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Thermal Paste - Grease .... OR Liquid?!

TIM paste or liquid?

  • Standard grease

    Votes: 12 70.6%
  • Liquid solution

    Votes: 5 29.4%

  • Total voters
    17
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Is a poll even relevant? We'll see...

Personally, I've always stuck with Arctic Silver 5 to TIM, it's never let me down. However, this liquid mercury looking stuff caught my eye, Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra and Coollaboratory Liquid Copper. Oh, I'm not saying mercury as a TIM is good... that would be horrendous.

Thoughts?

Poll applies to normal TIM application, if you use a certain product, grease paste or liquid, how easy is it to remove? In what scenario are you using the TIM? What are your experiences?
 
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Is a poll even relevant? We'll see...

Personally, I've always stuck with Arctic Silver 5 to TIM, it's never let me down. However, this liquid mercury looking stuff caught my eye, Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra and Coollaboratory Liquid Copper. Oh, I'm not saying mercury as a TIM is good... that would be horrendous.

Thoughts?

Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra : my own experience thought me that is good! BUT!! hard to remove and honest not worth doing voiding warranty of your cpu and heatsink...you wont get it easily removed with a cloth like they showed after a while it is really becoming one with the metal.

Standard grease : For anything you want to test quickly and easy to remove and apply.

My recommendation : If you want the performance of Liquid metal but keep your warranty and have it some what easy Coollaboratory Liquid MetalPad. Easy to remove once used you can chip them off once cold with your nails and you do get the performance improvement.

P.s please change your profile picture to
 
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I was advised to use this on as my TIM on my delidded skylake. It was too late, I had already sealed it down, and the muckity muck sealant I had used still clings to my hands to this day. Yeah, not doing THAT again so I'm stuck with Arctic MX-4 in between my heatspreader and die (still better than intels stuff mind you).

My understanding is it's quite good for an "apply once, never look at again" high performance material where voiding your warranty is not a concern (such as when delidding).

An approximate comparison to it in a delidding sceneratio can be found here. Impressive temp difference:

Prolimatech PK-3 is approximately comparable to most "good" TIMs (AS4, AC Mx-4/2, etc). The hottest running paste is intels stock yucky paste.



Looking at that chart actually almost makes me want to get my hands dirty again...
 
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well, here are several posts about it tims, also here is another big ass post about:

Thermal paste applied on your GPU / CPU, survey!


then, I I'm using both at the same time, I did delid on my chip, Coollab liquid ultra on CPU die, Arctic MX4 on CPU I.H.S., no problems so far, kinda risky well yes… but ultra better comparing it against intel stock crap! I can't believe they stick using that shit…
 
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well, here are several posts about it tims, also here is another big ass post about:

Thermal paste applied on your GPU / CPU, survey!


then, I I'm using both at the same time, I did delid on my chip, Coollab liquid ultra on CPU die, Arctic MX4 on CPU I.H.S., no problems so far, kinda risky well yes… but ultra better comparing it against intel stock crap! I can't believe they stick using that shit…

Yeah, you'd think they (Intel) could at least pony up for a decent TIM if they aren't soldering... pretty amazingly disgusting place to cut a corner for more profit.
 

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I was advised to use this on as my TIM on my delidded skylake. It was too late, I had already sealed it down, and the muckity muck sealant I had used still clings to my hands to this day. Yeah, not doing THAT again so I'm stuck with Arctic MX-4 in between my heatspreader and die (still better than intels stuff mind you).

My understanding is it's quite good for an "apply once, never look at again" high performance material where voiding your warranty is not a concern (such as when delidding).

An approximate comparison to it in a delidding sceneratio can be found here. Impressive temp difference:

Prolimatech PK-3 is approximately comparable to most "good" TIMs (AS4, AC Mx-4/2, etc). The hottest running paste is intels stock yucky paste.



Looking at that chart actually almost makes me want to get my hands dirty again...
Its not really the TIM thats the problem. Its the black glue gunk they use that doesn't allow for solid contact between the die and the IHS.
 
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Its not really the TIM thats the problem. Its the black glue gunk they use that doesn't allow for solid contact between the die and the IHS.

Has been in the past on certain Haswell and prior dies but I don't think they are using the same stuff on Skylake. It looks just like the stuff I was recommended to replace it with, dark gunky black. If it's the same as the RTV sealant I used (and it certainly looks the part) it's rated to not expand up to like 400 C, which is outright batshit insane...
 

