Xbit Does a Very Thorough Thermal Paste Roundup

[scruffypup]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Concillian

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Quiksilver

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Concillian

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
With 1deg C difference between ICD7 and AS5 there's no reason for me to think about using the harder to work with stuff. AS5 is a win because of how simple it is to use and clean up. At load with linpak it's a 1deg C difference that will not make or break an overclock and at idle it's .2deg C difference. Big deal really lol

There are plenty of people buying TRUEs instead of coolers that cost half as much and perform within a degree of each other. It makes more sense to buy a $15 tube of TIM or liquid metal pads to get that 1C benefit instead of $30 more on a cooler to get that same 1C. But many people opt for the cheaper paste and the expensive cooler .

Dunno why, probably that you can "see" the differences in the cooler, while the TIM is more "magic"

Um...where is a review of a cooler within 1c of a TRUE that is $30 cheaper?

No idea about where the review is now, but a Xigamatek S183 has been shown to be equal if not better than an unlapped TRUE... and it's only $22 AR (newegg)

One thing to say about that cooler. Push Pin retention :thumbsdown:

I'm not a fan of that method, it relies on the motherboard to support the weight of the HSF instead of a bracket braces behind it which the cooler screws into. I've seen those plastic clips break before.

Then buy a $5 thermalright bracket. IT's still around half the cost of the TRUE + fan, and it still makes more sense to go with expensive paste + cheap HSF to get that 1C because it's still cheaper. You're just defending it because you got the expensive cooler and cheap paste that doesn't make sense from a $$$ / performance standpoint.

Personally I went cheap AS5 and cheap cooler (with bolt through) because IMO neither is worth the 1C for an e7200.

You forget you can push+pull on the Thermalright and also that reviews like I linked to before, show the thermalright being better anyway.

again, AS5 is easy to clean up, and easy to apply. Not so for the other stuff

There are many reviews that show the Xigmatek S1283 is close to the TRUE,...
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=827
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article818-page1.html
are just some that give you and idea... now the TRUE for pure performance will get you a bit better,.. but so will the IFX-14 (and even better than the TRUE),... now consider you pay twice the amount for a very small gain on the TRUE, you have to buy a fan (so still twice as much if you want the retention bracket for the S1283).

The Vendetta 2 is also close,.. as it is a knockoff of the S1283.

THE MAIN DIFFERENCE,... is what type of fan you use and the noise you want.

The higher the airflow,.. the more the TRUE will shine,...and the noisier the system
If you want a budget system (not looking for extreme overclocks, but decent ones) and quietness,.. the s1283 will win since you spend less,... and running at lower airflows,... the S1283 is just as good (or better if going passive, see this page and chart at the bottom http://www.silentpcreview.com/article818-page5.html)

It always depends on what you are building for to what will be best,... but even going for high overclocks,.... the xiggy is a good bang for the buck


Back to original thread,... the mx-2 and tx-2 are just as good as AS5,... this was the 3rd review I have seen and those 3 tend to interchange positions and perform about the same,... at the high end of the scale
LINKS
http://benchmarkreviews.com/in...1&limit=1&limitstart=3

http://www.madshrimps.be/?acti...tpage=3071&articID=635

 

[AMDrulZ]

I got a funny story about some caulking i used for thermal compound on an old,
AMD Duron 1300 one time. My uncle James computer and most of his stuff got stolen from his then wife after she had him thrown in jail.

So i sent him my CPU from my computer to use after he found he still had an old Socket A board still. I wound up getting another Duron-1300 from my high school tech teacher to use in my board for a while i couldn't live without the internet back then..

But any how i didn't have any thermal compound available to me and the nearest computer shop was like 30 miles from my house so i found some caulking laying in the garage.

my step dad replaced the faucet in the kitchen the week before so i knew it wasn't that old. so i applied the caulk on the CPU reattached the stock AMD cooler and fan.

And after burn in i got an idle temp of 22 degrees C and a load temp of 30 degrees C which was pretty good for a Duron-1300...

I figured i would retell the story i remember i wrote on this forum a few years back when i did it and people were amazed at the low temps for what i used as compound...

