Xbit Does a Very Thorough Thermal Paste Roundup

[geoffry]

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/c...interface-roundup.html

Enjoy

 

[n7]

Thanx.

ICD7 pulls out another win, at least for the CPUs.

I really don't like using the stuff though...it's hard to spread, & it's pretty much impossible to fully clean off later, so i haven't used it in my last few applications.

 

[Denithor]

Wonder why my favorite, Arctic Ceramique, didn't make it into this testing. I've been using that stuff for years with excellent performance, easy cleanup and nonconductive are two real bonuses beyond the heat transfer capabilities of the paste.

Oh, well, as I recall it's slightly better than Alumina and a bit worse than AS5 so I'm satisfied. Not the best out there but not bad either and easy to use so I'll stick with it.

 

[nyker96]

AS5 still on the front for CPU test, but many new comer seems to do just as well. Maybe time for AC to come out with AS6 ? getting a little long on tooth.

Edit: TX2 seems pretty all around on both tests. I personally use TIM0098 seems to do pretty well even better than AS5.

 

[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

 

[sgrinavi]

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

word

 

[Concillian]

I wish more people put the thermalright stuff in reviews.

I saw it included once in a review... I think it was the benchmark reviews one...and it was a decent performer. Not top, but sorta like AS5 consistently in the pack.

I think it's worthwhile for reviews to include it just to show that a bunch of people have a good tube of paste that they ignored just because it looks like the same crappy white stuff most heatsinks are packaged with... but it's not.

 

[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"

 

[Scottae]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Wonder why my favorite, Arctic Ceramique, didn't make it into this testing. I've been using that stuff for years with excellent performance, easy cleanup and nonconductive are two real bonuses beyond the heat transfer capabilities of the paste.

Oh, well, as I recall it's slightly better than Alumina and a bit worse than AS5 so I'm satisfied. Not the best out there but not bad either and easy to use so I'll stick with it.

I use it for Sub amient cooling... Like -13 C Peltier

 

[Tempered81]

I've seen that CL liquid cooling and IDC7 perform very well in many different reviews. maybe time to switch from AS5.

 

[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?

 

[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)

 

[Zap]

Even if it isn't as good, I really like Arctic Alumina because it is so cheap and easy to clean up, plus really easy to spread in a super thin layer for those of us who don't lap. Compared to Alumina, Ceramique is pretty tough to clean up because it is thicker and really tacky.

Hmmm, I wonder if results would have been different if their stuff wasn't lapped?

 

[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.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: Scottae

Originally posted by: Denithor
Wonder why my favorite, Arctic Ceramique, didn't make it into this testing. I've been using that stuff for years with excellent performance, easy cleanup and nonconductive are two real bonuses beyond the heat transfer capabilities of the paste.

Oh, well, as I recall it's slightly better than Alumina and a bit worse than AS5 so I'm satisfied. Not the best out there but not bad either and easy to use so I'll stick with it.

I use it for Sub amient cooling... Like -13 C Peltier

Yep, it is pretty much the standard recommended TIM for sub-zero cooling situations like TEC, vaporphase cooling, dry ice, and LN2.

I use ceramique on my vaporphase rig. I once used AS5 and the stuff became thermally insulating (or nearly so as much as I could tell) once cooled to -40C temps. My poor chip had dreadful thermals. Swapped out the AS5 for Ceramique (per Artic silver's tech support) and it was night and day on the thermals for my vaporphase rig.

But I don't use it at all with my air-cooled rigs. TX2 all the way.

 

[Sureshot324]

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)

Yep. The Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer actually cools better then the TRUE, and is considerably cheaper and lighter. It has a smaller heatsink then the TRUE, but like the Xigmatek, the copper heat pipes are in direct contact with the CPU so over all it beats the TRUE by about 1 degree. IMO the TRUE is obsolete.

