• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Thermal Compound Differences

Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
574 (0.13/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel® Core i5 6600
Motherboard Asus H170 Pro Gaming
Cooling Hyper 212 Evo
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4 2400mhz
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Geforce GTX 960 G1 4GB Gaming
Storage 256GB Intel SSD 525 Series
Display(s) 24" LG LED Monitor
Case Corsair Carbide 200R
Power Supply Seasonic MK12II 620W
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Logitech G110
Software Windows 10 x64
Hello tpu!

Can anyone please explain to me the differences (if any) of thermal compound solutions..?I have been looking at buying my next bit of thermal paste and there are so many different ones, thought I would ask the pros and see what you guys think.

Cheers :toast:
 

Norton

Moderator - Returning from the Darkness
Staff member
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
14,108 (3.15/day)
Location
Northeast USA
System Name Main PC- Gamer- Main Cruncher/Folder and too many crunching/folding rigs
Processor Ryzen 5900X- Ryzen 5950X- Ryzen 3950X and etc...
Motherboard Asrock X570 Extreme4- MSI X570S Tomahawk MAX WiFi- MSI B450M Bazooka Max and etc...
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S (dual fan)- EK 360 AIO with push/pull fans- Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT and etc...
Memory 2x16GB GSkill FlareX 3200/c14- 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance 3600/c16- 2x16GB Team 3600/c18 and etc..
Video Card(s) MSI Gaming RX 6800- Asus RTX 3070 TUF OC- MSI Ventus GTX 1660Ti and etc...
Storage Main PC (1TB WD SN850- 2TB PNY CS 3040- 2TB Seagate Firecuda) and etc...
Display(s) Main PC (2x24" Dell UltraSharp U2414H)
Case Phanteks P600s- Seasonic Q704- Fractal Meshify C and etc...
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z625 THX 2.1 speakers
Power Supply EVGA 750 G3- SeaSonic DGC 750- EVGA P2 850 and etc...
Mouse G300s
Keyboard Corsair K65
VR HMD N/A
Software Windows 10 Pro or Ubuntu
Benchmark Scores Why sit on the Bench when you can get in the game and Crunch!!!
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
574 (0.13/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel® Core i5 6600
Motherboard Asus H170 Pro Gaming
Cooling Hyper 212 Evo
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4 2400mhz
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Geforce GTX 960 G1 4GB Gaming
Storage 256GB Intel SSD 525 Series
Display(s) 24" LG LED Monitor
Case Corsair Carbide 200R
Power Supply Seasonic MK12II 620W
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Logitech G110
Software Windows 10 x64
I've been using Arctic Silver 5 since forever and it works fine for me ... you will find that most of us have their own preferences regarding brand and how it's applied.


Great review of different TIM's here:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-February-2012/1490/1

*Includes some strange stuff they tried too (butter, mayo, etc.. ;)

Cheers. I do agree with you about everyone would have there own preferences, just wondered if there were any actual differences.lol.
So what is your way of applying the heatsync..?What method do you use? :)
 

Norton

Moderator - Returning from the Darkness
Staff member
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
14,108 (3.15/day)
Location
Northeast USA
System Name Main PC- Gamer- Main Cruncher/Folder and too many crunching/folding rigs
Processor Ryzen 5900X- Ryzen 5950X- Ryzen 3950X and etc...
Motherboard Asrock X570 Extreme4- MSI X570S Tomahawk MAX WiFi- MSI B450M Bazooka Max and etc...
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S (dual fan)- EK 360 AIO with push/pull fans- Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT and etc...
Memory 2x16GB GSkill FlareX 3200/c14- 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance 3600/c16- 2x16GB Team 3600/c18 and etc..
Video Card(s) MSI Gaming RX 6800- Asus RTX 3070 TUF OC- MSI Ventus GTX 1660Ti and etc...
Storage Main PC (1TB WD SN850- 2TB PNY CS 3040- 2TB Seagate Firecuda) and etc...
Display(s) Main PC (2x24" Dell UltraSharp U2414H)
Case Phanteks P600s- Seasonic Q704- Fractal Meshify C and etc...
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z625 THX 2.1 speakers
Power Supply EVGA 750 G3- SeaSonic DGC 750- EVGA P2 850 and etc...
Mouse G300s
Keyboard Corsair K65
VR HMD N/A
Software Windows 10 Pro or Ubuntu
Benchmark Scores Why sit on the Bench when you can get in the game and Crunch!!!
Cheers. I do agree with you about everyone would have there own preferences, just wondered if there were any actual differences.lol.
So what is your way of applying the heatsync..?What method do you use? :)

