4 year old Arctic Silver 5 still good to use?

S

Stevarian

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 13, 2002
Messages
499
I received the parts for my new system today, but neglected to buy new AS5. I have a small tube from my build from 4 years ago, that has had the cap on it, and sealed in a plastic bag in my basement. It seems I read somewhere this should be fine, but then I read elsewhere that it may have separated over time. Any thoughts? Otherwise I have a tube of Cooler Master thermal paste that came with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus.

thanks!
 
I would buy something newer and definitely something better. AS5 is antiquated and should be considered an EOL product.
 
To the best of my knowledge ArticSilver 5 is STILL one of the best thermal pastes around. Here is a web site where you can view the performance of several different thermal compounds: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-January-2012/1468/5

Edit: As for your old tube, if it is not dried out, it should be ok. Just squeze out the first few mm's and you should be good. If it's not wet, don't use it.
 
Last edited:
Awesome, I will try it tomorrow. Thanks....looks like it is still one of the best.
 
Nothing wrong with AS5. I'd take Shin Etsu X23 given a choice, but I have a giant tube of AS5 I've had for years that still ends up on everything for a reason. So long as you keep the cap on it's fine, though it can dry out if left open. The stuff that came with the 212 is probably fine as well. Truth is you're only talking about 2-3C difference, so unless you're pushing for 5Ghz it really won't matter.
 
bigdogchris said:
I would buy something newer and definitely something better. AS5 is antiquated and should be considered an EOL product.
Click to expand...

Complete and utter BS. AS5 is still one of the best performing pastes out there. This is not some revolutionary industry, just because thermal pastes are associated with computers doesn't mean they advance like silicon does. Most of these products have existed for decades in other forms. Heat transfer and cooling is not something brand new...

Stevarian you just might want to not use the paste that is at the very tip of your tube, it might be a little too dry to spread nicely. Squirt some excess out on a towel or something, then use the paste behind that for your CPU.
 
Just use the stuff that came with the Hyper 212+; it is reportedly pretty decent, and even if not, you aren't talking about some huge difference in temps anyway.
 
Used the stock paste and a Hyper 212+ on a friend's build (i7-950) and I'm really surprised by the results! Awesome idle temps, didn't check load temps but I'd assume for a stock voltage/clocked chip it would be more than adequate (and much better than the stock intel heatsink). BTW, I used a razor blade to give the IHS a thin smooth layer of paste. Exposed heatpipes + trying to use the spread method sounds like a bad idea.

AS5 is still great and I use it on my personal builds or if it I have it on hand. I'd give the Cooler Master paste that comes with the 212+ a thumbs up.
 
Thanks guys. I plan to start my build tomorrow, was too tired tonight, and wanted to research some things. I like the idea of squeezing some of the AS5 out of the tube and trying that. I also noted that the Cooler Master regular paste was only a few degrees warmer than AS5 at that link posted above. So if my AS5 is too dry, I will give it a shot. I won't be trying a huge OC anyway....
 
Well...that was a huge pain. I should have stopped and used the Cooler Master stuff....It seemed fine at first (the AS5)...but as I started to use it, it seemed awfully sticky. I can't remember what it was like 4 years ago...but I got everything put together, and am installing Windows now. Lesson learned here....:)
 
Ok, thanks...that is a relief....thought that age may have affected it after all. It will probably be a few more years till my next build, will buy some fresh stuff next time for sure:D
 
Stevarian said:
Ok, thanks...that is a relief....thought that age may have affected it after all. It will probably be a few more years till my next build, will buy some fresh stuff next time for sure:D
Click to expand...

It would be crusty if it was dried out. It's pretty sticky stuff when fresh, so it sounds like yours is still good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top