 

[videogames101]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Quiksilver

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Concillian

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
With 1deg C difference between ICD7 and AS5 there's no reason for me to think about using the harder to work with stuff. AS5 is a win because of how simple it is to use and clean up. At load with linpak it's a 1deg C difference that will not make or break an overclock and at idle it's .2deg C difference. Big deal really lol

There are plenty of people buying TRUEs instead of coolers that cost half as much and perform within a degree of each other. It makes more sense to buy a $15 tube of TIM or liquid metal pads to get that 1C benefit instead of $30 more on a cooler to get that same 1C. But many people opt for the cheaper paste and the expensive cooler .

Dunno why, probably that you can "see" the differences in the cooler, while the TIM is more "magic"

Um...where is a review of a cooler within 1c of a TRUE that is $30 cheaper?

No idea about where the review is now, but a Xigamatek S183 has been shown to be equal if not better than an unlapped TRUE... and it's only $22 AR (newegg)

One thing to say about that cooler. Push Pin retention :thumbsdown:

I'm not a fan of that method, it relies on the motherboard to support the weight of the HSF instead of a bracket braces behind it which the cooler screws into. I've seen those plastic clips break before.

Backplate pack for $5 means no push-pin BS, and still cheaper.

 

[Rubycon]

I will still stand by the rule - if 1 degree difference means a stable system and not then your clocks are way too high.

 

[scruffypup]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
I will still stand by the rule - if 1 degree difference means a stable system and not then your clocks are way too high.

Hey my clocks are about 6 feet high,... I cannot go much higher with them, (no vaulted ceilings).

Ok really, yes the only time the 1 degree makes a difference is if you want the extreme for your system,... and that last 100-200 mhz is not going to make a real world difference other than how much you brag if you do it.

I would rather save the $$$, save the time from getting that extra "brag", and have a realistic overclock with headroom, temp headroom, stability headroom, and a QUIET room for my head,....

 

[SonicIce]

they should try jizz. seriously u never know :Q

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
they should try jizz. seriously u never know :Q

Electrically conductive. Don't ask me how I know. So not good for TIM usage.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Idontcare

Originally posted by: SonicIce
they should try jizz. seriously u never know :Q

Electrically conductive. Don't ask me how I know. So not good for TIM usage.

That reminds me of this. :laugh:

 

[DrMrLordX]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
I will still stand by the rule - if 1 degree difference means a stable system and not then your clocks are way too high.

I think the main reason people obsess over minute 1C differences between one cooling product and another is in the combined effect of many such choices that each individually could (or would) reduce operating temperatures of a key component (CPU, GPU, etc). If you go with a thermal paste that's 1C better than AS5, and a HSF that's 1C better than a TRUE (or whatever other HSF is a default favorite), and an obscure fan for your HSF that's 1C better than the stock one/favored one, and a case/case fan setup that's 1C better than the norm for gamers/power users/tinkerers that use your preferred HSF, and you've bought yourself 4C, at least. Some other clever choices, such as blowing an oversized room fan at the side of your case (ha ha! Seriously, I tried this) might knock off a few more degrees, especially if you skipped the case step mentioned above.

Point is, a lot of little things can add up to lower temps that might make for higher clocks or better stability/CPU lifespan at a normal ceiling.

edit: wish the review had had some Shin-Etsu products in there.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Idontcare

Originally posted by: SonicIce
they should try jizz. seriously u never know :Q

Electrically conductive. Don't ask me how I know. So not good for TIM usage.

Had a pair of multimeter leads on your desk and you missed the Kleenex, eh?

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX

Originally posted by: Rubycon
I will still stand by the rule - if 1 degree difference means a stable system and not then your clocks are way too high.

I think the main reason people obsess over minute 1C differences between one cooling product and another is in the combined effect of many such choices that each individually could (or would) reduce operating temperatures of a key component (CPU, GPU, etc). If you go with a thermal paste that's 1C better than AS5, and a HSF that's 1C better than a TRUE (or whatever other HSF is a default favorite), and an obscure fan for your HSF that's 1C better than the stock one/favored one, and a case/case fan setup that's 1C better than the norm for gamers/power users/tinkerers that use your preferred HSF, and you've bought yourself 4C, at least. Some other clever choices, such as blowing an oversized room fan at the side of your case (ha ha! Seriously, I tried this) might knock off a few more degrees, especially if you skipped the case step mentioned above.

Point is, a lot of little things can add up to lower temps that might make for higher clocks or better stability/CPU lifespan at a normal ceiling.

edit: wish the review had had some Shin-Etsu products in there.