If it is a direct touch heatsink (like a CM 212 or Xigmatek Gaia) I run a narrow line of TIM on each heatpipe.

If it has a solid base I use a grain of rice sized blob right in the center.
 

Kreij

Senior Monkey Moderator
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
13,817 (2.21/day)
Location
Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA)
I like Ceramiquè because it's non-conductive and thicker, so it's easier to apply and doesn't run all over.
I just use the "pea size blob in the center" method. Seems to work fine.
 
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
176 (0.04/day)
System Name For now
Processor Intel i7-4790K
Motherboard ASRock Extreme9 Z97
Cooling Corsair H100i
Memory Kingston HyperX
Video Card(s) Asus GTX 980 Strix x 2
Display(s) Overlord
Case Corsair 900D
Power Supply Corsair AX1200i
Most thermal compounds will give you a difference of 0~5deg from all the reviews I've seen.

A lot of people stopped using Arctic Silver because its conductive. I've never shorted out my mobo or whatever part from using it but I guess some people have or others are chicken to use it.

But I have to say personally I use IC Diamond, I also have a tube of Noctua also.
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
4,815 (0.78/day)
Location
Wangas, New Zealand
System Name Darth Obsidious
Processor Intel i5 2500K
Motherboard ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen3
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212+ in Push Pull
Memory 2X4GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) ASUS R9 270x TOP
Storage 128GB Samsung 830 SSD, 1TB WD Black, 2TB WD Green
Display(s) LG IPS234V-PN
Case Corsair Obsidian 650D
Audio Device(s) Infrasonic Quartet
Power Supply Corsair HX650w
Software Windows 7 64bit and Windows XP Home
Benchmark Scores 2cm mark on bench with a razor blade.
I just go for the quality branded stuff.
Arctic or Shin-Etsu.

I'm currently using Arctic MX-3.

Only came across one bad TIM but fortunately it is not sold anymore.
 

Kreij

Senior Monkey Moderator
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
13,817 (2.21/day)
Location
Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA)
or others are chicken to use it.

It's not that people are "chicken" to use it. Why add another potential point of failure to your build when you can achieve the same results without worrying about that risk?
I don't see the conductive TIMs being of any real advantage over the non-conductive ones.
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
7,335 (1.20/day)
Location
C:\Program Files (x86)\Aphexdreamer\
System Name Unknown
Processor AMD Bulldozer FX8320 @ 4.4Ghz
Motherboard Asus Crosshair V
Cooling XSPC Raystorm 750 EX240 for CPU
Memory 8 GB CORSAIR Vengeance Red DDR3 RAM 1922mhz (10-11-9-27)
Video Card(s) XFX R9 290
Storage Samsung SSD 254GB and Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
Display(s) AOC 23" @ 1920x1080 + Asus 27" 1440p
Case HAF X
Audio Device(s) X Fi Titanium 5.1 Surround Sound
Power Supply 750 Watt PP&C Silencer Black
Software Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
5,965 (0.99/day)
Location
New York
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5950x, Ryzen 9 5980HX
Motherboard MSI X570 Tomahawk
Cooling Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4(With Noctua Fans)
Memory 32Gb Crucial 3600 Ballistix
Video Card(s) Gigabyte RTX 3080, Asus 6800M
Storage Adata SX8200 1TB NVME/WD Black 1TB NVME
Display(s) Dell 27 Inch 165Hz
Case Phanteks P500A
Audio Device(s) IFI Zen Dac/JDS Labs Atom+/SMSL Amp+Rivers Audio
Power Supply Corsair RM850x
Mouse Logitech G502 SE Hero
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB Mk.2
VR HMD Samsung Odyssey Plus
Software Windows 10
Most thermal compounds will give you a difference of 0~5deg from all the reviews I've seen.

