Best and Worst TIM you've worked with?

Athlonite · Dec 27, 2019

Worst I've ever used was some shite Titan Nano Blue which came with an HSF of their's
middle of the road would have to be Arctic Silver 5 and Cryorig's CP7 (which came with my R1 universal)
Best of so far (for what's actually available in my country) Cooler Master MasterGel Pro (I'd like to try MasterGel Maker but can't get it here and the Kryonaut stuff is just way to expensive here)

Jetster said:
I don't spread it. but agree if you have too its can get messy. Its a mess to clean up too. But it works

I find it easy to work with and to clean off with an alcohol wipe it's gone in 30 seconds and with just my finger tip I can spread it nice and thin which is what you want with AS5

silkstone · Dec 27, 2019

Rob94hawk said:
Never ever changed my TIM on my socket 775 build but since I'm upgrading to a Q9650 cpu, SSD & windows 10 I'm going to tear the whole thing down and re apply. Including the North bridge heatpipe. Any validity to this list someone sent me?

View attachment 140489

The list is valid 'if' you can apply it properly. Some of the pastes on there are really really thick which means you have to make multiple attempts to get the thinnest application. Count in the cost of the paste and it can get very expensive.
My personal recommendation is to get MX-4 or NT-H1. They are cheap enough and easy to work. It might take a couple of tries to get the right thickness, but it won't break the bank.

I tried Kryonaut. I got 1 single application from a 1g tube on a GPU and that is without repastes.

Jetster · Dec 27, 2019

Someone gave me a tube of this. I have never used it
I just read where its for Thermistor Assemblys

Rob94hawk · Dec 27, 2019

silkstone said:
The list is valid 'if' you can apply it properly. Some of the pastes on there are really really thick which means you have to make multiple attempts to get the thinnest application. Count in the cost of the paste and it can get very expensive.
My personal recommendation is to get MX-4 or NT-H1. They are cheap enough and easy to work. It might take a couple of tries to get the right thickness, but it won't break the bank.

I tried Kryonaut. I got 1 single application from a 1g tube on a GPU and that is without repastes.

Know of a good link to demonstrate a proper application? Thanks

johnspack · Dec 27, 2019

Been building computers myself for 20+ years. Don't remember what paste we used to use back then... Used AS5 for years, but now only use MX4. I like it's non capacitive abilities.
And it just works, for cpus, gpus ect. Worst is probably that silicon gunk they used to give with cheap heatsinks back in the day....

silkstone · Dec 27, 2019

Rob94hawk said:
Know of a good link to demonstrate a proper application? Thanks

No video, i'm afraid. If you get the bigger tube, just use the applicator to spread it over the area. There is an instruction manual.
You may want to put the tube in a glass of hot water to thin it out before trying as well.

freeagent · Dec 27, 2019

Good ole AS-5 :cool:

Grog6 · Dec 27, 2019

Jetster said:
Someone gave me a tube of this. I have never used it
I just read where its for Thermistor Assemblys

That's the old white stuff, which we used for everything WBW.

Any modern HS compound is going to be better than that; but it's better than cheese.

I use that to assemble LED assemblies; silver based stuff is too expensive for a square foot of area.

umeng2002 · Jan 2, 2020

Use to use AS5, then when I got a Noctua cooler, I used up the NT-H1 over a few years.

Now I'm using MX-4.

xtreemchaos · Jan 2, 2020

apart from liquid metal this is the best stuff ive ever used better than mx4, gelid, ect and it only costs £6 for 30 grams from china, it fixed my overheating MacBook pro. give it a try you will not be disappointed.
GD900 .

cucker tarlson · Jan 2, 2020

Dc1 from bequiet.
Not only,is it very easy to work with,there's zero performance difference in 2.5 years.
Nth1 was crap on the other hand,so was thermalright's stock paste.

Deleted member 67555 · Jan 2, 2020

I like MX-4 the best because the bitter taste doesn't last as long and I like AS5 the least because it leaves a bitter taste for the whole day.

and just saying,,,,
StarTech metal Oxide thermal compound is actually really good at @$8
Super easy to use..grain of rice application...I change my TIM yearly when I dust (If I keep the build that long) so I'm unsure of it's longevity.

