Thermal Compound, does it matter?

I never really worried about thermal compund till i fixed up a new computer to overclock. right now im using spectra-cool poly-synthetic heatsink compund on my water block. does it make any difference what compound i use? if so, how much can it make a difference and whats the best kind.

It does make a difference, use either AS3 or the new AS Ceramique.

Yes, it does make a difference which compound you use. Different compounds have different viscosity's, some are easier to spread on your cpu than others, some keep their consistency longer and others dry out before very long, and sometimes a temperature difference of a few degrees can be realized by changing pastes. The premier pastes right now are considered AS3, ceramique, and nanotherm PCM+. The difference between these pastes is minimal.

http://www.overclockers.com/articles792/

Arctic Silver has been a longtime favorite among many, simply because they were the first company to release a competitive paste – one which was actually well suited to the task of transferring heat. Nanotherm is another big name these days, and lots of people are talking about PCM+, their upcoming metal-free product. But as I said, all of these products still get very similar results. A degree or two at most is all you can hope for in moving from one brand to another.

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A more important factor than deciding which premier thermal paste to use is your heatsink mounting. It is a good idea to perform multiple test mountings and reapplications of paste if you are trying to get the best temps possible. Multiple trials will help you to determine how good of a job you have done applying paste and mounting the heatsink. There will be variation between trials.