Frostytech is a great site for reviews on CPU coolers.
Even Anandtech's cooler charts have several coolers beating the TRUE.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324

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)

Yep. The Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer actually cools better then the TRUE, and is considerably cheaper and lighter. It has a smaller heatsink then the TRUE, but like the Xigmatek, the copper heat pipes are in direct contact with the CPU so over all it beats the TRUE by about 1 degree. IMO the TRUE is obsolete.

Frostytech is a great site for reviews on CPU coolers.
Even Anandtech's cooler charts have several coolers beating the TRUE.

Push pins suck. End of discussion.

Bolting the HSF is the ONLY way to do it.

 

[Sureshot324]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Sureshot324

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)

Yep. The Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer actually cools better then the TRUE, and is considerably cheaper and lighter. It has a smaller heatsink then the TRUE, but like the Xigmatek, the copper heat pipes are in direct contact with the CPU so over all it beats the TRUE by about 1 degree. IMO the TRUE is obsolete.

Frostytech is a great site for reviews on CPU coolers.
Even Anandtech's cooler charts have several coolers beating the TRUE.

Push pins suck. End of discussion.

Bolting the HSF is the ONLY way to do it.

The Xigmatek 1284 comes with a bolt mounting kit.

 

[cmdrdredd]

This review http://www.rwlabs.com/article....at=&id=46&pagenumber=3 shows only the push pins and no bolt through method of installation. They show the optional package that you buy separately. This package has bolts and a back plate which IMO should just come with it instead of the push pins.

Also, the review http://www.rwlabs.com/article....at=&id=46&pagenumber=6 shows the 1284 far below the TRUE in terms of actual performance with an actual CPU work load (no synthetic heat pad testing).

 

[TennesseeTony]

re: Push Pin mounting.

My daughter's comp came to a crawl. I figured it was all the kid-crap and animated icons and such that she'd downloaded against my will. A few months later I took the side off to clean out the dust...the stock push-pin cooler was hanging by three, not four pins, and was cocked, just barely touching one corner of the CPU heat spreader. Poor little chip, had been running at max thermals and reduced it's voltage/clockspeed/etc. to compensate.

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[pm]

I like ICD7C, but I find it really hard to apply. It comes out really thick and sticky. My tube is not particularly old either. I can get it on, but it's tricky and takes a lot longer to get right than AS5. The reviewer didn't really mention this so I wonder if I just have a bad tube.

AS5 (I have a tube of this too) is a lot easier.

Still, that 1C number does illogically sway me and all that I ever use nowadays is ICD7C.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: pm
I like ICD7C, but I find it really hard to apply. It comes out really thick and sticky. My tube is not particularly old either. I can get it on, but it's tricky and takes a lot longer to get right than AS5. The reviewer didn't really mention this so I wonder if I just have a bad tube.

AS5 (I have a tube of this too) is a lot easier.

Still, that 1C number does illogically sway me and all that I ever use nowadays is ICD7C.

Never used it myself but I remember reading quite a few posters reporting great success with heating the tube slightly by dangling it in hot water from their tap prior to opening and dispensing.

The room-temp viscosity is no doubt high by design to keep the diamond particles from flocculation and settling out of solution.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Idontcare

Originally posted by: pm
I like ICD7C, but I find it really hard to apply. It comes out really thick and sticky. My tube is not particularly old either. I can get it on, but it's tricky and takes a lot longer to get right than AS5. The reviewer didn't really mention this so I wonder if I just have a bad tube.

AS5 (I have a tube of this too) is a lot easier.

Still, that 1C number does illogically sway me and all that I ever use nowadays is ICD7C.

Never used it myself but I remember reading quite a few posters reporting great success with heating the tube slightly by dangling it in hot water from their tap prior to opening and dispensing.

The room-temp viscosity is no doubt high by design to keep the diamond particles from flocculation and settling out of solution.

I always thought the best way to soften one's tube was to dangle it in cold water...

:laugh: