saturn wrote:

QBiN wrote:

saturn wrote:

By the way what kind of tim are you using?

Arctic Silver 5

It seems that a lot of people like AS5. If you ever want lower temps you could try mx-4 or if you really want lower tmeps you could use that coollaboratory stuff.
I would still give swapping the fans around a try. Anyway it's a nice system as it sits.

Wasn't the Arctic Silver 5 the same stuff that was very difficult to remove?
Because personally I prefer a TIM that is much easier to remove than a TIM that wants to creep into all the tiny bits and pieces (like an Athlon XP with it's very tiny groves or between the pins or on the motherboard) and only gives very marginal results.
I think I still have a large tube of MX-3, which is whitish (kinda like toothpaste, but with less moist) and significantly easier to remove.
But this is just personal, for me I'd rather stick to a more standard TIM and just use a better HSF 😀

My opinion for YEARS has been that Arctic Silver 5 is a farce in so far as it working better that anything else.
In my experience it works no better than any random generic with silver content.
By buying bulk I can get the generics for 10 to 20 cents a gram. AS5 runs about $2 a gram.
IOW AS5 costs 10 to 20 times more, but performs no better.
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My opinion was confirmed true in 2008 by formal tests done in a -real- Government Laboratory. (As opposed to those half-assed 'benchmark' tests you see all over online.)
The lab's tests showed Arctic Silver 5's thermal conductivity is only 0.94 W/(m·K) - as opposed to the 8.7 W/(m·K) AS claims in advertising.
Dow Corning TC-5022 came in at 4.0 W/(m·K) [ 4.2 times better than AS5.]
Shinetsu X-23-7762-S came in at 3.7 W/(m·K) [ 3.9 times better than AS5.]
The study here (see Table 2.): http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy08osti/42972.pdf
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The only issue I've EVER had with said type generic pastes is that after 4 or 5 years of ~24/7 use they finally dry out and need replaced.
I imagine AS5 would be no different but I don't recall system I used AS5 on staying together that long.
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Also note that if the CPU's TDP is over 80 watts (and it will be together more than a few days) I would use one of the better Thermal Pastes.
That doesn't come up much around here because I prefer lower TDP CPUs for permanent builds. Less cooling noise.
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PCBONEZ wrote:

Shinetsu X-23-7762-S came in at 3.7 W/(m·K) [ 3.9 times better than AS5.]

If I recall it correctly it's the Japanese one and if so, then yes, this is the best thermal paste money can buy. This is what Canopus used on their video cards back in the days if I am not mistaken.

I prefer using my trusty MX4 for the sole reason that it doesn't dry the same way AS5 does and is non conductive, which means that clumsy me will have a harder time killing stuff by accident.

I too dislike AS5 I didn't see any difference in temps compared to some cheap polysynthetic stuff I was using before, Zalman ZM-STG2 is what use. As for high end air coolers for socket 478 the Cooler Master vortex dream was one of the best at the time I still have the package for mine it says the cooler is rated for Prescott P4s 3.6ghz and higher

I use Arctic Silver's Ceramique. The 22g tube is cheap, lasts me for around a decade, has great performance, cleans up easily, etc.

If you need better performance, you need a better cooler. Might also want to explore TIM application techniques.

swaaye wrote:

I use Arctic Silver's Ceramique. The 22g tube is cheap, lasts me for around a decade, has great performance, cleans up easily, etc.

If you need better performance, you need a better cooler. Might also want to explore TIM application techniques.

+1 on the Ceramique, it is the best price for performance. I usually keep a tube of this for around for use with nice pc's along with a tube of cheap Chinese stuff for general messing around/lowend or free builds.

A decade ago, I used AS5 based on all the online reviews, etc. Like others have noted, performance is no better or worse than others. After awhile, I tried Ceramique which I liked much better. It seemed like a much better long-term solution.

When my last tube of Ceramique ran out last year, I purchased a huge syringe of MX-4 for almost nothing after coupons/rebates/promotions. This stuff is just like Ceramique in that it is 100% non-conductive and is supposed to last 10+ years before needing replacement. Unlike Ceramique, it spreads much easier and is way easier to apply. I'll admit to using too much of this stuff on my CPUs, but it's non-conductive so I don't feel too terribly bad about it.

I even used a huge amount of MX-4 to bridge the 1mm gap between the VRMs and heatsink of my AGP 6800GT when I removed the thermal pad. It worked just fine. The goop stayed in place and didn't wander or get runny. After replacing the MX-4 with an actual thermal pad, it seems like the MX-4 was the better choice and I should have just left things alone.

