# Zalman Thermal Grease or Arctic Silver 5?



## bud951 (Jan 3, 2008)

New build. I have Zalman that came with my cooler and I have a new tube of Arctic Silver 5. Which one should I use for my CPU? Thanks.


----------



## Darknova (Jan 3, 2008)

The Arctic Silver 5. Just follow the instructions. It's thicker than most so it is harder to apply.


----------



## reverze (Jan 3, 2008)

Artic Silver for sure!


----------



## hat (Jan 3, 2008)

Arctic Silver. Just put a little more than the size of a grain of rice on the center of the CPU, then put the heatsink on. The heatsink will flatten it out and you'll get pretty good contact.


----------



## panchoman (Jan 3, 2008)

artic silver hands down


----------



## Fitseries3 (Jan 3, 2008)

AS5 is great for air cooling, but use Ceramique for water cooling. 

read my thread on the zalman grease...

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=44927


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 3, 2008)

THey design the compound that comes with coolers to work for stock apps... Its all ways better to put an after market compound on any type of CPU, GPU, or anything else... I would never use the compound that comes with anything... I've seen  as5 and mx-2 showing way better temp postings then anything that comes with the item.. IMO


----------



## bud951 (Jan 3, 2008)

Cold Storm said:


> THey design the compound that comes with coolers to work for stock apps... Its all ways better to put an after market compound on any type of CPU, GPU, or anything else... I would never use the compound that comes with anything... I've seen  as5 and mx-2 showing way better temp postings then anything that comes with the item.. IMO



The Zalman 9700 does come with a silver compound that I have read is good. i am currently using it and it seems ok but i have not compared it to AS-5 . I will just use the AS-5 since i have it. Thanks for the replies.


----------



## bud951 (Jan 4, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> AS5 is great for air cooling, but use Ceramique for water cooling.
> 
> read my thread on the zalman grease...
> 
> http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=44927



damm.. I guess i will just use the AS-5! Thanks for the post.


----------



## bud951 (Jan 4, 2008)

How much AS-5 should I use? I have usually spread it on fairly thick and scraped it flat with a credit card. Should I go thick or thin? Thanks.


----------



## Fitseries3 (Jan 4, 2008)

put a dab just the size of a grain of rice. you dont really need to spread it. it does that on it's own. (im sure some one will argue that one)

EDIT: if you lap your IHS and cooler base... you'll need about half a grain rice worth.


----------



## Hawk1 (Jan 4, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> put a dab just the size of a grain of rice. you dont really need to spread it. it does that on it's own. (im sure some one will argue that one)
> 
> EDIT: if you lap your IHS and cooler base... you'll need about half a grain rice worth.



Yes, I will argue - you can also follow the directions on the ArcticSilver website Here Different people will tell you different things on how to do it. I find this method (well the one for the C2D CPU's) worked best for me.

Edit: Oh yeah, just to drive the point further, don't use the Zalman crap. I had it with my 9700LED and it was always (multiple mountings) several degrees hotter than with Arctic Ceramique.


----------



## pepsi71ocean (Jan 4, 2008)

i have as5 on my 9700 and my Q6600, nice set up, i go with as5


----------



## OnBoard (Jan 4, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> put a dab just the size of a grain of rice. you dont really need to spread it. it does that on it's own. (im sure some one will argue that one)
> 
> EDIT: if you lap your IHS and cooler base... you'll need about half a grain rice worth.



That only works for single cores, there are instructions for dual and quad core on AS5 web-page. Shortly it's a line across the heatspreader along the CPU closing arm for DUAL and  across for QUAD.

You seem to have quad, so it's:
http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf

rest of them are here;
http://www.arcticsilver.com/ins_route_step2intelas5.html

edit: seems I was late, Hawk1 beat me to it =) Well repetitions is good for memory


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 4, 2008)

Glad to see you have went with AS5... It will give you a good 5-8c off what you are at now.


----------



## OnBoard (Jan 4, 2008)

Cold Storm said:


> Glad to see you have went with AS5... It will give you a good 5-8c off what you are at now.



No way that much, maybe few degrees. He's got ZM-STG1 Thermal Grease and not some generic white paste.

http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/zalmanthermalgrease/index3.php

and there was even a compare with the white Zalman paste that comes with all earlies coolers:

http://www.bigbruin.com/2006/supergrease_2


----------



## Cold Storm (Jan 4, 2008)

after reading the two links I see that


----------



## tzitzibp (Jan 4, 2008)

Arctic silver is better by about 5 degrees... used both when testing for my e6420...but AS-5  helped keep the cpu cool enough to OC to 3.6GHz with no problems...
note: it is thicker and stickier and harder to apply and remove but you only need a drop!


----------



## i_dog_69 (Jan 4, 2008)

i have used both AS-5 and the ZM-STG1 on my e4500 and to be honest i have gotten better temps with the zalman stuff. i have never used it before and i have always used AS-5 before this but it was a 3 degree difference while looping 3DMARK06 for 1 hour. see my system on the side, is everyone really so down on the zalman stuff?? i think its great. just my 2 cents.


----------



## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Jan 4, 2008)

Neither. Get IC 7 Diamond thermal paste. 

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=47360


----------

