All discussions about thermal interface material (thermal pad & thermal paste) will be discussed here. Please do not open a new thread to ask simple questions such as:

- xxx and yyy, which one is better?
- what thermal paste is good for my chipset/cpu/vga?
- which thermal paste is better value?
- what should i use to clean my cpu/heatsink/chipset?
- where can i find thermal paste brand xxx?
- i am a n00b. what is thermal paste/thermal pad? what is it for?
- i am idiot, i do not believe in thermal paste.
- i use chewing gum between my cpu and heatsink, ok or not?

... and various other simple issues regarding thermal pad & thermal paste


Useful links:

Arctic Silver vs Arctic Ceramique by lolhalol



This post has been edited by soulfly: Dec 21 2006, 10:16 PM

hi all.
as stated in the thread title, which type of thermal compund is better?

izit metal-based like the as5 or non-metal based such as arctic cooling's mx-1?

Depends on your application. But for air and watercooled rigs, metal based/AS5 kind of thermal compound is best. But if you are doing phase change or subzero temps, use non- metal based/ceramique kinda of thermal compound. AS5 has been non to crystalize in subzero temps.

This is what I gather from reading in Xtremesystems.

My conclusion lar, AS5=Water, Air
Artic Ceramique = Phase, DI, LN2 cuz it goes below -150 before it freezes.
AS5 freezes at about? -23?

erm....

so if i wanted to use a peltier on my cpu cooling for instance,

i shud get the artic ceramique ?
to transfer heat from cpu to peltier and peltier to waterblock ?

Anything below 0C use Ceramique. From CPU to Peltier use Ceramique, from Peltier to Heatsink - AS5 will be fine.

KC

ok....

thanks for the explanation....

what about this ??



is it true ??

if its true than its possible to use as5 between peltier and cpu ??

thanks.

zahri.

owh..thanx..
btw..can i use pelt wihout watercooling?
i have a pelt that was bought from a forumer a while ago..

wishing to use the pelt with my ati silencer for my gc..
izit possible?

erm...

i think a peltier is best used with a watercooled....

it dissipates heat faster than air cooling....

i think i read that in amok's guide...

if the heat does not dissipate fast enough, u might fry ur chip in the end....

correct me if i'm wrong...

Woah.. u people blom tido ka ??

hurmm..what about MX1 thermal paste ? someone told that it can beat as5..izit true?

hmm..dunno laa..but it is cheaper for sure..

You can but it is definitely better to use it with water. It is not worth getting into the hassle of peltier cooling using a small wattage pelt with air cooling. Air cooling as sahri said, might not be able to cool the pelt.

Check this out, quite a useful link

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/134

hehehe..very cheap..someone can give the answer..or who already use MX1..can share ur experience..

waa..thanx alot sup3rfly..
very informative..

yeah..share your experience here..

yes indeed, that is a very good website...

i never knew a lot of thermal compound would degrade the performance of the heatsink

after searching....... i only find writings on Arctic silver 5,


it's the best in da market?

if you want to find thermal compound go for the newest product....coz old product....i remember is artic silver, will caused damage to AMD processor regarding the static shock

is it??i'm using as 5 ler nothing wrong with my pro

is that true kar??

seriously i don't know what the hell are you talking about dude....
static shock? who?

That the issue on Amd AthlonXP series with Artic Silver 3 which being replace by Artic Silver 5. It was 3 years back .
It all because Artic silver 3 is conductive and by accident it can short circuit your processor. My old 0322XPWM dead because of it. But due to this incident, ppl learn to apply Artic silver the right way..not squeeze as much as posible on the core.

If you dont believe me, get some AS3 and apply a little bit on your graphic card board behind. Perhaps if you connect the right one..you can Vmod your card.

This post has been edited by Cyclone87: Jul 13 2006, 11:21 PM

dude...even AS5 is conductive

any silver based thermal material should be conductive

it's ceramique based paste which is not conductive... like Arctic Ceramique

This post has been edited by soulfly: Jul 13 2006, 11:25 PM

u can search for reviws comparing all the thermal interface available in the market...i got stumble it last time but forgot the link oledi..

most of silver based thermal interface perform as the same level...just arctic silver 5 that managed to point out from the crowd there popular to it's current level today

Besides AS5, there's also MX-1 frm Arctic Cooling. U could read various reviews & make a conclusion urself. The best conclusion 'll always be ur own testing

This post has been edited by bombman: Jul 16 2006, 01:05 AM

second that..anyway,im using CM nanofusion and its working great..

nano fusion and as5 and mx1.....wic is best among the best?

I just got this Arctic Ceramique....should I apply it?
No risk?
Im having doubts now on applying it after hearing this.
And can I clean my previous compound with cutex?

This post has been edited by Imaizumi: Jul 17 2006, 08:30 PM

my answer would be MX-1..

it performs on par (or some reviews even say better) than AS5. but the advantage of MX-1 is that it takes a much longer time to deteriorate compared to AS5 according to reviews.

disadvantage....not easy to find.... ull probably only get it if u buy the AC Freezer coolers.

