Copper anti seize grease as thermal paste?

[funboy6942]

If your minimum temperature is 17.5c, then your room temperature must be lower than this. Isn't that a little cold for the human body.

A fan, or wind blowing on you when its cold, makes you colder, especially if you are made of metal

Probably true given the copper inserts to aluminum heatsinks.

Ive been/was a mechanic for many years, and used this stuff on many types of metal, under a ton of heat, stress, and pressure, and have yet to ever seen it eat any of the metal its been applied to, either by me, or from the factory, or from someone else that did the job before I got a hold of it. SO far, I have used this stuff on everything I and my son own, and on computers and laptops I have fixed so far, with great results. I am looking forward to my long term test, for I really think that since this stuff was made to withstand much greater temps then I could ever put it through, that it will last much longer then reg paste I used to use. I even did my old laptop my daughter is using for school since she isnt going, and all her work has to be done on line, so Im really really looking forward to the long term test on it, for a laptops eats paste for breakfast, and Im usually redoing it once a year, and even then its pretty much all dried up. So for me, Im not really worried about it eating my cpu or heatsink metal at all, nor shorting anything out, for I apply it like liquid metal, and use the thinnest of layer when applied, even thinner then the paste I used to use in fact, and seems to work better with a ultra thin layer, then a thicker one I have found out in my testing and trial and error applications and tests.

 

[Sisyfos]

Ah, a few comments since my last update. The temps are normally around 20 Celsius here in the room. I do not think that the CPU thermometers are exactly accurate, they probably try to get just to the right ballpark figure and care most likely more about the higher temps than the low end. The copper paste is going strong with no showing of any performance degradation. Frankly to me it seems that this particular paste can just stay there for years before I bother with it again. I did not go out of my way to purchase it to be used as a thermal paste, but it was there available on my shelf when I needed something. Its performance seems equal or better than other "real" thermal paste I have used before, but it has the same drawbacks as using liquid metal because it is conductive so that is not really much of a bonus.

 

[lexluthermiester]

The copper paste is going strong with no showing of any performance degradation.

I'm having the same experience.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Update. I have changed the TIM on my daily use T3500 with it's Xeon W3680 back to MX-4. Was trying to OC the W3680 and it kept spiking in temps on 3 of the 6 cores(my definition of spiking is low to mid 70's C, which to me is unacceptable). When I took the HS off, there was no resistance. It still looked good. Seems I didn't apply it is evenly as I had thought as the spread was not uniform. Still, the stuff did the job as intended and if I were not the temperature freak that I am and were not OCing it likely would have continued to do the job just fine.

Sorry for not taking pictures as I was not thinking of this thread when I was trying to stabilize the OC.

So, to offer some thoughts on this nearly year long experiment, Copper based screw thread anti-seize products seem to work well as a TIM, even if not specifically designed for it. Granted not all anti-seize compounds are created equal and formulation matters.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

any thoughts on why it didnt spread evenly? not enough clamp pressure?

 

[lexluthermiester]

any thoughts on why it didnt spread evenly? not enough clamp pressure?

It's possible I didn't spread it as well as I could have. When I first tried the compound it was just a novelty experiment. When it actually worked I decided to leave it to see how long it would last.

 

[funboy6942]

Still no problems here with my brand, or application. No funky stuff going on, and I have applied it to everything so far that needs thermal paste. As far as application, a small dab will do you. Too thin will cause spikes, and too thick and it doesn't transfer the heat as good. I have found that putting a small dap on my finger, and poking it all over the chip(s), just enough to coat it to where you cannot see it work great. No chance of it oozing out from between the heatsink and chip, so no chance of any of it shorting something out, and I have yet to see any of it/them turn into a watery mess after being used for almost a year, for my cpu is still running strong. And YES, I also love this stuff for if I have to remove the sink, and it is applied like I mention, it doesn't rip the cpu out of the socket when taking it off like all the other tim I have used in the past, so no chance of bending/ breaking pins, when having to take me cpu off the board for what ever reason. Than alone makes it worth all its weight in copper not breaking or bending that, that I am happy to be a degree or two higher in temps vs the MX-4 (MYSELF) I had been using in the past.

If not ocing like a mofo on this stuff, leaving stock, making sure to do a EVEN thin spread of the stuff, and careful as you applied it, a bottle of this stuff will be the last tim you will ever purchase

 

[lexluthermiester]

If not ocing like a mofo on this stuff, leaving stock, making sure to do a EVEN thin spread of the stuff, and careful as you applied it, a bottle of this stuff will be the last tim you will ever purchase

I'll go along with that. The thing is, I wasn't having any stability issues and most would consider the temps I was getting to be acceptable. The stuff was working very well!

