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Interested in some new thermal paste...suggestions?

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Aug 7, 2007
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Processor i5-7600k
Motherboard ASRock Z170 Pro4
Cooling CM Hyper 212 EVO w/ AC MX-4
Memory 2x8GB DDR4 2400 Corsair LPX Vengeance 15-15-15-36
Video Card(s) MSI Twin Frozr 1070ti
Storage 240GB Corsair Force GT
Display(s) 23' Dell AW2310
Case Corsair 550D
Power Supply Seasonic SS-760XP2 Platinum
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Just got an email from the egg with a 25% off coupon for thermal pastes. Since my Arctic MX-2 is running around a few more applications left in the little tube, I might want to re-up on some better stuff. This is the list that has the promotions, can someone tell me which one would be best for both CPU's and VIDEO CARDS?
I don't want to have to spend more than $12

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...SNDRJASURBC&bop=And&Order=PRICED&PageSize=100
 
PK-3 is pretty good
 
MX-4 is very good.
 
Gelid GC extreme is still my go to. If you liked OCZ freeze you'll like it, but it's a $1 over.
 
I did some VERY in depth searching when my 290X was being shipped in preparation for the temps I would need to tackle the day it arrived.

In short I came to

MX-4
Noctua
PK-3

Liquid high performance TIMS (thought seriously about it but with so many burrs on the coolers surface decided to go the normal paste route)

those are my top 3 findings in no particular order I rated them primarily off of

Amount available per-tube
Cooling Performance
Ease of spread
Longevity before dry out

I eventually settled with MX-4 and havent gone past 74ºC in any game at the highest settings with a 290X
 
Besides that maximum pc write up, my personal experience is as follows. Mx-4 is really cheap for the amount you get and how well it performs. It is what I have been using. I have my hands on some thermaltake tg-3 that is pretty good stuff. Tuniq is the best I have had but the difference is 1-2 degrees, practically margin of error in my hands at least.
 
Shin-Etsu x23 7783D appears to be very good indeed, with little burn in time and easily surpassing the Cheese in durability. :roll:


But, for an "all round wonder paste", it has to be MX-2.

Typically you can find it around the £15/€18/$25 price point for 30g; shockingly good value for money, all things considered, and it is actually quite a well balanced and forgiving paste. :toast:
 
Shin-Estu x23 7783D hands down is the best TIM I've ever used and its very cheap & nonconductive
 
I did some VERY in depth searching when my 290X was being shipped in preparation for the temps I would need to tackle the day it arrived.

In short I came to

MX-4
Noctua
PK-3

Liquid high performance TIMS (thought seriously about it but with so many burrs on the coolers surface decided to go the normal paste route)

those are my top 3 findings in no particular order I rated them primarily off of

Amount available per-tube
Cooling Performance
Ease of spread
Longevity before dry out

I eventually settled with MX-4 and havent gone past 74ºC in any game at the highest settings with a 290X

I'm having many thoughts running through my head regarding some of the performance of the pastes I have seen at various review sites. They seem to be all over the place. I wish there was completely controlled testing (via ambient room temps and spread methods) across all pastes. However it seems that's harder said than done.

My most important characteristics when choosing a paste is as follows:

#1 Cooling performance
#2 Longevity (How long it can last in the tube AND on the cooler before becoming less effective)

My budget is still $13. I still have a 25% off promo code on this listing I have in my OP. So I have these 4 pastes in mind:

Noctua NT-H1 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008&ignorebbr=1
Gelid GC-Extreme - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426020&ignorebbr=1
Prolimatech PK-3 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242027&ignorebbr=1
Arctic Cooling MX-4 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186038&ignorebbr=1


My single 4g tube of MX-2 has served me since 2008, let that be a comparison point in suggesting me 1 of these pastes. I do not apply often, although I probably should once a year.
 
Mx-4 is what I would choose out of that
 
ive used mx4, mx2, cf3, pk3, CLU, xspc, xigmatek

out of all of them i prefer the PK-3

next on my list is gelid and shin etsu
 
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