Best thermal paste and application

[eTanium]

I hear Arctic silver 5 is the best? Is there something else out there that should work better?

It doesn't spread as well as others, so more should be used? The dot method in the middle is still the best way to apply thermal paste, no?

 

[VengeanceUK]

personally i swear by noctua's nt-h1, found it dirt cheap on amazon the other day as well (goes to order some more)

and yes dot in centre and use heatsink application to smooth it across

 

[VengeanceUK]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00117OV56/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A17AS5ETPMZ9A1

amazon link for noctua nt-h1 @ £1.25 a syringe (but it is £5 delivery) but £6.25 is still a great price

 

[nepas]

That stuff is useless these days there are FAR better options.

 

[Alexander Lee]

I used AS5 and it is fine but as TTL said in one of his videos it is conductive. This could cause you problems if it gets underneath the CPU and onto the pins or the socket for whatever reason. In my next build I will use noctua non-conductive thermal paste.

 

[nepas]

If I'm correct, then Arctic Silver is conductive? What is the best non-conductive thermal paste?

There is no definite answer,each to their own.Some people swear by mx3,some by mx4,some by Noctua,it varies from person to person,but AS5 should be the bottom of your list tbh.

 

[VengeanceUK]

the "silver" pretty much gives it away that it's conductive

as nepas rightly states, there is NO true answer, only personal beliefs, for myself its NT-H1

if you're feeling flush then you could try these 2?

http://www.heatsinkf...am-p-16605.html

http://www.heatsinkf...l-compound.html

the associated blurb states:

IC Diamond 24 Carat Thermal Compound maximizes thermal heat transfer between the CPU core and heatsink by taking advantage of diamond's superior thermal conductivity. Purified synthetic diamond has a thermal conductivity of 2,000-2,500 W/mK compared to 406-429 W/mK for pure silver. Diamond's five times better thermal conductivity compared to silver makes it a superior heat transfer material for cooling high performance CPUs and is electrically non-conductive and non-capacitive.

OR this if you're feeling like making your own lol

http://www.inventgee...e/overview.aspx

 

[Goldskis45]

You should take a look at this... arctic silver is ranked up at the top, but there are a few that are slightly better

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-February-2012/1490/5

 

[Pr3d4t0r]

My personal best is MX4 both for gpus and cpus, cheap reliable and great performer

if you want "BEST" then for cpu either gold or synthetic diamond are best performers but if you dont change those after a year or so good luck taking the heatsink off.

for gpu, something silver or silicone based, my opinion is either mx4 or noctuas

 

[eTanium]

I read that the Artic5 wasn't conductive:

http://www.performan...products_id=959

EDIT: This stuff seems to be the winner:

http://www.newegg.co...ATEK-_-35233069

Non-conductive

Non-hardening

less expensive

and it was one of the top rated in the test mentioned above

http://www.hardwares...ary-2012/1490/5

Does anyone have experience with XIGMATEK PTI-G4512 and has any reason for me to steer clear of it?

 

[FTR.4500MHz]

MX4 gets my vote , allways worked very well in my computers !

 

[S_I_N]

I read that the Artic5 wasn't conductive:

http://www.performan...products_id=959

might wanna re-read it while not highly conductive they do suggest you keep it away from traces and the likes

[font=tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif](While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.) [/font]

I have used many different tim's in my years AS5 is good ASC or Ceramique is the one I always go back to. Simply put the price to performance is spot on. The big tube is enough to last for a year or so. And its performance is very good as well. the others cost alot more for the same performance

 

[VengeanceUK]

I read that the Artic5 wasn't conductive

conductive no, capacitive most definately, whilst not 100% the same electrically, i can guarantee the results would be pretty much 100% similar lol

 

[dugdiamond]

omg - this old chestnut again

listen guys - there are many older threads discussing the PROS and CONS of many TIMs

and it all boils down to this: how many times in a year are you going to replace the TIM ?

if the answer is ONCE... buy the best (ACD.24); do it well... and then forget about it

if the answer is SEVERAL TIMES... put some AS/MX on it

please search the forums before re-asking the same questions

 

[eTanium]

I only plan on putting it on once, and keeping the blocks there (cpu/gpu). I'm going by the tests done from hardwaresecrets.com

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-February-2012/1490/5

I'm sure that all the tims/pastes mentioned are great, but Xigmatek PTI-G4512 performed the best, and is less than half the cost of some competitors.

Thanks you all for your input and help.

 

[KING_OF_SAND]

For CPU I use AS5 for the GPU I use AC Ceramic because it is non conductive.

 

[Rowey]

AS5 is majorly outdated now, go with MX-2/3/4 or something else.

 

[KING_OF_SAND]

AS5 is majorly outdated now, go with MX-2/3/4 or something else.

That does not make sense. How can the laws of thermodynamics be outdated?

 

[SieB]

That does not make sense. How can the laws of thermodynamics be outdated?

I think he meant compared to other thermal pastes

Also, Phobya HE-Grease is pretty good OP, I have a feeling it may be OEM NT-H1 though, but not sure.