# Best thermal compound/paste for cooling CPU



## Sayyid (Apr 7, 2015)

Hello there guys. I need your help finding the best thermal compound for an Intel i7 processor with a copper heatsink.

After making some search on google I found this article that suggests *Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme* to be the best thermal paste although *Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra* seems to perform better if properly applied.

My question is: which one do you advise me to go with? is the 4C Degree difference between those two compounds make any remarkable difference if I want to use my PC especially for video editing and 3D graphics design?

Any help is appreciated.


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## Kursah (Apr 7, 2015)

I would be more concerned about the rest of your system rather than the thermal paste between the CPU and Cooler. I use the Noctua stuff that comes with the cooler and AC MX4, and both work great and are easy to work with and clean.

That said, if the rest of your system is good and well tuned for cooling performance within your needs, I would go with GC-Extreme if I had to choose between those two because it should be an easier application.

Do you really need to eek out those extra few degrees of cooling or is it something you want to do?


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## SK-1 (Apr 7, 2015)

*Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme will allow you to edit more VPM (video per minute) than just about any other solution.*


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## R-T-B (Apr 7, 2015)

I have a bulk tube of the AC MX2 I've been using for a bit now, good temps, easy to apply, and a great price.  Then again, if you plan to only apply once and forget, it might be worth splurging on something a bit more expensive.  I went with it for cost effectiveness and longevity on my client builds...


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## micropage7 (Apr 7, 2015)

mx2
but you need better contact pressure and maybe some lapping it to get better result


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## R-T-B (Apr 7, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> mx2
> but you need better contact pressure and maybe some lapping it to get better result



I'm using a socket LGA-2011 cooler on a socket LGA-2011v3 build,. so my contact pressure is already pretty tight.  Don't know if that'll be the same case for this build however.


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## micropage7 (Apr 7, 2015)

R-T-B said:


> I'm using a socket LGA-2011 cooler on a socket LGA-2011v3 build,. so my contact pressure is already pretty tight.  Don't know if that'll be the same case for this build however.



some people just think that all that they need just a good paste but sometimes forgot about how good their contact area, contact pressure, their airflow or they dont clean their old paste properly


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## Ebo (Apr 7, 2015)

Ive used the IC7 Diamond for years and been happy about it.
When i built my new system, I switched to Polimatech PK-3 and it gains 1 degree cencius over the IC7 in use, so it works for me.

The Gelid should be the top of the pop, for now.


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## micropage7 (Apr 7, 2015)

Ebo said:


> Ive used the IC7 Diamond for years and been happy about it.
> When i built my new system, I switched to Polimatech PK-3 and it gains 1 degree cencius over the IC7 in use, so it works for me.
> 
> The Gelid should be the top of the pop, for now.



ic diamond? i may skip that since from some user ic7 gets kinda abrasive to the cooler

gelid especially for now get easier to find here


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## Toothless (Apr 7, 2015)

SK-1 said:


> *Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme will allow you to edit more VPM (video per minute) than just about any other solution.*


How does thermal paste make video edits go faster? Unless the last paste is letting the chip hit the throttle points,  I question your post.


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## ne6togadno (Apr 7, 2015)

Toothless said:


> How does thermal paste make video edits go faster? Unless the last paste is letting the chip hit the throttle points,  I question your post.


irony?
i question your sense of humor


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## Toothless (Apr 7, 2015)

ne6togadno said:


> irony?
> i question your sense of humor


What sense? I had one? I must drink more coffee.


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 7, 2015)

Welcome to TPU!

There are multiple threads here on this topic.  Buy whichever you think is the best at the price you are willing to afford.  I use MX-4 for what I feel is the best blend of efficiency and cost.  Others have their favorites.  Some undoubtedly will give a degree or two improvement.

But really, if you aren't overheating or close to it, it does not matter.  The only purpose is to provided an even surface of contact between cpu and the heatsink so that heat transfers to the heatsink.


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## FreedomEclipse (Apr 7, 2015)

cant go wrong with MX-4 or PK-3 which is slightly more expensive but better than MX-4. weather or not its worth the premium for an extra 2-3'c here and there is down to your own decision


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## xvi (Apr 7, 2015)

Sayyid said:


> I found this article that suggests *Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme* to be the best thermal paste although *Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra* seems to perform better if properly applied.