A lot of people stopped using Arctic Silver because its conductive. I've never shorted out my mobo or whatever part from using it but I guess some people have or others are chicken to use it.

But I have to say personally I use IC Diamond, I also have a tube of Noctua also.

as5 = not conductive:shadedshu

its capacitive, similar but not the same as conductive.

if you use it correctly . . . . . does it matter . . . . no

I use AS5 or MX4, whichever is cheaper, and usually AS5 is cheaper and is still a decent thermal paste and I can buy it locally, but MX4 is better.
 
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
176 (0.04/day)
System Name For now
Processor Intel i7-4790K
Motherboard ASRock Extreme9 Z97
Cooling Corsair H100i
Memory Kingston HyperX
Video Card(s) Asus GTX 980 Strix x 2
Display(s) Overlord
Case Corsair 900D
Power Supply Corsair AX1200i
It's not that people are "chicken" to use it. Why add another potential point of failure to your build when you can achieve the same results without worrying about that risk?
I don't see the conductive TIMs being of any real advantage over the non-conductive ones.

Point I was making was if you check out threads asking about TIMs you always have the few spouting off hysteria about conductive TIMs can short out your system :rolleyes:

In all the years that people have been building systems and using AS, its crazy that all these systems didn't fail
 
Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
666 (0.11/day)
System Name Good enough
Processor I5 3570k
Motherboard ASrock Z68 Extreme 7
Cooling Megahalem
Memory 16G crucial sport BLS2KIT8G3D1339DS1S00
Video Card(s) 1080 ti strix
Storage OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G 2.5" 128GB SATA III
Display(s) 3440 x 1440 microboard
Case Lian Li Knockoff ABS black pearl
Audio Device(s) HyperX 7.1
Power Supply Evga SuperNOVA 1600.
Mouse Corsair's newest pos mmo mouse
Keyboard Das with the blue switches.
Software win 10
Benchmark Scores Not really.
as5 = not conductive:shadedshu

its capacitive, similar but not the same as conductive.

if you use it correctly . . . . . does it matter . . . . no

I use AS5 or MX4, whichever is cheaper, and usually AS5 is cheaper and is still a decent thermal paste and I can buy it locally, but MX4 is better.

I could have had the worst newbie luck ever but I had two faulty x800 video cards and at the time I blamed it on the arctic silver. :banghead:

Never used it since but I do truly believe it was just bad luck. Even still, won't use it again.
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
12,280 (2.37/day)
Location
Oregon
System Name Juliette // HTPC
Processor Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s) ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s) Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro
Well.

Metallic (silver) which works really well and co$ts. The down side is it conducts electricity and its toxic so better be careful with this stuff.

Ceramic, Tends to be cheaper, easier to apply, cleans up nicely, non conductive and non toxic I think better check the tube.

All and all most brands are close in performance. Don't over think it. Application techniques vary depending who you talk to but I recommend you follow the manufactures instructions.
 