 

[funboy6942]

I'm happy if it gets no where near throttling and running great with no stutters I can see, and many temps below its maximum threshold, and I'm happy as a clam. HOWEVER, for my case, many fans, and like to keep my house at 69, it is doing great for what I need it to do. But I really cannot stress how important, with my stuff, to make sure its not too thin or thick of a layer, and DO not do the pea in the middle, yeah use your finger and move it around to get a thin even cover. I am not convinced that the pea method is the best, for I don't like second guessing myself, and doing it that way will make me do that big time and my ocd will be triggered, if its not running like I like thinking in the back of my head did I apply enough to spread out over the whole chip causing XXX to happen. I been and always will spread it myself knowing 100% that's not the problem at all with what is going on, so look at something else causing the problem. This stuff is no exception, and look what Lex did

 

[dafunklull]

for 12 months on my old amd phenom 1045t system as thermal compound i have been using and have absolutely amazing results with. Good ole Dielectric terminal grease. the stuff thats clear comes with various automotive wiring kits. is dielectric clear and retains its Vaseline consistency. the environment is north american so my ambient temperatures are never a problem and the cpu rarely ever peaks above 50c even under 100% cinibench abuse. all under a now ancient but Tried and True design "Antec Ac64 Freezer pro tower heatsink. 90mm fan. in a equally old antec two hundered gamer with the tie fighter grill. all air cooled. i have yet to see "dielectric terminal grease dry up or liquefy under the modest temperatures 12 months We are not over clocking the cpu above its 2.7-3.2ghz 3 core turbo boost. iv seen arctic silver dry up and solidify the heat sink to the cpu more times then iv seen this dielectric..as iv never seen it solidify yet. we are breaching 12 months now as this is my daily driver system still.

"clear dielectric terminal grease gets a Don't worry about it rating from me. it'll be fine. just don't go trying to burn it off with reckless overclocking"

as a side note in the Absolute worse case scenario i noticed that "Plasticine" was once tested for its thermal conductive property's. while not good for the long run it will play nicely as a temporary solution being reapplied monthly, as to ensure all of its oils do not leach out as dry out. a monthly check up and replacement is easy and not messy as each time it was still malleable and just balled up and applied a fresh ball "avoid colored Plasticine and black black seems to be more oily then "white" and grey seemed to best. colored ones you may get some stain on the cpu hs.

 

[Icon Charlie]

for 12 months on my old amd phenom 1045t system as thermal compound i have been using and have absolutely amazing results with. Good ole Dielectric terminal grease. the stuff thats clear comes with various automotive wiring kits. is dielectric clear and retains its Vaseline consistency. the environment is north american so my ambient temperatures are never a problem and the cpu rarely ever peaks above 50c even under 100% cinibench abuse. all under a now ancient but Tried and True design "Antec Ac64 Freezer pro tower heatsink. 90mm fan. in a equally old antec two hundered gamer with the tie fighter grill. all air cooled. i have yet to see "dielectric terminal grease dry up or liquefy under the modest temperatures 12 months We are not over clocking the cpu above its 2.7-3.2ghz 3 core turbo boost. iv seen arctic silver dry up and solidify the heat sink to the cpu more times then iv seen this dielectric..as iv never seen it solidify yet. we are breaching 12 months now as this is my daily driver system still.

"clear dielectric terminal grease gets a Don't worry about it rating from me. it'll be fine. just don't go trying to burn it off with reckless overclocking"

as a side note in the Absolute worse case scenario i noticed that "Plasticine" was once tested for its thermal conductive property's. while not good for the long run it will play nicely as a temporary solution being reapplied monthly, as to ensure all of its oils do not leach out as dry out. a monthly check up and replacement is easy and not messy as each time it was still malleable and just balled up and applied a fresh ball "avoid colored Plasticine and black black seems to be more oily then "white" and grey seemed to best. colored ones you may get some stain on the cpu hs.

Again thank you for posting this information. I definitely like stuff like this.

 

[crispysilicon]

Ive been/was a mechanic for many years, and used this stuff on many types of metal, under a ton of heat, stress, and pressure, and have yet to ever seen it eat any of the metal its been applied to, either by me, or from the factory, or from someone else that did the job before I got a hold of it.

So I've used nickel and copper anti-seize many times over the years when not going for maximum effort. Stuff works, and has amazing longevity, but not as well as high end compounds for thermal performance. Funny you mention working as a mechanic, that's where I got the idea in the first place.

