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Artic Silver 3 vs Artic Silver 5

N

Neo2741

n00b
Joined
May 22, 2005
Messages
12
hey,i just finished building my new comp and used AS3 on the CPU heatsink.I found a tube of AS5 yesterday and was wondering if it would make a noticable change in temp? and would it be worth cleaning off the AS3 i already have on it.

i have a Pentium 4 Northwood
36-38C idle/ 52-55C big load
 
id say 1-2 c difference max. and you wouldnt see the preformance till a few weeks after putting it on.
 
you'd be foolish to expect that "upgrading" from AS3 would improve temps by a noticable amount.
 
no big difference in performance, but next time you clean and re-apply (should do it every six months or so) you could try the AS5 if you really want to see how big or small a difference it makes for yourself. i only say this since you are saying that you already have AS5 on hand.
 
What, Snake Oil 3 or Snake Oil 5? Why not just flush your money down the toilet?
 
Personally, I like the AS5 better. Yes it is thicker but it seems like it has better consistency. After purchasing AS5 awhile ago, I discovered I had 3 tubes of AS3 from modding years ago. I use the AS3 for the northbridge and southbridge and the AS5 for the CPU and GPU. I think there is a 1-2C difference with AS5 giving a better performance. Its thickness helps in spreading onto the CPU and GPU. Use the razor blade to get a thin even coating. Also, AS3 tends to run while AS5 sticks to the surface pretty well.
 
hagbard said:
What, Snake Oil 3 or Snake Oil 5? Why not just flush your money down the toilet?
Click to expand...
okay, maybe you have acess to no-name really cheap thermal compound, but i don't. i have the choice of buying AS3, AS ceramique or AS5 within a buck or two of the price of brand X thermal compound.

do i sweat the addition two dollars to get the stuff that i know works well, and has been reviewed time and time again? no.

if it were a matter of saving enough money to get something else that i want, and have to save for, it would be another matter, but, for the cost of an extra-large coffee and a doughnut, i don't worry about it.
 
magnuspah said:
Use the razor blade to get a thin even coating.
Click to expand...
this really depends on the surface that you are using the compound on.

small cores, and peltier cold plates, razor blade all the way.

anything with a heat spreader, follow manufactuer's reccomendations.
 
hagbard said:
What, Snake Oil 3 or Snake Oil 5? Why not just flush your money down the toilet?
Click to expand...

lol...anyone who's used arcticsilver can tell you there's a big difference between it and the crap the comes with a heatsink or hsf. if you're overclocking you wouldn't use the other crap - it's called being a pc enthusiast, and ~$5 for arcticsilver isn't expensive.
 
DFI Daishi said:
if you really want to save a bit of cash, try some of these fun alternatives http://www.dansdata.com/goop.htm

you'll note just how well toothpaste does, as compared to generic thermal compound.
Click to expand...

Perhaps we'll have to use one of the old rigs from work, and see what a toothpaste and X compound does for cooling, eh Daishi?

:p
 
PureBooYah said:
lol...anyone who's used arcticsilver can tell you there's a big difference between it and the crap the comes with a heatsink or hsf. if you're overclocking you wouldn't use the other crap - it's called being a pc enthusiast, and ~$5 for arcticsilver isn't expensive.
Click to expand...

I've tested AS on identical systems against generic goo (in this case, the stuff that comes with the Vantec Aeroflow HSF). The generic stuff worked better every time.
 
If you want to see a difference, get a new HSF. I'm assuming you're using the stock one.

I never used the stock one, bought a Zalman 7000AlCu with my PC. Put AS5 on it. Got around 50-52 load @ 12volts.

Then I upgraded to one of these:
http://www.jab-tech.com/customer/product.php?productid=2649&cat=0&page=1

Load temps dropped to 38-40. That's 12 degrees celsius lower and it's inaudible over my case fans at 7v and ATi Silencer.
 