I wouldn't trust that website in the slightest. They've done a total of five "reviews" and did zero of the testing themselves, instead just copying the work of others. Four of the five are just a copy of the manufacturer's description, not testing.
I haven't been following thermal goop too closely, but I'm pretty sure those are more for replacing the TIM between the bare die and heatshield on a delidded proc. I don't think they're particularly inexpensive.

Real pros use mayonnaise. It's on par with the Gelid GC-Extreme, costs a lot less, and is a lot easier to find.
(^ Seriously, click the link. It's a roundup of thermal pastes. Don't use mayonnaise though.)



Ebo said:


> When i built my new system, I switched to Polimatech PK-3 and it gains 1 degree cencius over the IC7 in use, so it works for me.


+1 to the Polimatech PK-3. Outperforms the Gelid, on par with the Coollab Liquid Ultra, and it's cheap as chips (relatively). HardwareSecrets' tests show that AS5 still beats most everything though.
The IC7 is abrasive, isn't it?


FreedomEclipse said:


> cant go wrong with MX-4 or PK-3 which is slightly more expensive but better than MX-4. weather or not its worth the premium for an extra 2-3'c here and there is down to your own decision


Also +1. There are a lot of options that perform pretty well. I'd just start at the top and work your way down until you find something moderately inexpensive.


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## MrGenius (Apr 7, 2015)

Cool Silver G4 is the best I've ever used. Hands down.


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## Countryside (Apr 7, 2015)

Welcome! Noctua has never let me down so


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## cephelix (Apr 7, 2015)

As the others have stated, either one of the other pastes should work fine such as mx-4, nt-h1. I myself use gelid gc extreme in my setup and i would say it performs on par with the others,maybe even slightly better but temp differences are nothing to rave about. One caution about CLU. I used it recently between my die and IHS and even when i reapplied it a day later, i realised that it's stained the area on the IHS that came into contact with it. And i could see the stained area and feel the difference when cleaning it off.


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## peche (Apr 8, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> mx2
> but you need better contact pressure and maybe some lapping it to get better result





micropage7 said:


> some people just think that all that they need just a good paste but sometimes forgot about how good their contact area, contact pressure, their airflow or they dont clean their old paste properly


agreed....


Toothless said:


> How does thermal paste make video edits go faster? Unless the last paste is letting the chip hit the throttle points,  I question your post.


i may agreed this too...


FreedomEclipse said:


> cant go wrong with MX-4 or PK-3 which is slightly more expensive but better than MX-4. weather or not its worth the premium for an extra 2-3'c here and there is down to your own decision


a 1 or 2 C difference is never wothfull for paying some extra $'s....



xvi said:


> Real pros use mayonnaise. It's on par with the Gelid GC-Extreme, costs a lot less, and is a lot easier to find.
> (^ Seriously, click the link. It's a roundup of thermal pastes. Don't use mayonnaise though.)



just no ...never use mayo dude....



rtwjunkie said:


> Welcome to TPU!
> 
> There are multiple threads here on this topic.  Buy whichever you think is the best at the price you are willing to afford.  I use MX-4 for what I feel is the best blend of efficiency and cost.  Others have their favorites.  Some undoubtedly will give a degree or two improvement.
> 
> But really, if you aren't overheating or close to it, it does not matter.  The only purpose is to provided an even surface of contact between cpu and the heatsink so that heat transfers to the heatsink.


welcome to TPU!
rtwjunkie say almost what is tpu ...
here we love Arctic MX 4, Coolermaster Hyper 212EVO and also badgers... @CAPSLOCKSTUCK can explain the reuth about badgers...



> .


*******
i may told you something about arctic silver... real pain in the ass... curing time... several myths about aplication methods.... well i trully recomend ya arctic cooling mx 4 for the win ... also delidding your processor you can have a real drop on temps if you are runing 3rd or 4th intel i7's ...
@Knoxx29 im i right?


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## xvi (Apr 8, 2015)

peche said:


> just no ...never use mayo dude....


Makes your CPU cold *AND* delicious!  

Yes, yes. Of course I know you never want to use mayo as your TIM.
Everyone would try to eat it!


