Thermal paste (TIM) information & ranking

[Pray To Jesus]

For pastes that comes in a tube, you can't go wrong with any of these

1) PK-1
2) Chill Factor 3
3) Quantum

 

[cppguru]

You can't go wrong with any thermal paste period.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-February-2012/1490

 

[Slugbait]

...and there are better out there than PK-1, such as TX-2, TX-4, and X23-7783D
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/geek_tested_17_thermal_pastes_face?page=0,1

 

[MacGyverSG1]

I have found that different review sites rank certain pastes differently. The PK-1 is usually at the top of the list. It really depends on the hardware being used.

Check out http://skinneelabs.com

 

[AustinInDallas]

You can't go wrong with any thermal paste period.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-February-2012/1490

So your telling me just to use mayonnaise?

 

[EarthwormJim]

Didn't you already post exactly this in another thread?

Are you being sponsored by these companies?

 

[WoodButcher]

So your telling me just to use mayonnaise?

No,,,,:hmm:

Peanut butter smells so much better when it's cooking, just be sure to use the "creamy' type because the chunky tends to make an uneven mount.


Seriously though Jim, I think PBJ is looking for a sponsor.
Oops! PTJ

 

[DigDog]

LOL
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-February-2012/1490/5
mayonnaise actually outperforms some thermal compounds.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Remember margin of error. I've used AS5, MX-3, NT-H1 and MX-3 and Nt-H1 perform nearly identical. AS5 was a little bit worse, but if you have it just use it.

 

[Darknite39]

I am still using a 10 year old tube of AS 3 (most recently for a Phenom II quad). If my temps are fine, you will probably be OK.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Arctic Cooling MX4 is hard to beat imo, plus it's easy to spread; what good does it do to buy the "best thermal compound" but get mediocre temps due to improper application. It is also apparently claimed to last at least 8 years w/o any performance degradation unlike most compounds. $10 at the egg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186038

 

[stargazr]

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62

 

[cmdrdredd]

Arctic Cooling MX4 is hard to beat imo, plus it's easy to spread; what good does it do to buy the "best thermal compound" but get mediocre temps due to improper application. It is also apparently claimed to last at least 8 years w/o any performance degradation unlike most compounds. $10 at the egg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186038

spread? That's the improper way to do it with a heatspreader on the CPU now. The best way is to put a drop in the center and let the HSF pressure do the spreading.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

spread? That's the improper way to do it with a heatspreader on the CPU now. The best way is to put a drop in the center and let the HSF pressure do the spreading.

That depends on the type of heat sink and the type of thermal compound right? If you have thick stuff which feels like clay, I doubt it will spread well by itself. I usually put a small drop or line and use a worthless credit card laying around to get a thin layer over most of the cpu. In my experience, it works well. Also, the drop method is apparently not recommended for lga 2011 ( correct me if i'm wrong, I haven't build yet on lga2011), because the cpu surface area has increased a lot and it would not provide good coverage and the line across the middle would be best.

 

[WoodButcher]

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62

Excellent link, in my experience, proper application is more important than the product used. Granted, there are a few products that are not worth using but for the most part we're talking just a few degrees difference from the best to the worst which won't be enough to see a difference in the operation of your PC and that includes limiting your OC. 2 degrees won't limit your OC potential but a poorly applied paste can and will prevent the PC from running.

 

[_Rick_]

That depends on the type of heat sink and the type of thermal compound right? If you have thick stuff which feels like clay, I doubt it will spread well by itself. I usually put a small drop or line and use a worthless credit card laying around to get a thin layer over most of the cpu. In my experience, it works well. Also, the drop method is apparently not recommended for lga 2011 ( correct me if i'm wrong, I haven't build yet on lga2011), because the cpu surface area has increased a lot and it would not provide good coverage and the line across the middle would be best.

The critical factor is the amount of pressure you can exert during the mounting of the cooler. Especially with screw-on type mountings, you can increase pressure almost arbitrarily, with the only limit being the stability of the CPU's heat-spreader. In the case of naked dies, you may want to only use thumb-forefinger, or hand-hand to apply the pressure, foregoing tools.

Anyway, as a result of what you say, the primary consideration when buying TIM should be the viscosity & granularity of the material, as a smoother, softer (more liquid) material will result in a cleaner application, which usually means a better interfacing and less isolation.