There's some flawed logic at the foundation of this statement. The temp of your CPU does not impact the temp of your GPU. The power dissipation of your CPU impacts the temp of your GPU by way of increasing the temp of the air inside the case being used to also cool the HSF of the GPU.

A CPU at 25C or 85C but dissipating 300W in either example is going to have the exact same heat load on the air inside the case and consequently the exact same temperature effect on your GPU, HDD, components.

The only thing impacted by CPU temp are the components that are directly connected (thermal conduction) to the CPU die, namely the IHS and the underlying resistors and capacitors on the the bottomside of the chip. The mobo in the very near vicinity of the socket will be warm(er) too when the CPU is hotter. But not out where the components actually reside on the mobo (the VRM's about 2 cm from the socket perimeter).

 

[Ileader36]

As far as I'm concerned the entire socket 775 system sucks.

I hate the fact that the motherboard has the pins on it, one false move with the cpu out and it's a stuffed board.
And that clip arrangement is the stupidest idea Iv'e seen in a long while on mobo's, how could they go from something
as solid and reliable as the Socket 478 setup to that, I bet there has been quite a few mobo's killed by too much bending.
Fortunately I got a Socket 775 clip so I could use my Zalman 7000cu cooler that was previously sitting direct on top
of the core of my Pentium M 740 cpu.
The only good thing about pinless cpu's is that they can be easily Bsel and Vpin modded.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: Ileader36
As far as I'm concerned the entire socket 775 system sucks.

I hate the fact that the motherboard has the pins on it, one false move with the cpu out and it's a stuffed board.
And that clip arrangement is the stupidest idea Iv'e seen in a long while on mobo's, how could they go from something
as solid and reliable as the Socket 478 setup to that, I bet there has been quite a few mobo's killed by too much bending.
Fortunately I got a Socket 775 clip so I could use my Zalman 7000cu cooler that was previously sitting direct on top
of the core of my Pentium M 740 cpu.
The only good thing about pinless cpu's is that they can be easily Bsel and Vpin modded.

I have beat the crap out of my LGA socket pins, dropped cpu into easily more than ten times. Gooped it up with thermal paste (vaporphase rig) and then proceeded to scrap it out with q-tips that snagged the individual "pins" in the socket as well as used a screwdriver and an exacto blade to scrape the TIM out from between the pins. No harm done, mobo works the same as ever.

I think some folks have an overly conservative opinion on just how much force it takes to actually damage the socket, mobo, and CPU. It's not without reason, we get inundated with cautionary advice everywhere we look. But the last time, and the only time, I have seen evidence of damage to a mobo was from a backplate shorting the pins on the backside and from a failed attempt to remove an IHS.

The good thing about pinless CPU's is that it enabled the pin-count to increase while maintaining an acceptable pin cost. Care to guess how big (and more expensive) that i7 chip would need to be if it had to accommodate 1,366 pins ala socket 478 style?

No thanks, I'd much rather have my pins hidden below a metal shroud in the socket where they are likely to never experience horizontal sheer stresses in excess of their sheer strength, unlike fully exposed pins hanging out from the bottom of a CPU where a horizontal sheer stress can easily be applied from a myriad of Murphy's law threat vectors.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Originally posted by: Idontcare


There's some flawed logic at the foundation of this statement. The temp of your CPU does not impact the temp of your GPU. The power dissipation of your CPU impacts the temp of your GPU by way of increasing the temp of the air inside the case being used to also cool the HSF of the GPU.

A CPU at 25C or 85C but dissipating 300W in either example is going to have the exact same heat load on the air inside the case and consequently the exact same temperature effect on your GPU, HDD, components.

The only thing impacted by CPU temp are the components that are directly connected (thermal conduction) to the CPU die, namely the IHS and the underlying resistors and capacitors on the the bottomside of the chip. The mobo in the very near vicinity of the socket will be warm(er) too when the CPU is hotter. But not out where the components actually reside on the mobo (the VRM's about 2 cm from the socket perimeter).

Okay, I admit I'm very slow on the draw replying to this, but . . . uh?

I wasn't trying to say that reducing CPU temperature was going to improve the cooling situation for your GPU, HDD, or anything else. I don't think I came anywhere near saying that.

