I'm always looking for ways to improve CPU thermals. I have delided in the past and I'm not a big fan of it. I also don't really like the metal based TIM's due to inherent risk of electrical conductivity. I found some thermal pads with really high thermal conductivity, 17W/mK! Most silicone based TIMs, Arctic, IC Diamond, Noctua NT-H1 have a thermal conductivity of between 3 and 5W/mK. For comparison Cool Laboratory's Liquid PRO is ~40W/mK. So why are we not using these thermal pads? They're pretty expensive but apparently 3x higher conductivity than silicone based, and almost half that of liquid metal based TIMs. Has anyone tried high performance thermal pads for CPU cooling? 0.5mm thickness seems appropriate, and I doubt it would dry out and crumble any faster than silicone based TIM. Is it worth a try? Or does anyone have solid evidence to avoid this?
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High Performance Thermal Pads for CPU?
- Thread starter Ej24
- Start date
Nenu
[H]ardened
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- Apr 28, 2007
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- 20,315
A thermal pad isnt going to be any good, looks like a scam.
If you have reviews to the contrary, post them.
If you want them tested you hit the right moment in space/time.
[H] is doing a review, make a request here
https://hardforum.com/threads/h-thermal-compound-tim-round-up-candidates.1922216/
If you have reviews to the contrary, post them.
If you want them tested you hit the right moment in space/time.
[H] is doing a review, make a request here
https://hardforum.com/threads/h-thermal-compound-tim-round-up-candidates.1922216/
FrozenCPU is a decent store, I doubt they'd be outright lying on the product specifications. Theres an older thread here on [H] I just found but no one really mentioned using it for CPU's except for one post.
They say it worked for "direct die Haswell overclock". Sounds promising but without temps or any other information like what CPU cooler and comparisons to silicone base TIMs its meaningless...
sirgallium
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- May 30, 2006
- Messages
- 336
The dimensions are 60 x 50 x 0.5
believe it or not 0.5mm thick is quite a layer of material.
It does have good thermal conductivity yes but the thickness acts against thermal flow. Ideally you want as little material between the heatsink and cpu as possible, it's just supposed to fill in the gaps. If you have them polished you won't need much to fill in. Maybe if the pad was squishy enough or soft enough to get thin enough it could be ok. But it's usually just an excessive amount of material and is why most people use dispensable types.
Pads are usually reserved for assembly line type builds like Dells because they are easier and faster to do and work good enough for the average person.
That's why it's nice to have paste or liquid because you can use just as much as you need for your application.
believe it or not 0.5mm thick is quite a layer of material.
It does have good thermal conductivity yes but the thickness acts against thermal flow. Ideally you want as little material between the heatsink and cpu as possible, it's just supposed to fill in the gaps. If you have them polished you won't need much to fill in. Maybe if the pad was squishy enough or soft enough to get thin enough it could be ok. But it's usually just an excessive amount of material and is why most people use dispensable types.
Pads are usually reserved for assembly line type builds like Dells because they are easier and faster to do and work good enough for the average person.
That's why it's nice to have paste or liquid because you can use just as much as you need for your application.
The key to a good TIM print between component and cooler is for there to be only enough TIM to fill the voids between the surfaces without creating a layer of TIM between them.
What does "it did not spread across the bottom to cover it enough" prove? Sure, l it did not cover the entire IHS, but covering the entire IHS surface does not improve heat transfer. Fact is it usually lowers heat transfer because there of resulting layer of TIM between IHS and CPU, and we do not want a layer of TIM, we only want TIM to fill voids.
The key is to using is TIM propery is only using enough TIM to fill the spaces between surfaces of metal's crystalline structure, and not end up with a layer of TIM.
For those who do not know, TIM heat transfer is not even close to what good metal to metal contact is, but it is much better than what air transfers when there is no TIM in the voids created by the pores of the metal structure.
Heat tranfer ability of different things:
To put that into perspective, any way you look at it metal to metal is 50 times better than TIM:
Copper is 47 times better than Gelid GC Extreme TIM & 114 times better than Chill Factor III
TIM is 333 times better than air at sea level.
Spreading TIM over the entire surface of IHS is not needed and usually lowers heat transfer because it creates a layer of TIM between IHS and cooler base.
What does "it did not spread across the bottom to cover it enough" prove? Sure, l it did not cover the entire IHS, but covering the entire IHS surface does not improve heat transfer. Fact is it usually lowers heat transfer because there of resulting layer of TIM between IHS and CPU, and we do not want a layer of TIM, we only want TIM to fill voids.
The key is to using is TIM propery is only using enough TIM to fill the spaces between surfaces of metal's crystalline structure, and not end up with a layer of TIM.
For those who do not know, TIM heat transfer is not even close to what good metal to metal contact is, but it is much better than what air transfers when there is no TIM in the voids created by the pores of the metal structure.
Heat tranfer ability of different things:
Copper is 400 W/(m·K) heat transfer
Aluminum 210 W/(m·K))
Lead is 35 W/(m·K)
Typical TIM is rated 3.5-10.5 W/(m-K) (GC Extreme 8.5W/(m·K), Chill Factor III 3.5W(m-K) in use this is only 1-2c difference in CPU temp)*
Air is 0.024 W/(m·K)
Aluminum 210 W/(m·K))
Lead is 35 W/(m·K)
Typical TIM is rated 3.5-10.5 W/(m-K) (GC Extreme 8.5W/(m·K), Chill Factor III 3.5W(m-K) in use this is only 1-2c difference in CPU temp)*
Air is 0.024 W/(m·K)
To put that into perspective, any way you look at it metal to metal is 50 times better than TIM:
Copper is 47 times better than Gelid GC Extreme TIM & 114 times better than Chill Factor III
TIM is 333 times better than air at sea level.
Spreading TIM over the entire surface of IHS is not needed and usually lowers heat transfer because it creates a layer of TIM between IHS and cooler base.
IHS is many times bigger than area of CPU chip createing all the heat.
IHS size is not to transfer heat.
IHS size has two reasons
IHS size is not to transfer heat.
IHS size has two reasons
because it can be
to create a stable base area for cooler to set on.
to create a stable base area for cooler to set on.
4330thgink
Gawd
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2001
- Messages
- 659
Back in the day we used to throw away or scrape off any thermo pads that came with our coolers. ...they are just junk even compared to white birdshit paste. When the silver paste came out it was the bees knees thing to use.
And there is a proven history of why those thermo pads don't work as well as pastes. Anything between the IHS or direct core and the heat sink is an impedance. The only reason pastes are needed is to fill in the imperfections of the mating surfaces. If you could get two absolutely perfect mating surfaces, then adding paste would be an impedance.
Pads = crap.
And there is a proven history of why those thermo pads don't work as well as pastes. Anything between the IHS or direct core and the heat sink is an impedance. The only reason pastes are needed is to fill in the imperfections of the mating surfaces. If you could get two absolutely perfect mating surfaces, then adding paste would be an impedance.
Pads = crap.