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yqSq6qVDxvcsSQc3kFUvfG.png

Durvelle27 · Jan 2, 2020

Best TIM I've ever used is IC Diamond

Don't really have a worst as they all work just a matter of how well

System Name	Cumquat 2021
Processor	AMD RyZen R7 7800X3D
Motherboard	Asus Strix X670E - E Gaming WIFI
Cooling	Deep Cool LT720 + CM MasterGel Pro TP + Lian Li Uni Fan V2
Memory	32GB GSkill Trident Z5 Neo 6000
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ OC RX6800 16GB DDR6 2270Cclk / 2010Mclk
Storage	1x Adata SX8200PRO NVMe 1TB gen3 x4 1X Samsung 980 Pro NVMe Gen 4 x4 1TB, 12TB of HDD Storage
Display(s)	AOC 24G2 IPS 144Hz FreeSync Premium 1920x1080p
Case	Lian Li O11D XL ROG edition
Audio Device(s)	RX6800 via HDMI + Pioneer VSX-531 amp Technics 100W 5.1 Speaker set
Power Supply	EVGA 1000W G5 Gold
Mouse	Logitech G502 Proteus Core Wired
Keyboard	Logitech G915 Wireless
Software	Windows 11 X64 PRO (build 23H2)
Benchmark Scores	it sucks even more less now ;)

System Name	Gaming System / HTPC-Server
Processor	i7 8700K (@4.8 Ghz All-Core) / R7 5900X
Motherboard	Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming / MSI B450 Mortar Max
Cooling	CM ML360 / CM ML240L
Memory	16Gb Hynix @3200 MHz / 16Gb Hynix @3000Mhz
Video Card(s)	Zotac 3080 / Colorful 1060
Storage	750G MX300 + 2x500G NVMe / 40Tb Reds + 1Tb WD Blue NVMe
Display(s)	LG 27GN800-B 27'' 2K 144Hz / Sony TV
Case	Xigmatek Aquarius Plus / Corsair Air 240
Audio Device(s)	On Board Realtek
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex III Gold 750W / Andyson TX-700 Platinum
Mouse	Logitech G502 Hero / K400+
Keyboard	Wooting Two / K400+
Software	Windows 10 x64
Benchmark Scores	Cinebench R15 = 1542 3D Mark Timespy = 9758

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

System Name	System2 Blacknet , System1 Blacknet2
Processor	System2 Threadripper 1920x, System1 2699 v3
Motherboard	System2 Asrock Fatality x399 Professional Gaming, System1 Asus X99-A
Cooling	System2 Noctua NH-U14 TR4-SP3 Dual 140mm fans, System1 AIO
Memory	System2 64GBS DDR4 3000, System1 32gbs DDR4 2400
Video Card(s)	System2 GTX 980Ti System1 GTX 970
Storage	System2 4x SSDs + NVme= 2.250TB 2xStorage Drives=8TB System1 3x SSDs=2TB
Display(s)	2x 24" 1080 displays
Case	System2 Some Nzxt case with soundproofing...
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar U7 MKII
Power Supply	System2 EVGA 750 Watt, System1 XFX XTR 750 Watt
Mouse	Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
Keyboard	Ducky
Software	Manjaro, Windows 10, Kubuntu 23.10
Benchmark Scores	It's linux baby!

System Name	Gaming System / HTPC-Server
Processor	i7 8700K (@4.8 Ghz All-Core) / R7 5900X
Motherboard	Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming / MSI B450 Mortar Max
Cooling	CM ML360 / CM ML240L
Memory	16Gb Hynix @3200 MHz / 16Gb Hynix @3000Mhz
Video Card(s)	Zotac 3080 / Colorful 1060
Storage	750G MX300 + 2x500G NVMe / 40Tb Reds + 1Tb WD Blue NVMe
Display(s)	LG 27GN800-B 27'' 2K 144Hz / Sony TV
Case	Xigmatek Aquarius Plus / Corsair Air 240
Audio Device(s)	On Board Realtek
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex III Gold 750W / Andyson TX-700 Platinum
Mouse	Logitech G502 Hero / K400+
Keyboard	Wooting Two / K400+
Software	Windows 10 x64
Benchmark Scores	Cinebench R15 = 1542 3D Mark Timespy = 9758

Best and Worst TIM you've worked with?

