Need help choosing Themal Compound

HumanXJT · Feb 19, 2009

So I'm currently using Arctic Silver 5 and it's been used for at least a year and i believe it has dried out due to increased temperatures. I need help deciding which thermal paste i should use. I can't buy over the internet and so i'm stuck to my local store.
Sadly they only have:
1. Coolermaster Thermal Compound
2. IceFusion
3. Arctic Silver 5
4. Noctua NT-H1 Pro-Grade
5. Antec Silver Thermal Compound
So which of these Thermal Compoud you guys think should be best?

FlclAdam12 · Feb 19, 2009

I use arctic silver 5, works fine for me. I hear it is really good.

Kursah · Feb 19, 2009

I use AC MX-2 anymore, easy to use, doesn't need to set for best results, I've used for fairly long periods w/o it drying up, you get more for the money, and it seems to rate pretty well. Though really my opinion of the best TIM anymore is, as long as I have something to put between the heatsink and the processor I'm fine, a couple degrees are so really doesn't matter if you have even somewhat decent cooling and airflow.

I still have a tube of AS5 floating around, have yet to use it since I got my tube of MX-2, which is also nonconductive, so that's definately a plus!

:toast:

HumanXJT · Feb 19, 2009

I've been reading comments of AC MX-2 with great results, but unfortunately I'm only able to choose between the five in the first post.

Widjaja · Feb 19, 2009

AS-5.
Just don't use it on GPUs if you are clumsy.

nafets · Feb 19, 2009

You really need to use Google some more.

Here is a review, at our very own Techpowerup, of the Noctua NT-H1 TIM.

It looks to be a great replacement for AS5, if it's reasonably priced. Otherwise, just stick to AS5.

HumanXJT · Feb 19, 2009

I read some review for the Noctua NT-H1 Pro Grade

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/5134-noctua-nt-h1-pro-grade-thermal-compound-review.html

And it seems to perform close to the AS5, it also has no curing time and non-electric conductive and won't dry up like the AS5. So should i take the Noctua NT-H1 over the AS5?

ShadowFold · Feb 19, 2009

AS5 is outdated and has many downsides compared to newer compounds. You have to reapply AS5, you need to let it break in, it dries up easy, it's conductive, need I go on?

Ether · Feb 19, 2009

Thermal

I bought some 18ct diamond compund which boasts way better heat transfer than any other...go check it :toast:

alexp999 · Feb 19, 2009

+1 on AC-MX2, from my personal experience, it performs better than AS5, has no curing time, and does not need reapplying

Thrackan · Feb 19, 2009

Of your list, I'd try the Noctua compound. You need to be prepared that it's a lot more viscose if I remember correctly, so make sure to spread it before you apply the heatsink.

johnnyfiive · Feb 19, 2009

Noctua FTW, IMO.

h3llb3nd4 · Feb 19, 2009

Choose AC-MX2

MoonPig · Feb 19, 2009

^^ Seconded. I'm using it, and i prefere it over AC5. You get alot more for less money too... :-/

Processor	Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (G0)
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4
Cooling	Thermalright Ultra-120
Memory	4x OCZ XTC System Elite Edition 1GB DDR2-800
Video Card(s)	Sparkle 8800GTX
Storage	Wester Digital SATA 500GB
Display(s)	Viewsonic VX2235wm 20"
Case	Thermaltake Soprano
Audio Device(s)	n/a
Power Supply	Cooler Master 750W
Software	Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

Processor	Intel Xeon X5660 @ 4.0 Ghz
Motherboard	ASUS P6T Deluxe
Cooling	TRUE 120
Memory	18GB DDR3
Video Card(s)	GTX 1080
Case	CM Centurion
Power Supply	Corsair RM750X
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition \| Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor	R7 5800X @ Stock \| i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203\| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 \| Stock Cooling
Memory	TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v \| 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB \| CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage	4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD \| 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s)	Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 \| 16" 2560x1600 built-in
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Audio Device(s)	Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) \| Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply	EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 \| 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse	Logitech G502 \| Logitech M330
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy Core RGB \| Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 \| Windows 11 Home x64

Processor	Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (G0)
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4
Cooling	Thermalright Ultra-120
Memory	4x OCZ XTC System Elite Edition 1GB DDR2-800
Video Card(s)	Sparkle 8800GTX
Storage	Wester Digital SATA 500GB
Display(s)	Viewsonic VX2235wm 20"
Case	Thermaltake Soprano
Audio Device(s)	n/a
Power Supply	Cooler Master 750W
Software	Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

System Name	Darth Obsidious
Processor	Intel i5 2500K
Motherboard	ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen3
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 212+ in Push Pull
Memory	2X4GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600
Video Card(s)	ASUS R9 270x TOP
Storage	128GB Samsung 830 SSD, 1TB WD Black, 2TB WD Green
Display(s)	LG IPS234V-PN
Case	Corsair Obsidian 650D
Audio Device(s)	Infrasonic Quartet
Power Supply	Corsair HX650w
Software	Windows 7 64bit and Windows XP Home
Benchmark Scores	2cm mark on bench with a razor blade.