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
3,527 (0.71/day)
Location
Netherlands
System Name desktop | Odroid N2+ |
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | Amlogic S922X |
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M DS3H |Odroid N2+ |
Cooling Inter-Tech Argus SU-200, 3x Arctic P12 case fans | stock heatsink + fan |
Memory Gskill Aegis DDR4 32GB | 4 GB DDR4 |
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 6600 (8GB) | Arm Mali G52 |
Storage SK Hynix SSD 240GB, Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB, Toshiba DT01ACA100 1T | Samsung 850 Evo 500GB |
Display(s) AOC G2260VWQ6 | LG 24MT57D |
Case Asus Prime 201 | Stock case (black version) |
Audio Device(s) integrated
Power Supply BeQuiet! Pure Power 11 400W | 12v barrel jack |
Mouse Logitech G500 |Steelseries Rival 300
Keyboard Qpad MK-50 (Cherry MX brown)| Blaze Keyboard
Software Windows 10, Various Linux distros | Gentoo Linux
I like Ceramiquè because it's non-conductive and thicker, so it's easier to apply and doesn't run all over.
I just use the "pea size blob in the center" method. Seems to work fine.

Same here, although not Céramique but Chillaramic. Ten grams (instead of the usual four) of the stuff in a <=7 euro tube. Used the first time this week and see no real differences in temperature compared to the Chill Factor III I used before.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,881 (1.63/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
I still use AS-5. Steady Hand and razor blade to apply, 90% alcohol, q-tips and cotton cloth for cleanup.

Credit: hardwaresectrets.com
 

brandonwh64

Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!!
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
19,542 (3.68/day)
I like Ceramiquè because it's non-conductive and thicker, so it's easier to apply and doesn't run all over.
I just use the "pea size blob in the center" method. Seems to work fine.

arctic silver ceramique is my all time favorite. I have a 14G tube at home that I have used for a long time without it drying up.
 

Norton

Moderator - Returning from the Darkness
Staff member
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
14,108 (3.15/day)
Location
Northeast USA
System Name Main PC- Gamer- Main Cruncher/Folder and too many crunching/folding rigs
Processor Ryzen 5900X- Ryzen 5950X- Ryzen 3950X and etc...
Motherboard Asrock X570 Extreme4- MSI X570S Tomahawk MAX WiFi- MSI B450M Bazooka Max and etc...
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S (dual fan)- EK 360 AIO with push/pull fans- Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT and etc...
Memory 2x16GB GSkill FlareX 3200/c14- 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance 3600/c16- 2x16GB Team 3600/c18 and etc..
Video Card(s) MSI Gaming RX 6800- Asus RTX 3070 TUF OC- MSI Ventus GTX 1660Ti and etc...
Storage Main PC (1TB WD SN850- 2TB PNY CS 3040- 2TB Seagate Firecuda) and etc...
Display(s) Main PC (2x24" Dell UltraSharp U2414H)
Case Phanteks P600s- Seasonic Q704- Fractal Meshify C and etc...
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z625 THX 2.1 speakers
Power Supply EVGA 750 G3- SeaSonic DGC 750- EVGA P2 850 and etc...
Mouse G300s
Keyboard Corsair K65
VR HMD N/A
Software Windows 10 Pro or Ubuntu
Benchmark Scores Why sit on the Bench when you can get in the game and Crunch!!!
Mayonnise is one of the best. Also mustard and lipstick is right up there but you can alway use tooth paste and as a last resort chololate.

iirc that Hardware Secrets testing showed that using the chocolate as TIM was worse than not using any TIM at all. :laugh:
 
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
6,680 (1.43/day)
Processor 7800x3d
Motherboard Gigabyte B650 Auros Elite AX
Cooling Custom Water
Memory GSKILL 2x16gb 6000mhz Cas 30 with custom timings
Video Card(s) MSI RX 6750 XT MECH 2X 12G OC
Storage Adata SX8200 1tb with Windows, Samsung 990 Pro 2tb with games
Display(s) HP Omen 27q QHD 165hz
Case ThermalTake P3
Power Supply SuperFlower Leadex Titanium
Software Windows 11 64 Bit
Benchmark Scores CB23: 1811 / 19424 CB24: 1136 / 7687
Artic silver is good. Tuniq tx-2 is 2c worse, practically margin of error, than as5. It is also cheaper. I have seen tests put tx-2 at the top. When I last bought TIM I could not find any tx-2 for sale so I bought some artic mx-4 which gives you a big ole tube that works well. Cheap and effective.
 
