Thermal compounds reviewed 2011?

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Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 13, 2009
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Hey guys quick question, any chance of a quick run down on thermal compounds you prefer? Not a time comsuming review, that is if you have the time, but what you like to use in your own machines at home.
 
I switched to MX-3 because I wanted something non-conductive and non-capacitive (got tired of worried about making a mess with AS5). They are all pretty much the same nowadays, performance-wise.
 
DisrupTer911 said:
AS5 isn't conductive...
Click to expand...

say what? I do believe that it IS conductive.

Anyway- I use AS5 still as well- works well. Only problem I have with it is the cure time- some of the other TIMs don't have that kind of limitation.
 
http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(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.)
Click to expand...
 
Arctic Silver Ceramique, works just as well as AS5 in my experience.
 
Eh, I still haven't tapped my tiny tube of AS5, and I'm doing my best not to drop funds on something else.

I'm someone who buys more of something just before I run out of it, but usually a different brand or something, and then I start using the new stuff before the old stuff is gone. :D

Drives my girlfriend crazy. :(
 
I switched to IC Diamond on my most recent build and have been very happy with the results. Very easy to apply if you follow the instructions on their website and it gives a couple degrees of extra cooling over any other thermal compound based on the reviews I have read.
 
Tried others, always back to AS5. Seems to give me the best results and overclocks.
 
I use the following T.I.M products.

AS5 on CPU's
OCZ Freezer on GPU's
3 parts Artic Silver Ceramique and 1 part Artic Silver Ceramique Epoxy on ram sinks or any heatsink I need to adhere.
 
shin etsu x23 7783D, works great but is a pain in the ass to apply.
 
I've used Indigo Extreme on my last watercooling build, it is amazing and has taken the TIM concept as far as it can go. However, when it comes time to remove the block...it's a different story. It's a nightmare to remove, and you will most likely end up damaging the block or something else in the process. Plus, it is expensive to reapply.

IC Diamond is good, however when you remove it you end up etching your heatspreader and scratching the surface of your copper block/etc.

In the end, Shin Etsu or MX-3 or similar products still offer the best compromise between performance and ease of use.
 
Forceman said:
Ask and you shall receive:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/thermal-interface-roundup-1.html
Click to expand...

134_diagr_gpu-xbt.png


Interesting but the lack of "break-in" time could be skewing the results...
I use Arctic Silver Matrix myself.
 
There's no reason to use AS5 anymore unless you still have a tube lying around.

The best non-conductive compounds today are Arctic MX-4 and Innovaction Cooling Diamond. MX-4 has slightly higher temps than MX-3 (1C), but applies much easier.

Really though, they're all decent. Even the bad stuff (stuff that came with your cooler), and old stuff (AS5) are within 5C of the best.

MX-4 is simply preferable for me for a few reasons: non-conductive, non-capacitive, incredibly easy to apply, within 1-2C of the best compounds, cheap and readily available.
 
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Hahaha, sweet. This thread got me thinking about some leftover shin etsu x23 7783d that I had in the drawer. So I applied it to my HD 4890. It dropped my furmark load temps by 9C immediately (from 78C to 69C).
 
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