thermal paste

[random44]

Hi All,

does the thermal paste matter in the temp of the cpu ?

is there a difference between 10 thermal paste and £2 from ebay ?

if so what brands do you recommand?

it is for amd build and trying to do all possible to keep it cool

 

[Blaylock]

Generally no. If you are getting a quality cooler it will come with paste that is adequate.

 

[caddi daddi]

+1 blaylock, people will say this one, that one, and the other, 1-2c is all it counts, buy a name brand and you should be ok.

 

[trents]

Arctic Silver 5, Arctic Cooling MX2 or MX4 are very good and economical choices.

 

[RnRollie]

get a lapping kit and any paste from your local cornershop.
(TIM that is, not tomato paste)

 

[Blaylock]

get a lapping kit and any paste from your local cornershop.
(TIM that is, not tomato paste)

Or Elmers lol though I bet that would work for a VERY short while.

 

[ShrimpBrime]

Going from As5 to Antec Formula 6, I saw a considerable temp decrease. Going from cheap white TIM to Antec Formula 6 was drastic. I can say the same about MX4, as stated within a couple of degree of the Nano Diamond.

 

[Nebulous]

Arctic Silver 5, Arctic Cooling MX2 or MX4 are very good and economical choices.

I concur!

 

[RnRollie]

meh AS5, still surviving on the reputation it earned 20 years ago... its outdated.
I've got a preference for Prolimatech , if only because they gave the competition a kick in the nadgers when they entered the playing field several years ago

 

[n7plus1]

I get better results with AS5 than I have with prolimatech pro pk3

 

[Scout]

I am always switching out cpu's I just order Shin Etsu X23 from ebay it works very well and its relatively cheap.

 

[RnRollie]

I get better results with AS5 than I have with prolimatech pro pk3

define "better results"

 

[EarthDog]

With empirical testing, the difference (depending on the type of test) is 1C, ~2C, 1C, and a whopping 4.5C in favor of the PK3.

Unless he did several mounts to check mounting pressure and the TIM spread, Im leaning on the empirical testing from websites.

 

[n7plus1]

define "better results"

lower temps.

im talking ~2 degrees

EDIT:

this was on my video cards in my signature.

both were switched to AS5 shortly after taking ownership some time ago.

i picked up PK3 prob about a year ago and its actually still installed.

The cards were ALWAYS at the same idle and in game temps.

Added PK3 to one of the cards and now that card is consistently just tad bit warmer.

I havent bothered to test it on my CPU.

 

[RnRollie]

could be remount issue.. i'm not going to argue about temps, especially if they are well within the margin or error...

The thing with a lot of TIMs is.. they turn into some caulk dust after a few months

A "good" TIM is more than just "better temps" .... its about ease of use/apply , longevity , consistency (good temps for a long time)... etc

If you want the "best temps" for a long time (1 year) ... do some lapping & use CLU.. if you don't mind the hassle...
if you change stuff every fortnight.. just use whatever is available (or MX4)

 

[random44]

wow some people change it every fortnight !!
I probably do mine next when I need to upgrade ( 5 years !!) on the new cpu

 

[Silver_Pharaoh]

AS5 for my CPU.

I'll apply new paste when I notice an increase in temps. (usually 5*C higher than the norm)
I wouldn't wait 5 years...

 

[Blaylock]

I've gone as long as 8 years on a GPU before I even knew what TIM was. Temps were never an issue so I didn't think to look into it. These days I tear my rigs apart far to often.

 

[n7plus1]

Ive never seen AS5 dry out..well, at least for a few years it hadn't. Still was sticky.

 

[EarthDog]

I havent either...

nor did I ever replace paste after temperatures go up.. I would bet my life says there were other variables there and it wasn't the paste..