What the best thermal paste in 2019?

[freeagent]

I used as5 for years, never had a problem with it. It never degraded, I liked it better than the Noctua paste. AS5 is good stuff. You need to apply it properly for good results. If you are new to it, you will probably have to remount a few times to dial in your application. I would still use it if I had some. I hear a lot of complaints, but I myself would just chalk it up to inexperience.

 

[Deleted member 185158]

I have been using Antec Formula 6/7 pastes for a long time. Upgraded from AS5 many years ago.
Various pastes in between on the bench.
Most pastes seem to be within a few degree of each other honestly.

 

[jayjr1105]

AS5 is an antique. 20+ products out there that are better performing, don't have a silly "break-in" period and have zero electrical conductivity. Oh and also cost less. Stop buying AS5 because it's "nostalgic"

 

[Deleted member 185158]

AS5 is an antique. 20+ products out there that are better performing, don't have a silly "break-in" period and have zero electrical conductivity. Oh and also cost less. Stop buying AS5 because it's "nostalgic"

lol, I think it's called a burn in.... But all pastes need time to "break-in" or I'd call it "settle in" as the paste pushes out from the mounting pressures of the cooling device.
They do recommend running warm for some amount of time which probably thins it out a bit and helps with push out.

EDIT: I stand myself corrected. It is Break-in time for sure.

Break-In Period by Thermal Compound: (AMD)
Arctic Silver 5: Break-in period: 200 hours (Break-in period will occur during normal use.) Temps will drop several degrees over the break-in period measured with a thermal diode in the hottest part of the CPU core.

Céramique 2: Break-in period: 25 hours (Break-in period will occur during normal use.) Temps will drop several degrees over the break-in period measured with a thermal diode in the hottest part of the CPU core.

Arctic Alumina: Break-in period: 36 hours (Break-in period will occur during normal use.) Temps will drop several degrees over the break-in period measured with a thermal diode in the hottest part of the CPU core

source: http://www.arcticsilver.com/PDF/appmeth/amd/vl/amd_app_method_vl_1.3.pdf

 

[Vario]

AS5 is an antique. 20+ products out there that are better performing, don't have a silly "break-in" period and have zero electrical conductivity. Oh and also cost less. Stop buying AS5 because it's "nostalgic"

AS5 isn't electrically conductive. Just about all silicon based pastes perform within 1 to 2 degrees C. Most of these products cost about the same amount. I prefer AS5 because the mounting lasts a long time. For example, I have a Radeon HD 7850 videocard pasted 7 years ago with AS5 that still has the same temperatures as when it was freshly pasted. These temperatures were substantially better than the stock paste. I will continue to buy it. Also, I personally have never experienced temperature change 200 hours in, it works fine immediately just like everything else.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Aging badly because it starts temp degradation after a year, sooner all to often. It also requires set time, and it's fussy about how it's installed.

Again, nonsense and inaccurate.

Degradation over the entire lifespan of many years is only a few degrees, typically less than 5°C. So again, if you "need" those 5° to keep from getting too close to the thermal thresholds, then YOU have failed to properly set up cooling. And it is not at all fussy about installing. In fact, it is simple.

You need to apply it properly for good results.

True for every TIM out there.

The only reason AS5 is still sold is because enough people settled on it when it was the best thing easily available, and like that reply, refuse to accept that it's simply 'ok' now, and won't move on.

Why buy AS5 when there's better available and that better is cheaper? Brand loyalty? Get Arctic Silver Ceramique, it's more efficient and it lasts longer before degrading too.

You really don't know what you are talking about. Please see the last line of my sig. Do your home work. Arctic Silver 5, $5.95 for 3.5g or $1.70 per gram. Arctic Silver Ceramique, $4.99 for 2.7g or $1.84 per gram. MX-4, $7.62 for 4g or $1.90 per gram.

Did you look at the link oobymach posted? No one, including me, said AS5 is the best. Yes, it is in the middle of the pack. But so what? It is less than 6° off from the top performer which costs a fortune. And it is only 3°C off from the best non-metallic paste, Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut which costs a whopping $7 per gram! For 3°? Forget it.

FTR, I am not defending AS5 because I think it is the best. I am defending it because of all the nonsense being spewed about it. It is a good TIM - much better then many other name brand products.

 

[jayjr1105]

AS5 isn't electrically conductive. Just about all silicon based pastes perform within 1 to 2 degrees C. I prefer AS5 because the mounting lasts a long time. I will continue to buy it.

