What the best thermal paste in 2019?

[Deleted member 185158]

Fine and with respect back, extreme OC'ing is an extreme exception - even among the regular users/posters on this site. And exceptions don't make the rule.
Most users don't overclock, or if they do, it is mild to moderate - perhaps just using the preset options provided by their motherboard BIOS.

This is true. It scored a dismal 37.2°, a full 2.4° warmer than the top Thermal Grizzy Kryonaut's 34.8°C. The 10th down from the top came in at a mind boggling 35.8°C. Clearly more than enough to keep the CPU from totally melting.

The worst, Coolermaster tape, was only able to keep the processor a scorching hot 40.2°C.
Yeah, you've said that over and over and over again - even though still, nobody has ever said otherwise.

If nobody has said otherwise, what exactly is your true intent on discussion after the simple agreement that it's not a top paste. I'm only following the guidlines to stay on the topic of top pastes of 2019, but yet people keep throwing numbers on the table like it would matter in the end fact that it's still not a top paste in 2019.
Not sure what you don't get.

I'd pit your AS5 against my Formula 7 and probably have you at 4c all day.... even after waiting 50-200 hours for yours to set up. And the cost of formula 7 is near identical to the AS5 paste, which makes it a no brainer not to purchase this paste.

But yea, I mean drive down to Walmart and pick up some AS5 in a pinch, most certainly. I've done that a few times. Wound up with some ThermalTake paste which did transfer some heat, but much more poorly than a lot of other pastes I've tried.

So again, even though we are kinda going in circles, I agree with you 100% on everything, I'm just trying to stay within the guidelines of forum rules to stay on topic.
In other words, we should be having this conversation about Grizzly or some other top end marketed paste.

Me? I like diamond nano. It gets shunned for being abrasive and what not, which is true, but thermally, nothing transfers heat better than diamonds. However, I consider it a top paste. It's engineered for superior cooling and actually holds true. It can transfer a higher amount of BTU in the same time period as lower end pastes.

Nothing beats solder, I don't know why I ever de-lidded all those soldered IHS plates though. But I can tell you that AS5 was not cutting the mustard.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I wish that were true. But sadly, the comments clearly indicates a lack of understanding and inexperience.

Hold that thought...

Actually not at all, but just because you say so... it must be!!

...As I was saying...

This thread has become a circus of nonsense and disinformation. I'm out. @Bill_Bright There is Moss hiding in the shadows...

 

[Deleted member 185158]

Hold that thought...

...As I was saying...

This thread has become a circus of nonsense and disinformation. I'm out. @Bill_Bright There is Moss hiding in the shadows...

Perhaps my experience is well shared enough for you to make such a conclusion.
However, from my own testing, AS5 and any information I've given is not misleading in any way.

The thread is good, the nonsense is you trying to call out something from your world, whatever your thoughts may be on the matter.... oh so far none useful in the past 2 pages.....

@Bill_Bright , I have nothing but top respect for people and their choices. I'm only stating facts based on my experience and knowledge (as it was mentioned backhanded I have none of...) and simply putting some simple facts on the table.

The argument from me is simply, there are a lot of pastes that should be considered top paste.

I have no argument that AS5 cools processors. It does, I fully agree here. 100%. Average users are not in concern.
However, people that make a thread with this title, best pastes of 2019, Well yea if the list is long enough, AS5 will make it on there!!!

I switched from AS5 while cooling an FX-55 processor, you know, when it cost an arm and leg cause it was fast and hot!!?? I learned say back in 07-09' that thermal pastes do make a difference with your cooling apparatus.

After de-lidding soldered processors and trying a pretty large variety of pastes on naked hot and cool running chips, plated, not plated, air cooling (see sig) TEC, DICE, LN2, chilled..... daily HTPC gamer rigs, family rigs..... I haven't used AS5 in a decade for a reason. Not because I feel it's a low end paste, but strictly on my own numbers with vigorous testing.

So, AS5 is a thermal paste. It transfers some heat. It does a job. Fine. I get that. No issues with that at all.
_____
Yes, you fellas with 120.1 AIO, the thermal paste may not matter much, you need more rads.

 

[INSTG8R]

Isn't that conductonaut you are confusing it with?

Nope I did my Vega twice with it testing vs MX-4

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I simply can't beat or fault conductonaught except it's a fearfull first go, I also think it's amazing the debates some things like Tim create, all because someone can't see past his use case.

 

[freeagent]

Sorry, I wasn’t trying to argue, I’m on my phone and was at work trying to peel off a fast reply. After all that, I would still recommend TF8. It’s supposed to be a little better than hydronaut, which I have not tried. I really like Thermalright coolers, and now I like their TIM. And it’s better than AS5

Edit:

might not have gotten that Thermal Grizzly name right.. I’m not up on my Tim’s these days. But I could have sworn AS5 was better than MX2? Either way it doesn’t matter. AS5 is a bit antiquated these days, but it’s still good, and it was up there with the best at one time, but time goes on..

