Is AS II worth it?

[-=UR=- Ranger]

How much difference in temp did you see between AS II and Generic stuff? Please also mention if the Base of your Heatsink is lapped or not.

[Mr.Lansing]

I personally think not much
but in tests they say that's it'z 2C-3C better than normal thermal paste.

[KeyboardCowboy]

if you don't have a credit card and it is not convient for you to wait, then just buy the generic stuff

[Colin]

With a 70 watt heat output of an Athlon, Arctic Silver will drop your temps about 7C over zinc oxide thermal compound. Do to compression of temperature measurments by the socket thermistor, you will only see 2C or 3C. For more information on socket thermistors read this. (http://mikewarrior.freeservers.com/)

Zinc oxide has a thermal conductivity of 27.196 W/mK and silver has a thermal conductivity of 426.77 W/mK. Which material do you want between your hot CPU and your HSF?

[dimmreaper]

Originally posted by Colin
With a 70 watt heat output of an Athlon, Arctic Silver will drop your temps about 7C over zinc oxide thermal compound.That's assuming you have sufficient mounting pressure. As mounting pressure decreases the benefits of AS diminish.

But frankley without sufficient pressure neither thermal compound is worth a ****. To really keep a CPU cool, we need flater mating surfaces, and greater mounting pressure, be nice if they would design CPUs, CPU packaging, and ZIF sockets, to withstand 200PSI. Then you could just put a rubber insolated aluminum reenforcement plate behind the CPU and tighten the waterblock in a criss-cross pattern with a torque-wrench in 5in-lb incroments.