It's more conductive than modern carbon based paste and that's enough for me to sleep better at night. It does have actual silver in it right? And silver is metal right? I'll still pass on AS5

 

[Vario]

AS5 is old, overpriced, and performs like a mid-grade OE paste. It's out performed by Ceramique, and Ceramique is cheaper.

Ceramique is junk.

 

[Deleted member 185158]

Pass on Ceramique and pass on AS5 with the 200 hr "break-in" time. I have to WAIT to get better temps!!?? lol, nah, pass.

 

[Vario]

Pass on Ceramique and pass on AS5 with the 200 hr "break-in" time. I have to WAIT to get better temps!!?? lol, nah, pass.

The 200 hour thing doesn't really matter. You know immediately that it is mounted properly based on idle and load temperature and how rapidly it can transition from load back to idle temperatures.

I have never noticed AS5 temperature reduction, if any, after 200 hours, I put it on and it works.

I have installed NTH1, PK3, X23, G751, and several other pastes I had lying around with the same processor and heatsink as AS5 and the temperatures were the exact same.

I tried Ceramique back in 2006 and it didn't cool as well as AS5 and also didn't last as long.

At one point a few years back I had a GTX 770 graphics card with a heatsink that seemed really sensitive to any amount of movement, it would dislodge slightly and the temperatures would go to hell. AS5 seemed to be the tackiest and the temperatures stayed constant. The thinner pastes such as NTH1 and PK3 didn't last long at all. X23 was okay but it required preheat to soften it.

I have used Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra and Liquid Pro, these products were the biggest hassle and they also alloyed to a copper H100 base requiring lapping to fix.

 

[Raven Rampkin]

Having not even tried it once, I already feel allergic to the Kryonaut and the buzz surrounding it. Sorry about that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Probably a game changer at an edible price but some sellers suuuuuure have decided to cash in on the hype.
Otherwise, MX-2 if you're a retrofreak/pervert, MX-4 for general use, GC-Extreme for extreme use, and GD900 if you're a pervert once again Minor experience + major Google-fu is the source in case you wonder There are the Noctuas, the Mastergel and some other options as well if you love experiments.
Also, wasn't the Arctic Silver's manufacturer the one behind that major customer service phVckuppe a few years ago? (I mean, that one with grandmas, where a rep went nuts in the respective forum thread.) Had something to do with paste abrasiveness iirc. EDIT they weren't

 

[lexluthermiester]

Aging badly because it starts temp degradation after a year, sooner all to often.

But it's less than 5% typically, which really doesn't affect much long term. Bill is right, undisturbed TIMs which are initially effective stay effective long term.

 

[jayjr1105]

Having not even tried it once, I already feel allergic to the Kryonaut and the buzz surrounding it. Sorry about that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Probably a game changer at an edible price but some sellers suuuuuure have decided to cash in on the hype.
Otherwise, MX-2 if you're a retrofreak/pervert, MX-4 for general use, GC-Extreme for extreme use, and GD900 if you're a pervert once again Minor experience + major Google-fu is the source in case you wonder
Also, wasn't the Arctic Silver's manufacturer the one behind that major customer service phVckuppe a few years ago? (I mean, that one with grandmas, where a rep went nuts in the respective forum thread.) Had something to do with paste abrasiveness iirc.

The only time I'd maybe splurge on Kryonaut is if I had a gaming laptop that was noisy/hot. Every little bit counts with those.

 

[Vario]

But it's less than 5% typically, which really doesn't affect much long term. Bill is right, undisturbed TIMs which are initially effective stay effective long term.

The thin stuff like Noctua NTH1 pumped out in my experience. I had a couple tubes of that and some other stuff and I gave them away for free to various eBay buyers when I sold hardware because I found these to be inferior. Its a good way to get rid of this kind of stuff, also gave away spare fans, etc.

AS5 requires a bit more finesse than putting a dot in the center, unlike the thinner pastes, it really works best if you spread it with your finger in a baggy. The paste mounts just last longer than the others, atleast from my experience, and I don't like having to unmount hardware if I can avoid it.

 

[The Egg]

AS5 is an antique. 20+ products out there that are better performing, don't have a silly "break-in" period and have zero electrical conductivity. Oh and also cost less. Stop buying AS5 because it's "nostalgic"

Geez. I had no idea the situation was so bad. I have enough AS5 left for about 50 CPU applications, but after reading your post, I'm immediately tossing it in the trash. All these years I thought it was performing well for me, but it wasn't actually performing well. It was all a mirage. Now I've gotta rip my PC apart and reapply with something less antique. Do you think I'm risking disaster if I wait a couple weeks to do the same for nearly all my family/friends?