I've never seen TIM that is easy to clean up. It's always a goopy mess. Don't bother with expensive CPU cleaners; just get yourself a bottle of 91%+ isopropyl alcohol and some cotton swabs. This isn't very difficult to do unless you've made a real mess of things.

15 years ago, I cared about thermal benchmarks regarding different brands of TIM. Now, I'm just looking for stuff that is non-conductive, lasts a long time, and is easy to spread. Both Ceramique and MX-4 meet my needs well. Get MX-4 or Ceramique when its on sale and don't worry about it unless you're a competitive overclocker.

The stuff noctua makes is good to. I never seen anything the cones off so easily. Wile beat when it comes to temps it still holds its own when compared to most other tim

KT7AGuy wrote:

... I purchased a huge syringe of MX-4 for almost nothing ... ... is supposed to last 10+ years ...

Same here, for general use MX-4 does the job very well.

KT7AGuy wrote:

... I even used a huge amount of MX-4 to bridge the 1mm gap between the VRMs and heatsink of my AGP 6800GT when I removed the thermal pad. It worked just fine. The goop stayed in place and didn't wander or get runny. After replacing the MX-4 with an actual thermal pad, it seems like the MX-4 was the better choice and I should have just left things alone ...

Yep. Give me thermal paste and super glue anytime over thermal pads. 😎

Does the AS5 dry out and need to be reapplied? If so, I'd favour a ceramic one (even cheapo white stuff) as those would hold out better over time, as you can't exactly reapply the thermal paste after superglueing the heatsink on.

alexanrs wrote:

Does the AS5 dry out and need to be reapplied? If so, I'd favour a ceramic one (even cheapo white stuff) as those would hold out better over time, as you can't exactly reapply the thermal paste after superglueing the heatsink on.

Even worse as it hardens and will sometimes pull the cpu out of the socket on some builds. A bit scary when it had hardened on a larger gpu with an IHS like a GTX580.

I use the GELID GC Extreme and it works well plus it is not hard to apply, very easy to clean up.

A couple years ago I was deciding between AS5 and Ceramique to use on an ignition control module in a car. Lots of people were using AS5, but from what little specs I was able to find, it appeared that Ceramique was actually better suited to imperfect surfaces and a wide temperature range as a car will experience. AS5 was more picky about these things.
For PC applications I don't think it matters much what you use as long as it's not prone to drying out too quickly. I have had some cheap paste that did that. Ceramique has been fine though.

Isnt Arctic Silver 5 pretty outdated ? i read some days ago some tests about performance of cooling grease and this one isnt much better then a cheapo Chinese HC151. Why buy a expensive paste, if a cheap one does the same.

i use on my 100W APU simple HC151, and it keeps things cool.
Before i had Arctic Cooling MX2 Paste and the difference isnt very big (1-2 C° at all under load)

5 1gr tubes of HC151 cost roughly 4$.

Superglue (Acrylacrylate) will become cavernous and splits under thermal influence.
I can't recommend that. its a bad idea. better get a proper thermal glue.

matze79 wrote:

Isnt Arctic Silver 5 pretty outdated ?

it sure is. NT-H1, mx-4 and coollaboratory liquid are the only tim worth buying if you ask me. other then that, just use what comes with you heatsink.

Oh and by the way, allays remember to preheat you cpu and heat sink before taking it off if you used coollaboratory liquid ultra or pro. That stuff is like hard solder after you take the cooler off. If you warm it up will come off without as much sanding. Has anyone use Coollaboratory Liquid Copper? I though about giving it a shot. What about a sheet of nano carbon? Any one try that?

I figure the Arctic Silver people like their AS5 formula. They quickly iterated through AS 1-3 and just stopped with 5. I remember AS3 was more difficult to clean off than AS5 is.

They've had other products come and go in the meantime. Ceramique II is fairly new.

Personally I'm opposed to supporting companies that lie to their customers.
After learning the truth about AS5 I won't be supporting Arctic Silver by buying any of their products.
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matze79 wrote:

Superglue (Acrylacrylate) will become cavernous and splits under thermal influence.
I can't recommend that. its a bad idea. better get a proper thermal glue.

Agree

I've seen folks recommend the super glue thing over the years, and I just don't get it. The only advantage to using this method is that you might eventually be able to break the bond later if you change your mind. In the meantime, it's a real crappy solution.

Spend the extra $5 for some Arctic Alumina epoxy and do the job right. If you think you'll change your mind later, use thermal tape instead.