Thermal compound!

Damir Poljak · Oct 6, 2009

What thermal paste you think is the best?
I will use megahalems heatsink and I am interested what is the best solution:

Arctic silver 5
Arctic mx2
Arctic mx3
IC Diamond 7 Carat

What paste are you using?
Thanx!

baditude_df · Oct 6, 2009

MX2 -Very easy to apply, spreads well, excellent performance, good price.
Ceramique - close second for the same reasons.

Jolly-Swagman · Oct 6, 2009

+ 1 for Arctic silver 5 & Arctic mx2

muddocktor · Oct 6, 2009

I've been using MX2 mostly lately, along with a little of the Tim Consultants T-C Grease 0098. Both are easy to apply and both give me good performance. I also have some Ceramique, which is also a good TIM too, but I feel it doesn't perform quite as well as the other 2.

Damir Poljak · Oct 6, 2009

So you agree that AS 5 and MX-2 are top ones. I know that MX-2 is easier to apply than AS 5.
Also AS 5 need 2 weeks to bake before it gives a good results. right?
So far MX-2 is best choice?

muddocktor · Oct 6, 2009

I really like MX2 over AS5. AS5 does give good results right off the bat; it just gets better over the course of several heat cycles and a few weeks. But, I feel it's performance after curing is no better at best, than MX2.

Nebulous · Oct 6, 2009

+1 for Ceramique. Been using it for ages and it works great for my needs.

IC Diamond 7 at first worked fantastic with awsome results. However over a period of time it broke down and wasn't as effective. Besides it stunk like hell when I was removing it.

Arctic Silver 5 is still good. I stopped using it since I swapped over to Ceramique.

gregers05 · Oct 6, 2009

i ordered AS5 when i ordered my megahelm. should be here friday :santa:

burebista · Oct 6, 2009

Choose one.

Daddyjaxx · Oct 6, 2009

The MX-3 is supposed to be better, but it is too thick. It doesn't spread well. I have much better luck with the MX-2. I haven't used AS-5 too much. I used Ceramique more because that's all I used to use on my GPUs, so I had more of it around.

baditude_df · Oct 6, 2009

Daddyjaxx said:
The MX-3 is supposed to be better, but it is too thick. It doesn't spread well. I have much better luck with the MX-2. I haven't used AS-5 too much. I used Ceramique more because that's all I used to use on my GPUs, so I had more of it around.

That's exactly were I'm sitting too.
I love the ceramique for chipsets and mosfets and GPU's and the like.
I couldn't get the MX-3 to spread, or to work period. MX-2 is superior in most conditions and for most user levels IMO.
AS5? I haven't used that crap in years.

Omsion · Oct 6, 2009

Nebulous said:
+1 for Ceramique. Been using it for ages and it works great for my needs.

IC Diamond 7 at first worked fantastic with awsome results. However over a period of time it broke down and wasn't as effective. Besides it stunk like hell when I was removing it.

Arctic Silver 5 is still good. I stopped using it since I swapped over to Ceramique.

I thought one of the additional advantages of IC7 was that it wasn't supposed to degrade? Although iirc, the first few batches of IC7 (when it first came out) had a solvent that was supposed to make it easier to spread, but fubared it in the long run. Ask JoeC? I'm sure he'd like to know about that happening if it still is happening.

Anyways, I'm an IC7 user. Additional pastes to look into are TIM-Consultants and various Shin-Etsu formulations (I can never remember their names though

). AS5 can still be competitive, but I think there's enough empirical evidence scattered around to show that its no longer the best.

Giz · Oct 6, 2009

AS5 can still be competitive, but I think there's enough empirical evidence scattered around to show that its no longer the best.

Most hardware reviewers now are saying AS5 is dated and being outperformed by newer products.

Next time I pull my block I'm going to try the Liquid Pro stuff. It's getting good results and my local store's just started stocking it. Yes it might be tricky to apply, but I'll give it a go and post how it works out.

gregers05 · Oct 6, 2009

i guess ill be ditching the AS5 quicker than i thought lol. ill have to look around for liquid pro

Damir Poljak · Oct 6, 2009

What about PROLIMATECH paste that comes with megahalems heatsink? is it any good? Is anybody use it? Any comments?

JonSimonzi · Oct 6, 2009

I bought a tube of IC7 at MicroCenter when I got my new motherboard and CPU as it was on sale, and I didn't have any. I moved from AS5, and found it much thicker. I had to take off my TRUE to remount it about a week later, and when I cleaned it off (just with a paper towel, no solvents or anything), it started to take the finish off the base of my TRUE Black, and left marks on my CPU, making it look like there is permanently smudged paste on it, which there isn't.

I'd stick with something else after that experience.

muddocktor · Oct 6, 2009

Damir Poljak said:
What about PROLIMATECH paste that comes with megahalems heatsink? is it any good? Is anybody use it? Any comments?

From the chart that burebista posted, it looks like it did pretty darn well. I wish he would have linked the tests though.

Spawn-Inc · Oct 6, 2009

Mx-3 if it's better then MX-2

Damir Poljak · Oct 6, 2009

muddocktor said:
From the chart that burebista posted, it looks like it did pretty darn well. I wish he would have linked the tests though.

Yes, looks pretty good, but is anybody use it with megahalems? I am thinking why buy new if that is good enough? Mine is coming in a couple days but I do not have what to mount it on (yet).
When will your arrive? What fan are you gonna use?
Thanx

baditude_df · Oct 6, 2009

Spawn-Inc said:
Mx-3 if it's better then MX-2

I'll give it another try and do some direct comparisons, but from the first couple of applications not even spreading properly, I really don't know about this MX-3.

Thermal compound!

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