 

[Deleted member 185158]

The 200 hour thing doesn't really matter. You know immediately that it is mounted properly based on idle and load temperature and how rapidly it can transition from load back to idle temperatures.

I have never noticed AS5 temperature reduction, if any, after 200 hours, I put it on and it works.

I have installed NTH1, PK3, X23, and several other pastes I had lying around with the same processor and heatsink as AS5 and the temperatures were the exact same.

I tried Ceramique back in 2006 and it didn't cool as well as AS5 and also didn't last as long.

At one point a few years back I had a GTX 770 graphics card with a heatsink that seemed really sensitive to any amount of movement, it would dislodge slightly and the temperatures would go to hell. AS5 seemed to be the tackiest and the temperatures stayed constant. The thinner pastes such as NTH1 and PK3 didn't last long at all. X23 was okay but it required preheat to soften it.

I have used Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra and Liquid Pro, these products were the biggest hassle and they also alloyed to a copper H100 base requiring lapping to fix.

Wouldn't be able to confirm anything about a burn in time. Haven't purchased AS5 in many many years. There's just a lot of better pastes on the market now-a-days.
I mean, I'd use it maybe on a family members DELL or HP. I certainly wouldn't put it on any of my video cards. AS5 is only good for up to 130c.
You can, this is just my preference and opinion.

The stuff I like has this for specs.
Diamond particles measuring 0.0000015 cm rated at 8.3 w/mK. -50 to 250c.

 

[jayjr1105]

Try ShinEtsu syringe if you want thicker stuff for flimsier heatsinks. It's pretty good stuff.

 

[Vario]

Geez. I had no idea the situation was so bad. I have enough AS5 left for about 50 CPU applications, but after reading your post, I'm immediately tossing it in the trash. All these years I thought it was performing well for me, but it wasn't actually performing well. It was all a mirage. Now I've gotta rip my PC apart and reapply with something less antique. Do you think I'm risking disaster if I wait a couple weeks to do the same for nearly all my family/friends?

LOL. Risking disaster. Make sure you use a grounding strap too and maybe do the disassembly and reassembly in a proper ISO-1 clean room. You can't be too sure.

 

[Raven Rampkin]

You may discard that blob about Arctic Silver The offender was actually IC (IC Diamond to be precise). Right on this board, too! Anonymous remembers.

 

[Vario]

You may discard that blob about Arctic Silver The offender was actually IC (IC Diamond to be precise). Right on this board, too! Anonymous remembers.

Yeah IIRC it was marring the devices it was mounted to.
edit: https://www.hardwarebbq.com/ic-diam...e-hand-thermal-pastes-damaging-cpu-gpu-cores/

 

[jayjr1105]

Why is everyone so butt hurt about AS5? It's a 20 year old formula. Technology improves, and though time, things naturally get better. Is it that hard of a concept to grasp that there's better forumla's out there nowadays? Nobody said it would blow up your system if you use it, we're saying there's better TIM out there that doesn't have the pitfalls of AS5 for the same amount of money.

 

[Vario]

Why is everyone so butt hurt about AS5? It's a 20 year old formula. Technology improves, and though time, things naturally get better. Is it that hard of a concept to grasp that there's better forumla's out there nowadays? Nobody said it would blow up your system if you use it, we're saying there's better TIM out there that doesn't have the pitfalls of AS5 for the same amount of money.

For me, it has more to do with spreading disinformation about electrical conductivity.

 

[jayjr1105]

For me, it has more to do with spreading disinformation about electrical conductivity.

Electronically speaking everything is conductive, even air or a piece of rubber. Air and rubber are just extremely poor conductors and better insulators. So if you're telling me a thermal material with ACTUAL metal bits in it isn't conductive, you're wrong.

 

[Vario]

Electronically speaking everything is conductive, even air or a piece of rubber. Air and rubber are just extremely poor conductors and better insulators. So if you're telling me a thermal material with ACTUAL metal bits in it isn't conductive, you're wrong.

Funny how people watercool computers but panic over thermal paste.

 

[Deleted member 185158]

You may discard that blob about Arctic Silver The offender was actually IC (IC Diamond to be precise). Right on this board, too! Anonymous remembers.

Well I have some of that too. But I was talking about Antec F7.
Been running naked cores with it for many years.

Marring? Sorta, but then I dont care, just lap the core to 3000 grit and better than new again.
(I run lidless chips)