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## peche (Apr 8, 2015)

xvi said:


> Makes your CPU cold *AND* delicious!



no mayo on fries... thats a rule....


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## Jetster (Apr 8, 2015)

Any quality CPU thermal compound is fine. There isn't 4c deference from the best to the worst let alone  Gelid Solutions and Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra. Your information is wrong about that.

Micropage7 has some good advice. There are other things that lead to temp problems other than paste. Check the mounting surfaces and cooler

Good article
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-heat-sink-heat-spreader,3600.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-performance-benchmark,3616.html

I stand correct. The best to the worst thermal compounds is 4.2c .So thermal compound choice make very little difference. Focus on more important issues  

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-performance-benchmark,3616-17.html


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## bihboy23 (Apr 8, 2015)

You can never go wrong with a small tube of Arctic Silver 5


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## FreedomEclipse (Apr 8, 2015)

peche said:


> a 1 or 2 C difference is never wothfull for paying some extra $'s....



that depends. Sometimes its worth trying out something new. you can never beat MX-4 on price|performance a 20g tube is just so cheap


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## EarthDog (Apr 8, 2015)

TL;DR... unless you are after that last degree or two, nearly any solution will be fine. A degree or two isn't generally worth the huge (% wise) difference in cost. I mean it is only a couple of dollars, but you are paying 30% more for a degree or two... Not worth it (to me). 

+1 to jetster and Micro!


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## peche (Apr 8, 2015)

FreedomEclipse said:


> that depends. Sometimes its worth trying out something new. you can never beat MX-4 on price|performance a 20g tube is just so cheap


there is always the chance that do a try out when your trusted paste is gone, and there are other you know that work as efficient as your trusted one does, but there is always the fact that no all the pastes should be applied the same, also cooler may affect, but that is our a exception at least for me 

*My trusted compounds and pastes:*
_Arctic Cooling MX4 / MX2
Thermaltake TG -2
coollaboratory Liquid Pro / Ultra
Arctic Silver 5 * (last option, i don't like its curing time, )_

For Budget save works ... also for light use GPU's
_Coolermaster Ice Fusion i got a win for a budget flask ... 30G for $8 something like that, _

Regards,


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## fullinfusion (Apr 8, 2015)

Gelid extreme hands down.

I've used MX 2,4 , AS5, icd 24, and now GC extreme... I'm using it on 2 hot bastards, an R9 290 and 290x and I was shocked on how well it lowered the temperatures.. After that I removed the ol trusty mx4 off my cpu and use gelid extreme on everything now and never regretted it since


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## Sayyid (Apr 9, 2015)

Thank you all guys for your useful participation. I really appreciate it. After reading the comments here I think since I can afford it I would try my luck with Gelid Extreme instead of Coollaboratory. Hope everything then will go right and smooth.


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## peche (Apr 9, 2015)

Sayyid said:


> Thank you all guys for your useful participation. I really appreciate it. After reading the comments here I think since I can afford it I would try my luck with Gelid Extreme instead of Coollaboratory. Hope everything then will go right and smooth.


well another fact to know, coollab will destroy some coolers...  on cooper its okay but niquel or aluminium can get damaged, 
Regards,


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## fullinfusion (Apr 9, 2015)

@Sayyid The gelid comes with a small rubber spatchula so use it. Put a dab in the center of whatever your pasting and spread it out nice and evenly. I usually do the bb size method but with the GC you'll get better results using the spreader that's included 

The other brands I'd just let the cooler spread it but like I said the GC WILL benefit by spreading it.

Be sure to post your findings for others to see once you get it applied.


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## kikicoco1334 (Apr 9, 2015)

i've always liked OCZ freeze the old school kind not the new stuff. i hoarded a lot of it while back when it was found all over the place

i haven't overclocked for a few years now so might be a good time to get back into it... but too damn busy at work x.x


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## fullinfusion (Apr 9, 2015)

kikicoco1334 said:


> i've always liked OCZ freeze the old school kind not the new stuff. i hoarded a lot of it while back when it was found all over the place
> 
> i haven't overclocked for a few years now so might be a good time to get back into it... but too damn busy at work x.x


I wished I could hoard myself the GC paste, but here where I live, its nowhere to be found.

Plus the shop in the states I ordered it from got closed down, so now the search goes on.


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