 

[gamefoo21]

LoL

BB, it's not my concern if you want to buy a paste that repeatedly tests worse, costs more and is harder to get.

Did AS5 beat you so long and so viciously, that its given you Stockholm syndrome?

To sum up this entire thread...

Spend more, get worse performing paste. AS5 endorsed by BillBright

Spend less, get better performing paste. MX4, HT1/HT2...

Spend more, get best performing paste. TG Kryonaut, Gelid Extreme, etc.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Load says 24% at 50c in your pic. My 8700K is at 40c at 5.3ghz with 24% loads lol.

Software error. Since I know you're not going to take my word for it:

It has a Sycthe Kotetsu 1000 on it and the fan barely spins. It's silent. It's also probably full of dust (hasn't been blown out in probably four years) so, the improvement AS5 gets with age is likely offsetting the efficiency lost from dust collecting.

It hasn't gone over the temps you're seeing there in over four years of use at 100% load ~16 hours a day. AS5 works and it works for a very long time.

 

[gamefoo21]

Sorry, I wasn’t trying to argue, I’m on my phone and was at work trying to peel off a fast reply. After all that, I would still recommend TF8. It’s supposed to be a little better than hydronaut, which I have not tried. I really like Thermalright coolers, and now I like their TIM. And it’s better than AS5

Edit:

might not have gotten that Thermal Grizzly name right.. I’m not up on my Tim’s these days. But I could have sworn AS5 was better than MX2? Either way it doesn’t matter. AS5 is a bit antiquated these days, but it’s still good, and it was up there with the best at one time, but time goes on..

MX4 > AS5 = MX2 > MX1

 

[64K]

People get so anally retentive about CPU paste. I don't understand the fuss. I use Arctic Cooling MX4 paste. It's not conductive so it doesn't matter if I use too much but I use a pea size blob on the middle of the heat spreader and attach the CPU cooler and.....done. It works fine. No air bubbles. No fuss.

 

[danbert2000]

Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would use any paste other than Noctua NT-H2. Good performance, lasts a long time, cheaper than some of the extreme pastes. Kryonaut comes out like a stiff putty. NT-H2 spreads well and there's enough in there that you can reapply if it doesn't work well the first time. Arctic Silver is just old stuff. No one should have to cure for hours and then still end up with higher temps than the instant ones.

 

[Sithaer]

Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would use any paste other than Noctua NT-H2. Good performance, lasts a long time, cheaper than some of the extreme pastes. Kryonaut comes out like a stiff putty. NT-H2 spreads well and there's enough in there that you can reapply if it doesn't work well the first time. Arctic Silver is just old stuff. No one should have to cure for hours and then still end up with higher temps than the instant ones.

Costs ~2x as much as MX-4 where I live.
3.5g Noctua H2 vs 4g 2019 MX-4 at least and its also fairly harder to find in shops while MX is like everywhere. 'Same story with H1 but thats a bit easier to find'

 

[danbert2000]

Costs ~2x as much as MX-4 where I live.
3.5g Noctua H2 vs 4g 2019 MX-4 at least and its also fairly harder to find in shops while MX is like everywhere. 'Same story with H1 but thats a bit easier to find'

Yes, the lesser paste is cheaper. I'm just saying that for most people, $12 for a 3.5 g tube is the right price for the high performance.

Noctua NT-H2 Review - Benchmarks Thermal Results

The 10-years old Noctua NT-H1 still holds its own today, but how does it compare to the brand new NT-H2?...

www.vortez.net

 

[Sithaer]

Yes, the lesser paste is cheaper. I'm just saying that for most people, $12 for a 3.5 g tube is the right price for the high performance.

Noctua NT-H2 Review - Benchmarks Thermal Results

The 10-years old Noctua NT-H1 still holds its own today, but how does it compare to the brand new NT-H2?...

www.vortez.net

Thats maybe but I sure as hell aint paying 2x the price for ~1-1,5 celsius for average/standard use. 'Implying MX is bad performance right if H2 is High by your standard'

 

[Deleted member 185158]

Software error. Since I know you're not going to take my word for it:
View attachment 133352

It has a Sycthe Kotetsu 1000 on it and the fan barely spins. It's silent. It's also probably full of dust (hasn't been blown out in probably four years) so, the improvement AS5 gets with age is likely offsetting the efficiency lost from dust collecting.

It hasn't gone over the temps you're seeing there in over four years of use at 100% load ~16 hours a day. AS5 works and it works for a very long time.

That lol at the end of my sentence. Not serious, I believe you. Common, you have more class than that.

No way 4 years ago could I use AS5 with my FX-9590 setup. Not even at stock. IDC who's saying AS5 is awesome. Love ya man, but in reality, I know better.