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Yeah, you'd think they (Intel) could at least pony up for a decent TIM if they aren't soldering... pretty amazingly disgusting place to cut a corner for more profit.
duno what to tell ya...
Its not really the TIM thats the problem. Its the black glue gunk they use that doesn't allow for solid contact between the die and the IHS.
:confused::confused::confused:

Has been in the past on certain Haswell and prior dies but I don't think they are using the same stuff on Skylake. It looks just like the stuff I was recommended to replace it with, dark gunky black. If it's the same as the RTV sealant I used (and it certainly looks the part) it's rated to not expand up to like 400 C, which is outright batshit insane...
talking about repasting o glue -in back the processor's IHS?
As far as i knew there is no need to paste it back, at least when you use coollab there is no need....
 
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duno what to tell ya...

:confused::confused::confused:


talking about repasting o glue -in back the processor's IHS?
As far as i knew there is no need to paste it back, at least when you use coollab there is no need....

Yeah I was following some guys web guide and he said to reapaste the glue. I later learned you only need to do that if your sticking with conventional thermal paste AND doing extreme LN2 style OCing where liquid metal is a no-no due to something to do with liquid metal conducting electricity.

All over my head, and thus I was really following the wrong guide. But I am where I am, you know? Live and learn, hehe.

PS: I think we are enough off topic now, too. ;)
 
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Standard TIM does the job well enough.
The Coollaboratory stuff is nice, no question about that, but I can't really imagine using it on anything but delided chips.
 

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No doubts, Coollaboratory Liquid.
Own experience.
 
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No doubts, Coollaboratory Liquid.
Own experience.

I've been reading about the liquid solution, so far not impressed. I'll go grab some JB weld and silicon sealant from the other isle. :)
 

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I've been reading about the liquid solution, so far not impressed. I'll go grab some JB weld and silicon sealant from the other isle. :)
Well if 20c droop it's not enough for you I don't know what to say.
 
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Well if 20c droop it's not enough for you I don't know what to say.

20c isn't that impressive if the TIM is impossible to remove from the CPU and HS. That's what I'm mostly concerned with... how easily it can be removed after exposure to extreme heat.
 
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20c isn't that impressive if the TIM is impossible to remove from the CPU and HS. That's what I'm mostly concerned with... how easily it can be removed after exposure to extreme heat.
20C not impressive? what do you want?? so ???

well in im pretty sure that knoxx talks about delid, that process is kinda risky but you have to make it once...

pretty sure that liquid metal is always recommended for delid, that process is kinda risky but is impressing how it performs on a well done delid,and the fact that its only made once is priceless,

in the other hand using liquid metal on CPU I.H.S or coolers is not so bad, CPU I.H.S won't be damaged and also cooper or nickel coolers, aluminum its not compatible, its hard to take out but not impossible,
 
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20C not impressive? what do you want?? so ???

well in im pretty sure that knoxx talks about delid, that process is kinda risky but you have to make it once...

pretty sure that liquid metal is always recommended for delid, that process is kinda risky but is impressing how it performs on a well done delid,and the fact that its only made once is priceless,

in the other hand using liquid metal on CPU I.H.S or coolers is not so bad, CPU I.H.S won't be damaged and also cooper or nickel coolers, aluminum its not compatible, its hard to take out but not impossible,

You proved my point.

Thread isn't about deliding, nor having to sandblast TIM off the top of the CPU and bottom of the fan HS or water block. I just recently read that liquid equivalent to grease is nearly impossible to remove. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Though it's nice to read what others have to say about standard grease and liquid, but the point is to provide your educated experience regarding the two, in regards to normal application. No one is interested in "oh, I get -50c on liquid TIM!" without providing FACTS of how you accomplished it and how long it was applied for and how difficult it is to remove. It's a pointless post and basically trolling. I mean really I could get -100c on JB weld and a nice supply of nitrogen and use standard grease. Yet, can I remove the TIM when done? Nope... I welded it and the CPU is junked. Please keep the rhetoric out. :D
 
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Running a heavy OCed amd 955 24/7 for the past 5 years I can say I will stick with the liquid metals.. mine is using the original liquid metal that is now rock hard.. if i have to separate it i use a Good sharp razor knife to pop off the water cooler. have had to 2 for reasons of cleaning out the water block in normal maintenance. Then with just a tiny drop rubbed over it it reseals and cools as good as always. no break in time other then a few no water flowing <pump off> to heat the block up to make sure it flows right and not more there about 55c to 60c before pump on. have compared it to a few other high end tims on an exact other puter in the house.. its always been 5 to 10 c lower in same service. only drawback as stated it becomes part of your lid on the cpu.. I have had to use very fine sand paper to smooth it out on one occasion , then just put more on the second time and it settled when heated. so you mileage may very. I will stick to liquid metal and an old liquid TIM that worked just as well but darkens copper.<this one is more a wax/micropartical base. So +1 liquid as i dont like having to change the time every year or so ..
 
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