Wht risk it's gonna pose ¿

Can just use ethanol

Dats rite; hard 2 come by here

This post has been edited by bombman: Jul 18 2006, 02:31 AM

buy all and try la..hahaha

my freezer 4 come with lousy termal compound... lol

p4 2.8 prescott ide 55'c

after that i got cap ayam rm5, ide 37'c - 42'c depends on room temp (no airc-con since my pc not in my room )

just repaste with AS5, IDE not much different just full load temp wont increase that much...

how much for AS5??
i going buy it
my thermal paste free from cooler master suxxx
nid apply WEEKLY!!!!
if not the temp going 79C!!

U can get that in the bulk section, its selling for RM 24 ++

try checking it out....

i think moderno and dinster has it.

79c is high, i think u can kill ur proc at that temp.

Have anyone used Cooler Master HTK-002 thermal compound? How does it perform relative to AS5?

amd only kah?p4 safe?
n btw, is there any thread/site that shows the rite way in applying thermal paste/compound?it'll b very useful 4 me

wahlao ehh..so high...better buy a better cooler leh..

Huh?!! Serious? I just bought a cooler master thermal compound for folding leh!! I'll see if mine needs weekly application.

hey everyone, any ppl here using nano fusion?? how u all apply it, using as5 method or the coolermaster method?? artic silver web site method is just apply 1 drop at the cpu and coolermaster site manual is using a card to spread it evenly, but i found out tht the nano fusion is kinda sticky and very hard to spread it evenly on the cpu...

Here's a few myths to dispel.

Static shock: geesus, it's not static shock. Use dictionary to understand what is static. AS5 has been tested to be non conductive under normal circumstances although Artic Cooling advises to apply it at the core (if non IHS a thin even layer on the core, a small dot at the centre if IHS) and no where else. And Arctic Cooling does also state that under certian conditions of heat and pressure exerted upon the paste may cause the paste to exhibit electrical CONDUCTIVE properties. Got it?


Thermal paste application: For cheap ass ceramic based thermal grease (white in colour), yes, an even thin layer over the core (if non IHS) or over the IHS preferably spread with a razor blade. If silver/copper/whatever metallic compound based thermal paste for IHS, just a dot the size of a rice at the centre will do, making sure that both surfaces in contact with it is thoroughly clean. Don't go overboard with it, I assure you, you will waste precious thermal compounds and at worse lousy temps.

Any other questions?

my 1 is free 1
so dun worry if u r buy

I'm using Anabond...not bad...

exceelllent almostthere!
how to clean the 'old' thermal compound off the...say CPU? just use tissue, or must use alcohol or ....?

Can use either alcohols or ArtiClean. Tissue is really for pemalas

ahh..... now i understand what articlean is.. thanks

I'm also using the CM NanoFusion, seems much better than de compound i got with the Gigabyte HS+Fan combo...idle temp without overclock is only 35 degree's

The coolermaster thermal compound do not last long like what Irishcoffee said. After several weeks, it does not conduct the heat as good as it was before. The temperature rise is sudden and great. Maybe it is due to the way I use the computer. I never turned the computer off since I applied coolermaster's thermal compound.

Will there be any side effects by using tissue?

Tissue paper may break into pieces and leave all the bulu bulu. These will reduce the conductivity of heat as tissue papers are poor conductors.

Just dont use too cheapo tissues lah. Otherwise should b fine. Many forumers hav also done it dis way

The best way is still to use Arctic Cleaner before applying any thermal paste on top of the heatsink...

But, the price...

Well, what the heck...
You want good performance, then go for the best looo...

I use pure isopropyl alcohol that is used for drive cleaning. Works very well though.

This post has been edited by mengsuan: Sep 30 2006, 01:23 PM

i want to know how good is anabond compund?

nit sum sugestion from here dud3...
when i put the thermal paste...muz remove da previous thermal paste?
if yes...how to remove..?use wut to remove..?
nit to buy those remover to remove...?
thx~

for me, I just use tissue and wipe many many times..... but thats NOT a good/proper way to remove it..

there's arctic cleaner

u can also use alcohol (the ones used to clean cassette / video tape heads)

or u can use perfumes to clean (perfumes do have alcohol content too)

de best and cheapest is the alcohol (rm1.20 per bottle and can last u for years)

Yerp, lucifah is right...
Those are the best way to remove the old thermal paste...

Remember not to put the thermal paste too thin or too thick...

about how many mm???? how thick is thick who thin is thin....

sry noob Q

Hopefully dis helps u giv clearer picture


>>Link<<

a grain size at the middle of the processor

running water and dishwashing liquid

takes a while to get it off though

I bought a Arctic Silver 5 yesterday. I applied it but still da same temp with da previous readings. My processor is P4 3.0 LGA630 with a cooler master HyperL3. Last time ddint put any paste. Using the CM HyperL3 wax itself.
I need 2 wait for the break in period for the real results ??
My temp currently IDLE = 56C
FULL LOAD with PRIME95 = 63C

I clean the HS and IHS with alcohol. Using the cotton bud.
Why still no different ? ANYBODY ?