I would say that AS is definitely better than any generic thermal goop out there. A long time ago, I tested the AS1 (yes that long ago) against radioshack's goop, generic thermal compounds that came with different heatsink/fan kits, and even those cheap ones. I found that AS always give a lower temperature than the others with everything standardized (ambient temperature, components, etc..). AS is sucessful for a good reason. I have to admit that some of the money you are shelling out now is for the name but some of it is for the performance.
 
so get OCZ ultra 5 for a little bit less, and have the same stuff without the name, hype and branding. :)
 
I bought myself a tube of generic Silver based compound for AUD$9.00 and it works just as well for the purpose. The tube is also twice as large as most are so i found it to be good value.
 
lagmaster said:
I bought myself a tube of generic Silver based compound for AUD$9.00 and it works just as well for the purpose. The tube is also twice as large as most are so i found it to be good value.
Click to expand...

You're right. People who claim AS is better than generic either haven't really tested it against an identical system or are using very low grade compound against it. Anything that comes with a name brand HSF is going to do at least as well as any variety of AS. I've tested it and proven it.
 
The link posted to the thermal compound review shows just that. The "silver" part of AS seems to be a marketing gimmic IMO, as copper/aluminum (assuming it can be used to same way in the manufacturing process) would be just as good given how little thermal paste matters to begin with, and cost less (though there's only a postage stamps worth of silver in a tube to begin with). The main thing is how long the paste lasts, and how easy it is to apply correctly. Generic white goo probably doesn't last as long, and is easier to apply incorrectly (too thick). If you're in the market, I'd still go with AS, but it is NOT something to "upgrade" to. The review linked to shows there is almost no difference in thermal properties between varying brands, which will equate to even less difference in CPU temps, which is probably no mhz.
 
Copper paste tends to oxidize too quickly, so you cant really use it. Silver oxidizes pretty quickly too, but should last a few years at least, Silver oxide is not as bad as copper oxide thermally, so that is another reason to go with silver.

Silver in its metal form is very soft, and spreads fairly easily, Copper is a little harder. Copper even suspended in oils tends to also be more electrically conductive.

Those are the main reasons there are not a lot of copper based pastes around. Other compounds mixed with certain borons are toxic, and only used for industrial purposes.

Dan is an idiot.

Although he does have some merit in proving that almost *any* substance other than air is good at thermal transfer, and would be adequate in the sub-60 watt processor days. With the 120watt processors (requiring 1 kilogram+ heatsinks) upcoming though, it would be suicidal to not use real heatsink paste.

Surprisingly enough, if you can figure out how to make water not expand or boil off (probably impossible), water would make an excellent paste.
 
ZenOps said:
Surprisingly enough, if you can figure out how to make water not expand or boil off (probably impossible), water would make an excellent paste.
Click to expand...

The phase change from water to vapor is the whole reason it cools so well! Hence why direct die watercooling is so good (but not feasible most times).
 
DFI Daishi said:
...re-apply (should do it every six months or so) you could try the AS5 if you really want to see how big or small a difference it makes for yourself. i only say this since you are saying that you already have AS5 on hand.
Click to expand...

Why in the world would you be taking off the AS every 6 months or so ????????
 
hagbard said:
I've tested AS on identical systems against generic goo (in this case, the stuff that comes with the Vantec Aeroflow HSF). The generic stuff worked better every time.
Click to expand...
It's actually hard to apply AS correctly, but I believe any decent thermal compound will work just fine if applied correctly. That is, an even thin layer without gaps for the CPU to transfer heat to the heatsink.
 
Top Nurse said:
Why in the world would you be taking off the AS every 6 months or so ????????
Click to expand...
because it starts to dry, oxidize and give reduced performance after several months of usage.
 
I found that AS 3 dried out more slowly than AS and AS II. I don't mind using thermal pads initially if I'm running a retail CPU/HSF.

I haven't tried AS 5 yet, but I do remove my HSFs and wash the assembly about every year or so. (For my copper units, I needed to do baking-soda, vinegar, and wire-brush removal of green stuff).
 
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