Best TIM ?

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

Hey guys just have a quick question. So i got my Ryzen rig put together and i decided to swap the stock cooler for a after market tower cooler for better thermals. Issue the only tim i could fund around my office is some cheap paste rated at 3.17 W/mk which i don't believe is good. So what TIM would you guys recommend that performs well and is easy to apply.

phanbuey · Jan 3, 2020

these threads can get out of control but basically:
MX-4 if you don't want to spend a ton and get good paste; NT-H1 from noctua is also great.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut if you want the "Best" (like 1-2C difference between the three and a few bucks between tubes)

SaLaDiN666 · Jan 3, 2020

Noctua NT-H1 is pretty cheap and very easy to apply. There is also a newer version called NT-H2, but don't have any experience with it and it is more expensive. I would try the old paste first and see how it performs.

P4-630 · Jan 3, 2020

Guru3D Thermal Paste Roundup 2019

Thermal paste is an often-overlooked part of most computer setups. You can simply use the pre-applied stuff, or the thermal paste that comes with your motherboard, and still get reasonable processor t... Air Cooling for i9 9900K@5.0 GHz 1.35V

www.guru3d.com

newtekie1 · Jan 3, 2020

I'm still an MX-4 guy for high end stuff. It's the best balance, IMO, between ease of application, performance, and cost.

For random repastes of computers running stock speeds, I still use a huge tube of Artic Silver Alumina that I bought ages ago.

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

newtekie1 said:
I'm still an MX-4 guy for high end stuff. It's the best balance, IMO, between ease of application, performance, and cost.

For random repastes of computers running stock speeds, I still use a huge tube of Artic Silver Alumina that I bought ages ago.

This PC will be OC'd

On air right now but plan to swap to water

Deleted member 193596 · Jan 3, 2020

none of them would make any difference.
you'll have spikes and short periods of max load bursts (like when loading a large game from a fast SSD)

you won't have a single °C Less or More if you do run Cinebench, playing a game or whatever. i tested almost all pastes over the years.

buy a fresh MX4 and you'll be fine.

EarthDog · Jan 3, 2020

Pick something cheap from that list. As you can see by reading any comprehensive review temp differences between major pastes are like 1-3C (including liquid metals).

Dont make this harder than it is. Your mount and case airflow are far more important than your tim.

MX-4 2019 is my go to for cheap and easy.

lexluthermiester · Jan 3, 2020

Durvelle27 said:
So what TIM would you guys recommend that performs well and is easy to apply.

Using those two parameters, almost any of the big brands will meet your needs. Arctic MX4 is my goto TIM, but even AS5 would work very well. As Earthdog referred to, the list posted by P4-630 shows that most of the TIM's in that list perform are within a few percent of each other under a serious load. Get the one you like and have fun!

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

lexluthermiester said:
Using those two parameters, almost any of the big brand will meet your needs. Arctic MX4 is my goto TIM, but even AS5 would work very well. As Earthdog referred to, the list posted by P4-630 shows that most of the TIM's in that list perform within a few percent of each other under a serious load. Get the one you like and have fun!

AS5 is poop in my opinion. Conductive and has a long burn in time

EarthDog · Jan 3, 2020

Durvelle27 said:
AS5 is poop in my opinion. Conductive and has a long burn in time

Myths.

1. It is slightly CAPACITIVE, not conductive.
2. It does have a long arse 'burn in' time good for 1-2C... it doesnt change much at all though, so what.

There are better pastes out there, yes (though not by much, again, look at reviews), but let's get our facts straight, eh?

lexluthermiester · Jan 3, 2020

EarthDog said:
Myths.

1. It is slightly CAPACITIVE, not conductive.
2. It does have a long arse 'burn in' time good for 1-2C... it doesnt change much at all though, so what.

I'll echo this.

Durvelle27 said:
AS5 is poop in my opinion. Conductive and has a long burn in time

It was only an example. I still have a supply of it, and it still works perfectly. Certainly not "poop".

phanbuey · Jan 3, 2020

apparently kingpin cooling has a paste out that's pretty amazing. Haven't seen many reviews of it though. Kingpin KPX.

Mounting pressure also has a huge impact on paste performance:

Thermal Paste Round-up: 85 Products Tested

This much-needed update to our thermal paste round-up now includes 85 contenders. It's one of the most comprehensive comparisons available, so we hope you find it useful!

www.tomshardware.com

freeagent · Jan 3, 2020

I like Thermalright TF8. On paper slightly better than kryonaut. Easy application, excellent performance.

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

Based on the review above the NT-H1 is a good contender outpacing the MX-4 but it's also cheaper than MX-4

dirtyferret · Jan 3, 2020

I recommend the paste that comes with whatever after market cooler you buy since you already payed for it.

I personally use Noctua NT-H1 when I do run out of thermal paste.

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

dirtyferret said:
I recommend the paste that comes with whatever after market cooler you buy since you already payed for it.

I personally use Noctua NT-H1 when I do run out of thermal paste.

Sadly i lost it as it was a small tube :roll:

phanbuey · Jan 3, 2020

Durvelle27 said:
Based on the review above the NT-H1 is a good contender outpacing the MX-4 but it's also cheaper than MX-4

If you look at paste reviews they will all jockey for top stop and disagree with each other -- mainly because the pasting process/application makes more difference than the paste itself.

Some pastes are easy to use (MX-4, NT-H1, Kryonaut) because they are pretty easy to spread -- I like these more, while others (Cooler Master MM, Diamond IC, TG8, Gelid) really depend on the skill of the reviewer to properly apply since they are thicker so you will see them either dominate or be very 'meh' across reviews.

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

phanbuey said:
If you look at paste reviews they will all jockey for top stop and disagree with each other -- mainly because the pasting process/application makes more difference than the paste itself.

Some pastes are easy to use (MX-4, NT-H1, Kryonaut) because they are pretty easy to spread -- I like these more, while others (Cooler Master MM, Diamond IC, TG8, Gelid) really depend on the skill of the reviewer to properly use so you will see them either dominate or be very 'meh' across reviews.

I've used IC Diamond 7 before under water and it performed amazing but it was a pain to spread

Putting it in a zip lock bag and submerging under hot water help thin it out alittle but it still wouldn't spread easily

erixx · Jan 3, 2020

Happy new year. Conductonaut is amazing. Just used it on 3 pc's. 15º lower than Arctic MX4. But not easy to use for sure.

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

erixx said:
Happy new year. Conductonaut is amazing. Just used it on 3 pc's. 15º lower than Arctic MX4. But not easy to use for sure.

Is that liquid metal

erixx · Jan 3, 2020

Durvelle27 said:
Is that liquid metal

indeed!

Durvelle27 · Jan 3, 2020

erixx said:
indeed!

I'm afraid to use that stuff

xkm1948 · Jan 3, 2020

Noctua NT-H2 would be my recommendation

Deleted member 185158 · Jan 3, 2020

I like nano diamond pastes. Antec Formula 7.

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Best TIM ?

Durvelle27

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phanbuey

SaLaDiN666

P4-630

Guru3D Thermal Paste Roundup 2019

newtekie1

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Durvelle27

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Deleted member 193596

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EarthDog

lexluthermiester

Durvelle27

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EarthDog

lexluthermiester

phanbuey

Thermal Paste Round-up: 85 Products Tested

freeagent

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Durvelle27

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dirtyferret

Durvelle27

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phanbuey

Durvelle27

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erixx

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erixx

Durvelle27

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xkm1948

Deleted member 185158

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