help choosing cpu cooler and thermal compound

[agni451]

I'm hoping to get an i7 3930K 6-core on a Gigabyte X79-UP4 motherboard. I think I've narrowed my CPU cooler down to the Thermaltake Frio OCK, but I'm still open to suggestions.

As for the thermal compound, I've been reading a lot of conflicting user reviews as well as more "official" side-by-side comparisons. I think I've narrowed it down to the Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400, Tuniq TX-2, regular old AS-5 or Prolimatech Pro-PK3. In terms of thermal conductivity, I believe the ranking is ThermalFusion (2.9W/m) < AS-5 (3.5W/m) < TX-2 (4.5W/m) < PK3 (11.2W/m), but I also like to consider electrical conductivity and viscosity. I usually the computer under some kind of load 24/7, so burn-in time isn't a big issue. Any thoughts?

 

[Jack1n]

Budget,clock target?

 

[Kaynar]

IC-Diamond is best in my opinion, i've had the Coolermaster 400 and the Arctic silver 5 before (on the very same CPU) using a corsair H100, the IC-Diamond was 2-3 degrees cooler than AS5 (the Coolermaster wasnt even good for overclocking). One thing to consider about IC-Diamond: the carats mentioned when you buy are simply "more quantity" (the smaller package is enough for 3-4 uses at least). This material is not conductive at all ofc and its really thick and tricky to apply properly (1 pea-sized doze in middle for cpu, dont spread it) but it was very easy to remove using a special thermal paste cleansing product.

Currently i have an i7 930 (2.8GHz) working at 4Ghz at 73c max with normal room temp. I dont know about the socket 2011 cpu;s but my friend who has a newer i5 3570k and a corsair H60 used the IC-Diamond too and he runs stock speed at 30c idle, 47c in prime95 and under 60c with 4.5Ghz oc.

 

[agni451]

Budget,clock target?

no set budget, I just want a good CPU cooler because I'm not prepared to go with liquid cooling. I probably won't OC, and if I do, maybe just 3.5Ghz (10% OC).

This material is not conductive at all ofc and its really thick and tricky to apply properly (1 pea-sized doze in middle for cpu, dont spread it) but it was very easy to remove using a special thermal paste cleansing product.

Yeah, I was reading a bunch of horror stories about not being able to spread the thicker ones. What cleaning product do you use? I might consider that over alcohol.

 

[Kaynar]

Arctic Silver ArctiClean Thermal Material Remover and Surface Purifier - 60ml Kit [ACN-60ML]

bought it from overclockers.co.uk a year ago. I just put a drop or two on a small patch of lint-free cloth and wipe the cpu. Took me around 15-20 mins and alot of cloth, just to make sure it would be totally clean.

 

[Jack1n]

no set budget, I just want a good CPU cooler because I'm not prepared to go with liquid cooling. I probably won't OC, and if I do, maybe just 3.5Ghz (10% OC).



Yeah, I was reading a bunch of horror stories about not being able to spread the thicker ones. What cleaning product do you use? I might consider that over alcohol.

then get a mid-range air cooler,such as the hyper 212 evo.