See, old Fords have problems with the igntion control modules overheating. Problem is always no application, improper application or dried out application of, the thermal contact grease that goes on the back of the module. Nobody ever replaces the stuff in the automotive world and the stuff included has a pretty short lifespan, like cheap oem laptop compound.

Solution, throw away the packet of white/clear garbage grease and apply anti seize instead. Lifetime application, never had one fail that had it applied.

Go impress your friends with old Fords ;-) https://www.autosafety.org/ford-tfi-module-national-class-settlement/

 

[Grog6]

Avoid the nickel-based compounds; nickel has really bad thermal conductivity. It's great on a heatsink as plating, but you want copper for thermal transfer, or silver, if you have deep pockets.

 

[Shrek]

Copper anti seize grease may be rated to very high temperature, but I think it dries out long before; not a problem for anti-seize, but might be in other applications.

 

[lexluthermiester]

but I think it dries out long before

I did not notice any dry-out when I was running it on my T3500. But then again the heat generated in a PC is nowhere near the heat generated in an automotive engine, so there may not have been enough time and/or conditions for dry-out to occur.

 

[bobbybluz]

I did not notice any dry-out when I was running it on my T3500. But then again the heat generated in a PC is nowhere near the heat generated in an automotive engine, so there may not have been enough time and/or conditions for dry-out to occur.

Engine component heat (except for exhaust manifolds) is nothing compared to brake components subjected to heavy use/abuse. I used to use Sil-Glyde on many things, still have some in my big toolbox. Brake Grease vs Anti Seize – Which Is Best For Your Brakes? – Grease Expert

 

[lexluthermiester]

Engine component heat (except for exhaust manifolds) is nothing compared to brake components subjected to heavy use/abuse. I used to use Sil-Glyde on many things, still have some in my big toolbox. Brake Grease vs Anti Seize – Which Is Best For Your Brakes? – Grease Expert

My point was that none of those temps are going to take place in a PC, so dry-out is unlikely.

 

[Shrek]

And a good point it is, but then one is left wondering why most thermal greases are based on silicone oil

 

[lexluthermiester]

then one is left wondering why most thermal greases are based on silicone oil

Likely because it is an oil that does not easily evaporate? It's only a guess but would make sense..

 

[Shrek]

I assume copper based anti-seize grease uses carbon based oils.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Your guess is as good as mine. I have not researched that area of chemistry. Not really my field.

 

[Shrek]

Even if it does dry out, I don't actually see a problem.

 

[Sachingare]

No thermal compound or grease, etc "dries out" - it can polymerize and harden, yeah ok, but there's absolutely no way in hell any of it will ever evaporate.in a significant amount.

Silicone oil is used because it's theoretically more resistant to aging.

I'd advise you to look for actual facts and numbers to support your discussions.
This copper anti seize for example has a conductivity of 4.68 W/m-K
https://www.aremco.com/news-item/heat-away-640-thermally-conductive-copper-grease-now-available/

Good thermal paste can go up to 8, which is much higher, but the average thermal compound will be in roughly the same range.

Considering the great video Tech Ingredients did about thermal epoxy, I'd guess the particle size & shape and correct mix of several heat conducting powders compounds are important for fine tuning.

Here's a interesting research paper: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/8/1893/htm

PS I'm amazed that none of you have even considered doing basic research like reading the Wikipedia article about thermal grease, or stuff like that

 

[R-T-B]

PS I'm amazed that none of you have even considered doing basic research like reading the Wikipedia article about thermal grease, or stuff like that

Sorry to say... but I'm not... lol.

 

[eidairaman1]

No thermal compound or grease, etc "dries out" - it can polymerize and harden, yeah ok, but there's absolutely no way in hell any of it will ever evaporate.in a significant amount.

Silicone oil is used because it's theoretically more resistant to aging.

I'd advise you to look for actual facts and numbers to support your discussions.
This copper anti seize for example has a conductivity of 4.68 W/m-K
https://www.aremco.com/news-item/heat-away-640-thermally-conductive-copper-grease-now-available/

Good thermal paste can go up to 8, which is much higher, but the average thermal compound will be in roughly the same range.

Considering the great video Tech Ingredients did about thermal epoxy, I'd guess the particle size & shape and correct mix of several heat conducting powders compounds are important for fine tuning.

Here's a interesting research paper: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/8/1893/htm

PS I'm amazed that none of you have even considered doing basic research like reading the Wikipedia article about thermal grease, or stuff like that

W/e you say bill, and you are new here, show respect or get lost.