Witch is better and y?

[thecrecarc]

okay i know that thermal grease is better espically artic silver 5. but is the avage normal 2$ type any good? (by good i mean better than the thermal pad thing already on my cpu.) and y is thermal paste so much better than thermal pads?

 

[iamtrout]

Thermal paste can be applied thinner than thermal pads, making for better heat transfer between two surfaces. There are probably also differences in their chemistry that make paste better. The average $2 thermal paste is ok, but some actually decompose and require re-application. I would just go for some quality thermal paste right from the get go because the expense is minimal for the sheer number of applications that you can do.

 

[dnuggett]

Paste is better because it allows for much better thermal transfer. Arctic Silver is probably the best of the paste.

 

[thecrecarc]

so thinner is better?

 

[AristoV300]

Yes, if it is too thick you loose conductivity.

 

[imported_waldo]

not only the thickness, but I can't think of any high quality thermal pads out there. I second teh nuggett, put some AS5 on there and you will never go back

 

[AristoV300]

There isn't a high quality pad, they are all made of some kind of wax:disgust:

 

[Zepper]

Actually the thermal performance of pads (phase change thermal interface materials, PC-TIMs) isn't bad at all if they are applied properly, else AMD et al. wouldn't recommend them (and I still think they are best for CPUs with large surface areas or heat spreaders as those surfaces are likely to be more uneven and pads usually can fill larger imperfections better - AMD seems to disagree on this). They are also good if you want to do it one time and forget about it. Most pastes should be reapplied at least annually (I have heard that the Shin Etsu paste is the most thermally stable, but it is also difficult to apply and expensive). ATF denizens don't leave things alone long enough for that to become an issue. A list of recommended PC-TIMs is available on AMD's site.
. You can get good pads under the Akasa (click on "Thermal" in the left column) name (shin etsu) and from the maker of many of AMD's OEM HSFs - http://www.ajigo.com . There are probably other places to buy them, but I haven't looked.
. The basic concept of Phase Change TIMs (pads) is that the material is applied and melted ONCE (IOW, the phase of the material changes from solid to liquid). After that, the temp should be maintained BELOW the melt point (else it could be pumped out by thermal compression/expansion cycles just as the greases can be). The PC-TIM material mfr's tech pages should be consulted to determine the proper temp and time for melting (may require disconnecting the fan temporarily on an efficient HSF). The main PC-TIM mfr's are Parker/Chomerics, Shin Etsu and Honeywell. I prefer the Chomerics T725 (which Ajigo used to sell) as it has a relatively high melt point. So it is easy to maintain temp below the melt point after the melt. I haven't looked up the specs on the Honeywell stuff Ajigo is now selling - until now.
Melt points: ShinEtsu/Akasa ~50 degC; Honeywell PCM45 ~45 degC; Chomerics Thermoflow T725 ~60 deg C.
.bh.

 

[klah]

"Thermal Interface Material Comparison: Thermal Pads vs. Thermal Grease"
http://www.amd.com/us-en/asset...nd_tech_docs/26951.pdf

http://www.amd.com/us-en/asset...sets/section5-high.wmv