the surfaces aren't very flat. On less flawed surfaces MX-4 is better, but it is harder to clean.
 
Over the many years ( started working with PCs in the 80's ) I have used every new thing that came along. Guess what they all do the same thing... Never had issues with any of it from the cheapest crap you could buy to the most expensive...
 
I am very happy with my diamond IC7 compound. It is very think, but reaches its peak thermal conductivity very quickly, which is nice.

I noticed 3-4C less temp compared to my Noctua compound, which is generally thought of as very good silver-based thermal paste.
 
The MX-2 is a good alternative, especially since it goes on sale for $3 per tube free shipping. I think the sale is about every 2 months or so, at mwave. I've ordered two tubes this way.

I'm sure you can find other thermal pastes that work better than MX-2, but I bet you spend like $7 per tube.
 
I'm not worried about price. I just want something that will work well and is easy to apply AND that doesn't have to be cleaned off and re-applied every year (noticed that some of these compounds' manufacturers recommend this).

Since most of them are so close in performance, I'll take whichever one doesn't need to be re-applied every year.
 
Synomenon said:
I'm not worried about price. I just want something that will work well and is easy to apply AND that doesn't have to be cleaned off and re-applied every year (noticed that some of these compounds' manufacturers recommend this).

Since most of them are so close in performance, I'll take whichever one doesn't need to be re-applied every year.
Click to expand...

It's really not a bad idea to re-apply on a regular basis anyway. It is a good opportunity to remove the heatsink and clean all the dust off, and clean the fan as well. Dust really does cut-down on the cooling efficiency, and it's often times a lot easier to clean everything with it removed from the MB. Just my $0.02.
 
I'm also a big IC Diamond fan. I use it in every build. Great temps from it. Like has been said it is super thick. They recommend dropping the syringe in a cup of hot water to help it come out easier.
 
Joseph F said:
I don't like the idea of liquid metal less than an inch away form shorting out the connections on my motherboard.
Click to expand...

Me either, that would be an absolute mess on your motherboard if you installed it wrong. Looks like it's just low melt solder 😵
 
Saffleur said:
I'm also a big IC Diamond fan. I use it in every build. Great temps from it. Like has been said it is super thick. They recommend dropping the syringe in a cup of hot water to help it come out easier.
Click to expand...

Never heard that advice, I will have to try that. Thanks for the tip!
 
My latest kick has been Shin-Etsu X23-7783D.
Good for uneven surfaces. It shines at keeping high overclocks at lower temps then most tims.
 
Saffleur said:
I'm also a big IC Diamond fan. I use it in every build. Great temps from it. Like has been said it is super thick. They recommend dropping the syringe in a cup of hot water to help it come out easier.
Click to expand...

I started using this as well. Harder to apply than AS5, but temps are slightly better (1C-2C difference). And you do not need a break in period.
 
Get some Tuniq TX-2 and be done with it. There's no need for anything with higher cost because gains will be a meager 1C at the very most.
 
LOL_Wut_Axel said:
Um, yes. Read the review for the different TIMs.
Click to expand...

Diamond IC got me about 2C better temps than AS5 under load. And they cost about the same now. To some people 2C is nothing, but to others it is a decent jump. Regardless of what reviews say, this is personal experience which trumps any review site.
 
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