Overclocking and heat removal is a very big important thing. I cannot suggest AS5 as being a top thermal paste. I'm sorry, just can't muster it up to lie.

 

[danbert2000]

Thats maybe but I sure as hell aint paying 2x the price for ~1-1,5 celsius for average/standard use. 'Implying MX is bad performance right if H2 is High by your standard'

MX4 is fine. It's just not the best. Neither is NT-H2, but for $6 extra I'll take the lower temps. You also get some cleaning cloths in the box, not that they're worth much but they did clean my old paste off better than isopropyl alcohol and coffee filters.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

That lol at the end of my sentence. Not serious, I believe you. Common, you have more class than that.

A sarcasm detector, I have not.

No way 4 years ago could I use AS5 with my FX-9590 setup.

Why does that matter? 5w or 250w, it works the same. Just make sure it has an adequate heatsink on it.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I use silver ceramique arctic silver due to having loads on others but in general if it's someone else's, they get what's there.
Ill be using conductonaught on my own but have used A few, none were terribly bad really except the film cover once, it was terrible.

 

[Deleted member 185158]

A sarcasm detector, I have not.


Why does that matter? 5w or 250w, it works the same. Just make sure it has an adequate heatsink on it.

It depends on whom of which you ask this question to. Obviously there's a good handful of people here, that 50 BTUhr slower transfer rate does not matter. (guessing figure not actual)

Matters to me quite a bit though....

 

[FordGT90Concept]

My understanding is that you're attacking AS5 because it was "hot" with an FX-55. I had a 4000+ at the time, also with AS5, and had no problems with heat. Three things:
1) did you have an HSF that was capable of dissipating 105w of heat?
2) did you properly apply thermal paste (not pre-spreading)?
3) did you apply enough thermal paste (should be an amount about the size of a large grain of rice placed in the center of the IHS)?

I'm positive you can't honestly say "yes" to all those questions and that's why you had a problem. It wasn't the AS5 to blame or you wouldn't have people like me here saying it's a good product. The best? I don't know and I don't care. It's a good product.


My 4000+ never hit 60C under full load. I later upgraded it to an Opteron 180 using AMD's provided HSF with heatpipes and it, too, never hit 60C under full load. Both used AS5. Almost every machine I put together used AS5 and not a one had thermal issues. Not. One. That's even after a decade of use. It works exactly as advertised and works well.

My problem is you're harping on AS5 probably because of user error over a decade ago. My suggestion is try it again (preferably on a system you're not going to frequently pull the HSF off) and apply it properly with an appropriate HSF and I doubt you'll have any problems with it. Try not to judge it too harshly until it has had time to sinter.

 

[Deleted member 185158]

Attacking AS5? who put that into your head?

I cannot not try it again. One cannot wait hours for a TIM to "break in" while running de-lidded processors.

The processor list I tested pastes on is as follows.

Ryzen 7 2700x
Ryzen 3 1200
FX-4300
FX-6100
FX-9590
FX-8320
B73 x3
Athon 5000+ unlocker FX-5000 TLB errata @ 2750mhz
970T
1090T
965BE
940BE
9850BE
9950BE
6400+ 4ghz
6400+

Each processor was used with thermal pastes that did not require a break in time.
The reason for this is because each and every one of the cpus in the list above was a soldered IHS plate.
Then I removed the IHS plates and each cpu had cooling ranging from ambient liquid to LN2.

So you see, I cannot actually even use AS5 at all. The BTU transfer is just simply too slow.

I'm sure I could set up a testing station, but I'm busy benching other stuff.
Dang 8700K 5.3ghz at 67c load ain't no joke.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

IHS or not doesn't really matter as far as TIM is concerned. All TIMs do is fill in the pores maximizing surface area and promote thermal conductivity.

I used AS5 on an Athlon XP 3200+ (Barton), Athlon XP 2200+ (Thoroughbred), and Radeon 9800 Pro without problems (none have an IHS).

 

[Deleted member 185158]

TIM transfers heat. it doesn't just fill in pores.. There's a layer of paste. That means IHS plate and Heat sink surfaces don't touch.
And that's why people lap. To get that layer as thin as possible. Ideally, you wouldn't want to use paste at all.

But for naked chips, overclocking and BTU removal.... it matters. Doesn't make a difference how you want to look at it.

AS5 is ok paste. It's been used for many years by many users. I think that's great!!
It's just a bummer, I remember when it was THE top paste. THE go to paste. Yes I do remember.

 

[Vayra86]

A new day.. lets see whats happening on TPU!
.....
Still on about AS5

 

[P4-630]

Guru3D Thermal Paste Roundup 2019

Thermal paste is an often-overlooked part of most computer setups. You can simply use the pre-applied stuff, or the thermal paste that comes with your motherboard, and still get reasonable processor t... Air Cooling for i9 9900K@5.0 GHz 1.35V

www.guru3d.com