Tuesday, January 18th 2022

ARCTIC Identifies Bad Batch of MX-5 TIM in the Market, Offers Free Replacements

Press Release by
btarunr
 Discuss (60 Comments)
For ARCTIC, it has always been a top priority to supply customers only with products of the best quality and durability. Should there ever be any doubts about products we've delivered, we stand by our responsibility to our customers.

Current findings from our permanent quality assurance tests show that certain batches of our MX-5 thermal compound contain anomalies in consistency and shelf life. The affected products show an increased separation of oil within the paste, resulting in premature hardening. This can lead to adverse effects and application difficulties.
Affected batches have already been identified and recalled from circulation so that no further affected product can enter the market. We regret that this quality defect could not be detected before delivery to distributors and customers, despite constant quality controls and diligent care during production.

Affected MX-5 thermal compounds can of course be returned without exception, and we will offer a replacement product. For this purpose, we ask you to contact us and provide proof of purchase via the form support.arctic.de/en/menu/support.

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60 Comments on ARCTIC Identifies Bad Batch of MX-5 TIM in the Market, Offers Free Replacements

#51
iuliug
maxflyThey want you to ship it on your dime?
Then replace it with mx-4?
Mmmmnah. That is unacceptable.
Yes cost is on the user. MX-4 offered at double the grammage. Unacceptable i concur.
Posted on Reply
#52
maxfly
I expected far better of them. Arctic has done alot over the years to solidify their brand as one of the best. This response is pretty much the opposite of what I expected. I assumed they would confirm the bad tube, send a shipping label. Then obviously send a replacement tube of mx-5. Their approach makes no sense.
Posted on Reply
#53
lexluthermiester
iuliugArtic support said it will replaced with mx-4 (at double the grams) and requires mx-5 be sent at the cost of user.
I'm not buying that statement. Citation required. Let's see a link to where they said this publicly or a screen shot of an email they sent you. Otherwise I call BS on your comment.
Posted on Reply
#54
VME
Here is the official statement about the issue with MX-5 paste: PR | ARCTIC MX-5 paste

I've also contacted them today. I'm curious to see if they will going to replace it with an MX-5 or MX-4.

I'm using the MX-5 on an i9-12900k and I've observed in 2 months of use my temps got higher with ~5C . I thought that it's the motherboard manufacturer as I've upgraded my BIOS 7 x times in the last month - new platform (Z690) and a lot of new BIOS updates has been released.

Next week I'm building my 2nd rig with an i7-12700k and hopefully I will get the new (good) paste till then.

I'm a fan of their products and I own 2 x Arctic LF II - 1 x 420mm and 1 x 360mm
Posted on Reply
#55
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
I'd take the trade for double the weight in MX4, IF they paid shipping

Its a guaranteed way to get a product with no risk of quality control issues, at least... but not if you end up paying 5x the cost of the MX4 alone
Posted on Reply
#56
TheoneandonlyMrK
MusselsI'd take the trade for double the weight in MX4, IF they paid shipping

Its a guaranteed way to get a product with no risk of quality control issues, at least... but not if you end up paying 5x the cost of the MX4 alone
I should be able to photo the batch number and a receipt and they send me it and ditch the return, shit is shit and they're aware it was shit already without further examples.
Posted on Reply
#57
Catbathat
For reference, I Personally had a defective hard and oily mx-5 tube. I contacted arctic support, and they asked for a photo of the thermal paste squeezed onto a white paper to prove oil speration, so I sent them a photo and a short video. They approved the replacement, without asking for the tube to be shipped to them. They also asked for a proof of purchase. In the end they sent me a 20g mx4 tube as a replacement to my 8g mx5.

MX-5 also seems to be discontinued by arctic. Its not on available for purchase from their website and it's listed as an end of life product, which probably explains them giving out mx4 as a replacement rather than mx5.
Posted on Reply
#58
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
CatbathatFor reference, I Personally had a defective hard and oily mx-5 tube. I contacted arctic support, and they asked for a photo of the thermal paste squeezed onto a white paper to prove oil speration, so I sent them a photo and a short video. They approved the replacement, without asking for the tube to be shipped to them. They also asked for a proof of purchase. In the end they sent me a 20g mx4 tube as a replacement to my 8g mx5.

MX-5 also seems to be discontinued by arctic. Its not on available for purchase from their website and it's listed as an end of life product, which probably explains them giving out mx4 as a replacement rather than mx5.
Yeah it's EOL'd, we have some other threads discussing it (although they're kinda... messy. some people really really loved their MX5)
Posted on Reply
#59
lexluthermiester
Mussels(although they're kinda... messy. some people really really loved their MX5)
There's an understatement.. ;)
Posted on Reply
#60
iuliug
From my discussions with them (i ended up not asking for replacement due to the fact that i did not want MX4 and their poor communication and support) they never acknowledged that they EoLed MX5/ hence my annoyance with then that they did mot provide MX5 replacements,.
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