If I remember correctly, I read somewhere in the forum that after apply AS5, need to wait for sometime before you can see the reduce of temp...

i think you need to wait for the arctic silver 5 to 'sink in' first before you can see any difference in temp. normally take 3 weeks+

i think this thing happens because you did let the thermal compound do it's 'running' period. U have to switch off ur PC once in a while until a period of time, then the thermal compound will give a long lasting results...

also, thermal compaund also have its duration of lifetime...after long use, it will become less conductive to heat...

Thanks guys ! I hope it works.
Another question for u guys.
When do i need 2 reapply the AS5 again?

after u clean ur proc then apply again lor..
better clean ur proc between half month
if not u will get a lot of dust mixed with ur AS5...

Paiseh, no need to reapply every half month la, if you really care about you're processor, just reapply it every two months is enough already...

ai yo saving MONEY mar.. now AS5 per stick is RM25
..haha

whoa.. AS5 only a tiny drop will do ar?
looks like i wasted my AS5 oledi..

which proves that i'm really a pemalas..

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_...ctions_big2.htm

i just know how to save my arcticsilver

Anyone know how to remove the IHS on the LGA775 processor?

Thinking of taking it out to make a direct contact on the core to the heatsink...

i think u put too much my fren since not much diff.i thin layer across the proc.mine drop from 60 to 40.later a few days or priming it drop another 2c on idle so 38c is my idle but my load temp still high as 55c sometime 58c i use cpu burn to "sink in" my AS5.

me too..
i tot i should apply the AS5 to cover almost the entire cpu..
i have re-applied it, though..

I just follow the instruction manual on da net. Put a tiny little bit only.
Dunno is my cooler master L3 problem or wat,spinning quite low on da RPM. Only 1500-2+++ RPM, but is more silent than my stock p4 heatsink. Haiz ...
My house dun have air con. I put the PC under my desk. I think the air flow problem. I'll try to relocate my CPU then i'll update u all... Thanks !

Wa... half a month ? I'm lazy la ... by the way ... the the AS5 havent sink in then already put a new one ...

You don't need to reapply the thermal compound as long as you do not remove and reinstall your heatsink. Just make sure you apply the compound right at the first place, redoing will lead to wastage

Ehh, no one gonna help me answer this question?

shawty,

too extreme not many would do

the zalman thermal paste..anybody hav try it? instead picit picit it apply like gals apply wat those on their nails

an article with pics on removal of the ihs of p4 northwood. not sure about amd though.

link

anyone using it?i wonder how it perform to AS5.user using it plz post comments.

i found this review but they compare it between ZM-STG1 and AS Ceramique not the AS5..

but still can use as reference...

Zalman ZM-STG1 vs Arctic Silver Ceramique

Are you going to use them on air-cooling?

maybe just maybe its on par with AS5

i just want to know the performance for both thermal grease..
hope ppl can just share their experience in using AS5 and Zalman STG1..
no matter in air-cooling or water-cooling..

Nope,it's better than AS5.

http://modslabs.com/modules/articles/article.php?id=5

Hi guys, i've change the cpu to a place that better air flow. And i think the AS5 already sink in cause already one week i've put it.

But the temp reading is still da same. I'm using everest to check da temp.

But some of u guys says everest is not accurate. So i check in the BIOS, the reading come even worst than the everest.
Now only i knew tat the everest is not accurate cause my BIOS reading is 60C when idle. My everest show 56C when idle.

So anybody can help me? Put AS5 but still da same.

Now i want to use MBM or coretemp to test again.

The bios always reports a higher temps...

Coz in the bios, the processor, northbridge is running at 50%...
"Sources from ASUS"

That's why in bios, the temps tend to be higher than what you've got in windows...

In windows, if there is zero program running in background, you're processor sometimes running at 0%...

my spanish kinda rusty mind telling us the articles about?if its true finally an improved thermal paste.wuhuuu!!!!

That article compares two thermal compound.Common sence la....
Anyway if you can't read or see here's the result obtained from the 2 thermal compunds.



This post has been edited by ncool15: Nov 10 2006, 12:36 PM

sink in time? any difference in between the two?

This post has been edited by syarat: Nov 10 2006, 12:42 PM

quite impressive result here..

anyone want to share more with us here?

Well, besides the Zalman, is there any other thermal grease that is on par with the AS5?

Thanks shawty for ur info !!!
I think my final solution is to invest a air-con for my room. Hope it can drop 10-15c. Haiz ...

this is another competitor in thermal paste industry Cooler Master NanoFusion, but still Zalman ZM-STG1 is the best rite now..

Cooler Master NanoFusion vs Arctic Silver 5