Delid 4770K...best thermal paste?

[jarablue]

Now that I've delid my 4770k, what is the best thermal paste to use?

I've heard MX4 and some other ones. What would you guys use?

Thanks!

 

[JimmiG]

Liquid Pro or Liquid Ultra.

 

[TY-1]

Coollaboratory Liquid Pro works well but you have to be careful applying it. It is basically liquid metal and just a small, small amount is necessary. There are a few videos online that show people applying it and a thread here on the forums where someone took pictures of using it on their CPU die. The one thing you also have to be careful of when applying it is that it doesn't touch any bare copper as it can cause degradation of that copper; same with Collaboratory Liquid Ultra.

 

[Mushkins]

Coollaboratory Liquid Pro works well but you have to be careful applying it. It is basically liquid metal and just a small, small amount is necessary. There are a few videos online that show people applying it and a thread here on the forums where someone took pictures of using it on their CPU die. The one thing you also have to be careful of when applying it is that it doesn't touch any bare copper as it can cause degradation of that copper; same with Collaboratory Liquid Ultra.

Isn't that kind of counterproductive? If the heatsink has copper heatpipes, and the TIM degrades copper...

Gotta be careful what cooler you're pairing it with.

 

[Nec_V20]

I would go safe with something like MX-4.

 

[Redoitall]

Now that I've delid my 4770k, what is the best thermal paste to use?

I've heard MX4 and some other ones. What would you guys use?

Thanks!

Now that I've delid my 4770k, what is the best thermal paste to use?

I've heard MX4 and some other ones. What would you guys use?

Thanks!

You have to look at it this way. If you delid your CPU there is no longer a warranty. Second of all You are really gonna overclock it . Most people who overclock keep their cpu s only a few years . Liquid Meta it's the only way to get at least 15 Celcius lower otherwise you only getting about 5 Celcius which in my opinion does not make it worth it. Believe me when I tell you I lapped the IHS inside and out until mirror like result. Not until I put liquid metal started seeing results that yielded a gain of 300 MHz increase in my overclock. Another thing to consider, if you have a bad chip even if you keep it cool , you'll kill it faster with over voltage if longevity is a concern . Hope this helps. By the way LMP creates a solder like Sandy bridge. Because it is metal after all

 

[Idontcare]

Now that I've delid my 4770k, what is the best thermal paste to use?

I've heard MX4 and some other ones. What would you guys use?

Thanks!

Bare-die testing: A delidded 3770k, an H100, and 9 different TIMs

MX-4 did not do so well in the direct-die application test.

 

[Borealis7]

how much of a decrease in temps is expected when simply de-lidding and scraping the black adhesive off the PCB and putting it back together without TIM inside? (obviously TIM between the IHS and the HSF)

P.S. just asking about Haswell, i know better than to delid a 2500K.

 

[Idontcare]

how much of a decrease in temps is expected when simply de-lidding and scraping the black adhesive off the PCB and putting it back together without TIM inside? (obviously TIM between the IHS and the HSF)

P.S. just asking about Haswell, i know better than to delid a 2500K.

I tried that for my 3770K, don't have a haswell here, and the temperatures actually got worse than before I delidded. You definitely need some TIM under the IHS.

 

[tweakboy]

I soon need new paste MX4 is 3 dollars Im gonna get that.

Ive never had luck with TIMS. I hate the difference in temp......

How much paste do you use. Put a blobl right in the middle and close it up with HSF or water block ?

 

[PliotronX]

Coollabs is the best but I would only use it for the underside of the IHS and only if the rim is glued in place because that stuff is way too pricey for general use JMHO. Other than that it's between NT-H1, MX-4, and ICD7.

@Borealis7, any time there is a joint for thermal conductivity, a TIM must be used even with a mirror finish. There are gaps of air too small to see that will reduce conductivity.

 

[flexy]

It's funny how so many people are quick with their opinion "MX-4 is best" etc...without having a base for their claims.

I researched this very same topic the last days and the internetz are full of people who either recommend AS5 or MX4 and where it's clear they NEVER actually did it or have hard numbers to back up their claims. WITH VERY FEW exceptions.

Short: MX-4 for direct die applications is supposedly really bad. MX4 is great for normal stuff on the large lids...but it sucks for direct-die.

Which ALSO makes me question how well MX-4 actually does when used for notebook GPUs/CPUs which basically are also "direct-die".

I personally haven't delidded yet and I don't have my own numbers, but it is my understanding that for direct-die liquid metal and possibly ICD 7/24 is best. There are plenty of people who used the wrong "advice" to simply use AS5 or MX4, they didn't see any improvements and sometimes even increased temps.

 

[JimmiG]

I haven't tried MX4, but I've read that it dries up and stops being effective after a few weeks. Personally I went with CLP. It's not hard to apply if you're careful - Use a tiny, tiny amount. Spread carefully with a small brush. Make the layer is so smooth and thin that no droplets are formed.

 

[bononos]

It's funny how so many people are quick with their opinion "MX-4 is best" etc...without having a base for their claims.

I researched this very same topic the last days and the internetz are full of people who either recommend AS5 or MX4 and where it's clear they NEVER actually did it or have hard numbers to back up their claims. WITH VERY FEW exceptions.

Short: MX-4 for direct die applications is supposedly really bad. MX4 is great for normal stuff on the large lids...but it sucks for direct-die.

Which ALSO makes me question how well MX-4 actually does when used for notebook GPUs/CPUs which basically are also "direct-die".
.......

I've used AS5 and MX4 for both the cpu and gpu (direct die) and both seem to work fine. For about at least 6-9 months in the case of MX4.

I think the recent graphics driver versions utilize the multithreading capabilities of dx11 more intensively and put more load on both the cpu/gpu which might throw off testing apps like occt. For example running occt gpu-dx9 option (or older occt dx10 with pre 12.10 drivers) maxes out at 70C while gpu-dx11 causes the gpu to run as hot as 83C.

Drying up and becoming a poor tim in a few weeks is pure FUD. MX4 is quite popular for some time and if it were that terrible, the general community would've noticed it.

 

[JimmiG]

Drying up and becoming a poor tim in a few weeks is pure FUD. MX4 is quite popular for some time and if it were that terrible, the general community would've noticed it.

I use MX-4 between the IHS and CPU cooler, and it works great. The problem, or so I've read, is when applying it to a tiny area, like between the CPU die and IHS or directly between the die and cooler/water block.

 

[PliotronX]

That whole MX-4 drying up bit got me researching. I see a lot of questions about it but there is not an outcry against it. A couple more chart toppers are Prolimatech PX-1 & PX-3 and Gelid Extreme.

 

[bononos]

I use MX-4 between the IHS and CPU cooler, and it works great. The problem, or so I've read, is when applying it to a tiny area, like between the CPU die and IHS or directly between the die and cooler/water block.

Well consider what you read for a minute. MX-4 is not some rare product. If it degraded let alone become bad within a few weeks on bare die applications, everyone on the internet would know about it. I used it on bare die gpus and reapplied it after months and it didn't show a significant change let alone a big one.

Are there hard numbers to back up that claim?