Athlonite

silkstone

Jetster

Rob94hawk

johnspack

Here For Good!

silkstone

freeagent

Moderator

Grog6

umeng2002

xtreemchaos

cucker tarlson

Deleted member 67555

Guest

Durvelle27

Moderator

Processor	AMD R9 5900X
Motherboard	Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling	Thermalright Aqua Elite 360 V3 1x TL-B12, 2x TL-C12 Pro, 2x TL K12
Memory	2x8 G.Skill Trident Z Royal 3200C14, 2x8GB G.Skill Trident Z Black and White 3200 C14
Video Card(s)	Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC
Storage	WD SN850 1TB, SN850X 2TB, Asus Hyper M.2, 2x SN770 1TB
Display(s)	LG 50UP7100
Case	Fractal Torrent Compact RGB
Audio Device(s)	JBL 2.1 Deep Bass
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNova 750w G+, Monster HDP1800
Mouse	Logitech G502 Hero
Keyboard	Logitech G213
VR HMD	Oculus 3
Software	Yes
Benchmark Scores	Yes

System Name	BorgX79
Processor	i7-3930k 6/12cores@4.4GHz
Motherboard	Sabertoothx79
Cooling	Capitan 360
Memory	Muhskin DDR3-1866
Video Card(s)	Sapphire R480 8GB
Storage	Chronos SSD
Display(s)	3x VW266H
Case	Ching Mien 600
Audio Device(s)	Realtek
Power Supply	Cooler Master 1000W Silent Pro
Mouse	Logitech G900
Keyboard	Rosewill RK-1000
Software	Win7x64

System Name	1.FortySe7en VR rig 2. intel teliscope rig 3.MSI GP72MVR Leopard Pro .E-52699, Xeon play thing
Processor	1.3900x @stock 2. i7 7700k @5. 3. i7 7700hq
Motherboard	1.aorus x570 ultra 2. z270 Maximus IX Hero,4 MR9A PRO ATX X99
Cooling	1.Hard tube loop, cpu and gpu 2. Hard loop cpu and gpu 4 360 AIO
Memory	1.Gskill neo @3600 32gb 2.hyperxfury 32gb @3000 3. 16gb hyperx @2400 4 64GB 2133 in quad channel
Video Card(s)	1.GIGABYTE RTX 3080 WaterForce WB 2. Aorus RTX2080 3. 1060 3gb. 4 Arc 770LE 16 gb
Storage	1 M.2 500gb , 2 3tb HDs 2. 256gb ssd, 3tbHD 3. 256 m.2. 1tb ssd 4. 2gb ssd
Display(s)	1.LG 50" UHD , 2 MSI Optix MAG342C UWHD. 3.17" 120 hz display 4. Acer Preditor 144hz 32inch.z
Case	1. Thermaltake P5 2. Thermaltake P3 4. some cheapo case that should not be named.
Audio Device(s)	1 Onboard 2 Onboard 3 Onboard 4. onboard.
Power Supply	1.seasonic gx 850w 2. seasonic gx 750w. 4 RM850w
Mouse	1 ROG Gladius 2 Corsair m65 pro
Keyboard	1. ROG Strix Flare 2. Corsair F75 RBG 3. steelseries RBG
VR HMD	rift and rift S and Quest 2.
Software	1. win11 pro 2. win11 pro 3, win11 home 4 win11 pro
Benchmark Scores	1.7821 cb20 ,cb15 3442 1c 204 cpu-z 1c 539 12c 8847 2. 1106 cb 3.cb 970

System Name	Purple rain
Processor	10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard	Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling	Noctua D15S
Memory	16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage	SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s)	Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case	P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s)	K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply	Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse	G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	A LOT

System Name	Black Prometheus
Processor	\|AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
Motherboard	ASRock B550M Pro4\|MSI X370 Gaming PLUS
Cooling	Thermalright PA120 SE \| AMD Stock Cooler
Memory	G.Skill 64GB(2x32GB) 3200MHz \| 32GB(4x8GB) DDR4
Video Card(s)	\|AMD R9 290
Storage	Sandisk X300 512GB + WD Black 6TB+WD Black 6TB
Display(s)	LG Nanocell85 49" 4K 120Hz + ACER AOPEN 34" 3440x1440 144Hz
Case	DeepCool Matrexx 55 V3 w/ 6x120mm Intake + 3x120mm Exhaust
Audio Device(s)	LG Dolby Atmos 5.1
Power Supply	Corsair RMX850 Fully Modular\| EVGA 750W G2
Mouse	Logitech Trackman
Keyboard	Logitech K350
Software	Windows 10 EDU x64