Best thermal paste for WC?

J

Jehuty

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
430
Hi!

I am in the process of upgrading my computer. However, it just dawned on me I don't have any thermal compound left. I used to use Arctic Silver, but I thought I'd search around and see who the current king is.

I found Indigo Xtreme.

However the reception seems to be mixed. What is your opinion? Is it worth the pita application?

I'm installing my Corsair h50 on a i5 3570k processor.
 
Many good options out there that perform only a within a couple of degress of each other. I myself have been using MX-4 lately.
 
To me, indigo extreme is not worth the hassle. I'm still using my years-old tube of as5, haha.
 
I have the following in my drawer.....

AS5
MX-4
NT H-1

I primarily use Noctura's NT H1 for a couple of reasons....easy to apply texture, no cure time. Also won't conduct .

If you look at reviews....almost all the TIMs are good and within a degree or two centigrade.

I generally choose on the ease of application. :D
 
I use MX-4. Most decent pastes will be within a degree of each other and most of that difference is just variations in mounting that is normal (ie, not statistically significant).

My only real necessity when buying is that isn't non-electrically conductive and easy to spread. MX-2, MX-4, TX-2, TX-3, TX-4, etc. I prefer to put a drop in the center, use a credit card or razor to spread the TIM into a thin, uniform layer, and then put the HSF on.
 
IC Diamond, MX-2, MX-3, MX-4.. AS5 is okay but not as good as those. Indigo Xtreme is good but a pain.
 
Looks like the consensus is to get MX-4. Having said that, I have access to great DI water at work - should I get that, or would buying something like Primochill be best as it has anti-algae chemicals in it?
 
EarthwormJim said:
Honestly nearly all of the thermal pastes are equal to each other in performance. Any differences can be attributed to mounting errors.
Click to expand...

Nah, they are different.. just not by a lot. A couple of degrees at most. But still, why not buy something that is slightly better if it's not costing you more? I mean, it costs more than the generic cheap stuff, but that stuff can dry out and make a system overheat. I've experienced it when using cheap thermal paste that was included with certain heatsinks... never using the cheap stuff again when I can help it. If I had a tube of AS5 on hand, I wouldn't throw it out and switch to IC Diamond, but I would rather buy the stuff I listed than AS5. Why not?
 
As for why not, well it all comes down to preference and that is it. If you look at all the reviews out there, some have AS5 as the best or with in a degree of the best. Hardware Secrets shows as only 2 thermal compounds as performing better. But if you look at other review sites they show it getting beat by alot. I have yet to see any 2 review sites get the same exact performance out of same thermal compounds. So if you are buying any of the top compounds then you are buying a great product and it all comes down to how you apply it.
 
dandragonrage said:
Nah, they are different.. just not by a lot. A couple of degrees at most. But still, why not buy something that is slightly better if it's not costing you more? I mean, it costs more than the generic cheap stuff, but that stuff can dry out and make a system overheat. I've experienced it when using cheap thermal paste that was included with certain heatsinks... never using the cheap stuff again when I can help it. If I had a tube of AS5 on hand, I wouldn't throw it out and switch to IC Diamond, but I would rather buy the stuff I listed than AS5. Why not?
Click to expand...

No, they really are essentially equal, you'll have a larger variance from your mounting technique than you will from switching thermal compounds.

AS5 is also one of the better performing ones still.

Did you even look at that link?

dcds1 said:
As for why not, well it all comes down to preference and that is it. If you look at all the reviews out there, some have AS5 as the best or with in a degree of the best. Hardware Secrets shows as only 2 thermal compounds as performing better. But if you look at other review sites they show it getting beat by alot. I have yet to see any 2 review sites get the same exact performance out of same thermal compounds. So if you are buying any of the top compounds then you are buying a great product and it all comes down to how you apply it.
Click to expand...

Many sites do not know how to do proper reviews. They often will do only one mount without checking how the paste spread out, and often do not account for cure times.

I would trust hardware secrets above most other sites.
 
I've used many different pastes over the years and I still haven't found a replacement for the MX series, specifically the MX-4 paste. For video cards, I've found that's it's unmatched in ease of use, and performance.
 
Also, not sure if someone mentioned this already, but it might be a good idea to not use a metal based compound like AS5 on VGA's. It's fine for a CPU, but you can never been too cautious when working with this stuff; and VGA's are highly susceptible to electric short.
 
dandragonrage said:
Nah, they are different.. just not by a lot. A couple of degrees at most. But still, why not buy something that is slightly better if it's not costing you more? I mean, it costs more than the generic cheap stuff, but that stuff can dry out and make a system overheat. I've experienced it when using cheap thermal paste that was included with certain heatsinks... never using the cheap stuff again when I can help it. If I had a tube of AS5 on hand, I wouldn't throw it out and switch to IC Diamond, but I would rather buy the stuff I listed than AS5. Why not?
Click to expand...

AS5 performs decently still, but is dirt cheap per application/mount compared to other better performing TIMs.

Heck my old syringe of AS5 lasted nearly 5 years' worth of mounts...a syringe of Shin Etsu only lasts 3 mounts.
 
I'm using Gelid GC-Extreme on my CPU, GPU, and MB blocks. I think it's one of the best thermal compounds out there in terms of performance.
 
EarthwormJim said:
Honestly nearly all of the thermal pastes are equal to each other in performance. Any differences can be attributed to mounting errors.

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

The only thermal interface that has a real advantage is Indigo Xtreme, but it is a pain to use.
Click to expand...

It's amazing how well mayonnaise performed in the article but they need to include Miracle Whip in a future review. :D

I have a lot of Noctua NT-H1 so I use it (as thermal paste).
 
Last edited:
tjmagneto said:
It's amazing how well mayonnaise performed in the article but they need to include Miracle Whip in a future review. :D

I have a lot of Noctua NT-H1 so I use it.
Click to expand...

I only have miracle whip in my house, so I was also curious to see if it did as well as mayonnaise.
 
+1 for MX-4. I buy mine in packs of 5.
I am a bit weird when it comes to spreading it, I will either use a card to create a thin layer or just put a dot in the middle and end up removing the waterblock to see how it turned out :eek:
 
I've been using AS5 for the past few years, but due to Skinnee's TIM review, I picked up a tube of Hegrease. Looks promising.
 
I used AS-5 for years until my last build I picked up a tube of MX-4. The MX-4 netted slightly better temps; in the area of 1-2 deg. C.
 
Just buy whatever the best at the time, and then use it until its gone. Then buy the current best again. All and all and in the end, its only like 5c variance between everything.
 
Distilled and a killcoil. Specialized coolants tend to break down over time and gunk everything up. Not even close to worth the hassel.
 
I've been using Shin-Etsu G751 forever because its dirt cheap and available at the store 3 miles from my house... I use other things that come randomly with water blocks or heatsinks if they seem to be OK.

Also, Indigo Extreme will not work with an H50, it has to be a square base heatsink.


silent-circuit said:
Distilled and a killcoil. Specialized coolants tend to break down over time and gunk everything up. Not even close to worth the hassel.
Click to expand...

Somehow I think this was about TIM not coolant. :D
 
I have been using AS5 for a at least 5 years. I'll keep using it as long as they make it or something amazingly better comes out.
 
I suggest against ICD. It's good for a one time use such as in laptops, but for desktops where you may change the past every year it is a very hard TIM to clean up. It even left a permanent stain on my cooler.
 
I've settled on Noctua's TIM, it's easier to spread than most and has qualities I like such as easy removal, non conductive, not overtly smooth for thicker gaps, and no curing time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top