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
3,937 (0.64/day)
System Name Widow
Processor Ryzen 7600x
Motherboard AsRock B650 HDVM.2
Cooling CPU : Corsair Hydro XC7 }{ GPU: EK FC 1080 via Magicool 360 III PRO > Photon 170 (D5)
Memory 32GB Gskill Flare X5
Video Card(s) GTX 1080 TI
Storage Samsung 9series NVM 2TB and Rust
Display(s) Predator X34P/Tempest X270OC @ 120hz / LG W3000h
Case Fractal Define S [Antec Skeleton hanging in hall of fame]
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar Xense with AKG K612 cans on Monacor SA-100
Power Supply Seasonic X-850
Mouse Razer Naga 2014
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores FFXIV ARR Benchmark 12,883 on i7 2600k 15,098 on AM5 7600x
Only thing I would add is if it's a fan cooled setup, I would use a paste (MX4, MX2 etc).

If it's a liquid cooled setup, then something like Ceramique Arctic Compound is better.
 
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
574 (0.13/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel® Core i5 6600
Motherboard Asus H170 Pro Gaming
Cooling Hyper 212 Evo
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4 2400mhz
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Geforce GTX 960 G1 4GB Gaming
Storage 256GB Intel SSD 525 Series
Display(s) 24" LG LED Monitor
Case Corsair Carbide 200R
Power Supply Seasonic MK12II 620W
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Logitech G110
Software Windows 10 x64
iirc that Hardware Secrets testing showed that using the chocolate as TIM was worse than not using any TIM at all. :laugh:

I cant believe they would even try it!! =P but i did see the chart and toothpaste worked rather well on there tests temp-wise..!?Its amazing people would try chocolate and butter and things like that! Very interesting!


Thanks to all!Valuable opinions and thoughts to consider!

Cheers :toast:
 
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
6,680 (1.43/day)
Processor 7800x3d
Motherboard Gigabyte B650 Auros Elite AX
Cooling Custom Water
Memory GSKILL 2x16gb 6000mhz Cas 30 with custom timings
Video Card(s) MSI RX 6750 XT MECH 2X 12G OC
Storage Adata SX8200 1tb with Windows, Samsung 990 Pro 2tb with games
Display(s) HP Omen 27q QHD 165hz
Case ThermalTake P3
Power Supply SuperFlower Leadex Titanium
Software Windows 11 64 Bit
Benchmark Scores CB23: 1811 / 19424 CB24: 1136 / 7687
I cant believe they would even try it!! =P but i did see the chart and toothpaste worked rather well on there tests temp-wise..!?Its amazing people would try chocolate and butter and things like that! Very interesting!


Thanks to all!Valuable opinions and thoughts to consider!

Cheers :toast:

Can't believe I didn't see that on there... That is so funny they tried that. Mayonaise has good temps but I doubt it has any staying power. On one of my various trips on the internet I found this thread on some forum with a guy who tried peanut butter on his xeon. No different than his stock intel. Can not find a link. It was awhile ago but sure memorable.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
574 (0.13/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel® Core i5 6600
Motherboard Asus H170 Pro Gaming
Cooling Hyper 212 Evo
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4 2400mhz
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Geforce GTX 960 G1 4GB Gaming
Storage 256GB Intel SSD 525 Series
Display(s) 24" LG LED Monitor
Case Corsair Carbide 200R
Power Supply Seasonic MK12II 620W
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Logitech G110
Software Windows 10 x64
Can't believe I didn't see that on there... That is so funny they tried that. Mayonaise has good temps but I doubt it has any staying power. On one of my various trips on the internet I found this thread on some forum with a guy who tried peanut butter on his xeon. No different than his stock intel

Peanut butter??! :wtf: LOL! What a legend. :toast:
 
Top