Need help choosing Themal Compound

HumanXJT

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FlclAdam12

Kursah

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HumanXJT

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Widjaja

nafets

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HumanXJT

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ShadowFold

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Ether

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alexp999

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Thrackan

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h3llb3nd4

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MoonPig

System Name	The ShadowFold Draconis (Ordering soon)
Processor	AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8ghz
Motherboard	ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
Cooling	Stock
Memory	Kingston ValueRAM 4GB DDR3-1333
Video Card(s)	XFX ATi Radeon HD 5850 1gb
Storage	Western Digital 640gb
Display(s)	Acer 21.5" 5ms Full HD 1920x1080P
Case	Antec Nine-Hundred
Audio Device(s)	Onboard + Creative "Fatal1ty" Headset
Power Supply	Antec Earthwatts 650w
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Benchmark Scores	-❶-❸-❸-❼-

System Name	No name
Processor	Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 Quad-Core Processor, 3.2 GHz, 12M L2 Cache, 1600MHz FSB, LGA775
Motherboard	Asus P5E3 Deluxe WIFI AP N CH1-11 C2D LGA775 Intel X38 ICH9R FSB 1600 5 Motherboard
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12P High Performance Cooler
Memory	Corsair XMS3 DHX - Memory - 4 GB ( 2 x 2 GB ) - DIMM 240-pin - DDR3 - 1600 MHz / PC3-12800 - CL7 - u
Video Card(s)	XFX GeForce 9800 GTX + 512MB PCIe w/Dual Link DVI
Storage	1.5TB Seagate
Display(s)	Lenovo 1920 x 1200 full hd
Case	NZXT Hush Series 11-Bay Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Audio Device(s)	SB X-FI
Power Supply	DiabloTek PHD650 650-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA Ready, PCIe Ready, 20+4 Pin
Software	Vista 32bit
Benchmark Scores	soon!

System Name	Gaming Rig \| Uni Laptop
Processor	Intel Q6600 G0 (2007) @ 3.6Ghz @ 1.45625v (LLC) / 4 GHz Bench @ 1.63v \| AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 2 GHz
Motherboard	ASUS P5Q Deluxe (Intel P45) \| HP 6715b
Cooling	Xigmatek Dark Knight w/AC MX2 ~ Case Fans: 2 x 180mm + 1 x 120mm Silverstone Fans
Memory	4GB OCZ Platinum PC2-8000 @ 1000Mhz 5-5-5-15 2.1v \| 2 x 1GB DDR2 667 MHz
Video Card(s)	XFX GTX 285 1GB, Modded FTW BIOS @ 725/1512/1350 w/Accelero Xtreme GTX 280 + Scythe sinks\| ATI X1250
Storage	2x WD6400AAKS 1 TB Raid 0, 140GB Raid 1 & 80GB Maxtor Basics External HDD (storage) \| 160GB 2.5"
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster SM2433BW @ 1920 x 1200 via DVI-D \| 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050 resolution)
Case	Silverstone Fortress FT01B-W ~ Logitech G15 R1 / Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000
Audio Device(s)	Soundmax AD2000BX Onboard Sound, via Logitech X-230 2.1 \| ADI SoundMAX HD Audio
Power Supply	Corsair TX650W \| HP 90W
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate Build 7100 x64 \| Windows 7 Ultimate Build 7100 x64
Benchmark Scores	3DM06: 19519, Vantage: P16170 ~ Win7: -CPU 7.5 -MEM 7.5 -AERO 7.9 -GFX 6.0 -HDD 6.0

System Name	Acer Aspire V3-771G-53218G75Maii
Processor	Core i5 3210M (2,5-3,1Ghz)
Memory	8GB DDR3 SODIMM
Video Card(s)	Geforce GT650M
Storage	Samsung 830 256GB - 750GB Toshiba drive
Software	Windows 7 x64 Home Premium (non-acer-bloatware)

System Name	My mobo is Laughing at me
Processor	E7400
Motherboard	P5KPL-E Bios flashed to 0601 (Piece of poo!!)
Cooling	Thermalright Ultra 120a
Memory	GENERIC 2 GB DDR2 800
Video Card(s)	NONE!! Beat that!!
Storage	500GB SAMSUNG SATAII, 250GB SAMSUNG SATAII and o'l crappy 4gb maxtor
Display(s)	ACER X223W Q
Case	AEROCOOL ZERODEGREE (planning to mod)
Audio Device(s)	REALTEK ONBOARD
Power Supply	GIGABYTE 460W
Software	Win 7 x86 build 7022
Benchmark Scores	Super Pi 1m 17.000 :(