All I was trying to say is that a few decisions often deemed to be obsessive and useless, such as trying to choose the best TIM, can reduce your CPU temperature enough to allow for a higher or more stable overclock, longer CPU life, or something else desirable. That's all I was trying to say.

So yeah, choosing the best TIM might buy you 1C in temperature reductions which doesn't amount to much. Choosing the best TIM, the best HFS, lapping the HSF, lapping the IHS, choosing a better fan for the HSF, choosing better case fans, and choosing a better case might buy you 5-10C or more on your CPU. Similar steps might be available for GPUs so a similar approach might also improve video card overclocking.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX

Originally posted by: Idontcare
There's some flawed logic at the foundation of this statement. The temp of your CPU does not impact the temp of your GPU. The power dissipation of your CPU impacts the temp of your GPU by way of increasing the temp of the air inside the case being used to also cool the HSF of the GPU.

A CPU at 25C or 85C but dissipating 300W in either example is going to have the exact same heat load on the air inside the case and consequently the exact same temperature effect on your GPU, HDD, components.

Okay, I admit I'm very slow on the draw replying to this, but . . . uh?

I wasn't trying to say that reducing CPU temperature was going to improve the cooling situation for your GPU, HDD, or anything else. I don't think I came anywhere near saying that.

I got the impression you were saying that from your own post, let me quote it again here for clarity:

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX
I think the main reason people obsess over minute 1C differences between one cooling product and another is in the combined effect of many such choices that each individually could (or would) reduce operating temperatures of a key component (CPU, GPU, etc).

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: videogames101

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Quiksilver

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Concillian

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
With 1deg C difference between ICD7 and AS5 there's no reason for me to think about using the harder to work with stuff. AS5 is a win because of how simple it is to use and clean up. At load with linpak it's a 1deg C difference that will not make or break an overclock and at idle it's .2deg C difference. Big deal really lol

There are plenty of people buying TRUEs instead of coolers that cost half as much and perform within a degree of each other. It makes more sense to buy a $15 tube of TIM or liquid metal pads to get that 1C benefit instead of $30 more on a cooler to get that same 1C. But many people opt for the cheaper paste and the expensive cooler .

Dunno why, probably that you can "see" the differences in the cooler, while the TIM is more "magic"

Um...where is a review of a cooler within 1c of a TRUE that is $30 cheaper?

No idea about where the review is now, but a Xigamatek S183 has been shown to be equal if not better than an unlapped TRUE... and it's only $22 AR (newegg)

One thing to say about that cooler. Push Pin retention :thumbsdown:

I'm not a fan of that method, it relies on the motherboard to support the weight of the HSF instead of a bracket braces behind it which the cooler screws into. I've seen those plastic clips break before.

Backplate pack for $5 means no push-pin BS, and still cheaper.

The backplate is $15 unless you can show me where it's $5. I can't find a price like that for the 4 heatpipe model.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Originally posted by: Idontcare

I got the impression you were saying that from your own post, let me quote it again here for clarity:

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX
I think the main reason people obsess over minute 1C differences between one cooling product and another is in the combined effect of many such choices that each individually could (or would) reduce operating temperatures of a key component (CPU, GPU, etc).

Hmm, don't see how you got it from there, at least not given the entirety of the post. At least now I have offered clarification.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX

Originally posted by: Idontcare

I got the impression you were saying that from your own post, let me quote it again here for clarity:

Originally posted by: DrMrLordX
I think the main reason people obsess over minute 1C differences between one cooling product and another is in the combined effect of many such choices that each individually could (or would) reduce operating temperatures of a key component (CPU, GPU, etc).

Hmm, don't see how you got it from there, at least not given the entirety of the post. At least now I have offered clarification.

In matters of miscommunication I prefer to error on the side of the culprit being my having misinterpretted what you wrote. Point being that regardless how I interpretted your message you had intended me (and all other readers) to not interpret your message as I had interpretted it. Thanks for clarifying your message, I understand it now.

 

[DrMrLordX]

'salright. Sometimes my sentence structure can be hackneyed or I just get too verbose for my own good. It happens.

You do make an interesting point about overall heat dissipated into a case, though. No matter how many stupendous cooling upgrades you provide to your CPU, they may not amount to much if you aren't moving enough air/heat out of the case to match. Unless, of course, you're that crazy SOB in the other thread asking about 24/7 LN2 cooling, but that's a whole 'nother ball o wax.