• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

The Official Thermal Interface Material thread

Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,878 (6.69/day)
i had as5 on a HD 7970 back in 2018ish, the temperatures would go up (like 5C iirc) after every 2 months or so, after every repasting it always went back to normal. But come on, who wants to repaste a card 4 times a year??
Last time I used AS5, it went fine. The system in question is still running fine 3 years later on the same application. Whatever problem you were having was not related to the quality of AS5. Sounds like you were using NT-H1 as that is exactly how that TIM behaves.

Would be nice to have a thread on indium and carbon thermal pads along with phase changing pads.
@Lenne
I've already made this request, but perhaps we can change the thread name to include thermal pads? Something like " The Official Thermal Interface Material thread "? That way we can discuss thermal pads without worry of being off-topic.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Messages
1,983 (0.62/day)
Processor Intel i5 8400
Motherboard Asus Prime H370M-Plus/CSM
Cooling Scythe Big Shuriken & Noctua NF-A15 HS-PWM chromax.black.swap
Memory 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4-2400
Video Card(s) ROG-STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING
Storage 1TB 980 Pro
Display(s) Samsung UN55KU6300F
Case Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 3
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex III 750w
Software W11 Pro
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
5,095 (3.77/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name CyberPowerPC ET8070
Processor Intel Core i5-10400F
Motherboard Gigabyte B460M DS3H AC-Y1
Memory 2 x Crucial Ballistix 8GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
Storage Boot: Intel OPTANE SSD P1600X Series 118GB M.2 PCIE
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply EVGA 500W1 (modified to have two bridge rectifiers)
Software Windows 11 Home
Anything on indium pads?
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,878 (6.69/day)
Anything on indium pads?
Not personally seen them. Kinda curious.

As mentioned above, I have received the CoolerMaster Cryofuze Violet TIM ordered from Amazon.
CMCFV-01.jpgCMCFV-02.jpgCMCFV-03.jpg
It looks more pink than Violet from the outside. Will be doing testing soon and on the same system I used to test MX-5.
 
Joined
Oct 13, 2021
Messages
163 (0.14/day)
Processor 6900K @ 4.3Ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte x99 ultra gaming
Cooling H115i pro xt
Memory Tridentz 3200 32gb
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 4070
Storage 970 EVO 500gb
Display(s) AOC g2460pf
Case Non branded shit
Power Supply Corsair Rm550x
Mouse Logitech G603 Double click mode
Keyboard TGK205
Software Win 10

freeagent

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
8,597 (3.79/day)
Location
Winnipeg, Canada
Processor AMD R7 5800X3D
Motherboard Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling Thermalright Frozen Edge 360, 3x TL-B12 V2, 2x TL-B12 V1
Memory 2x8 G.Skill Trident Z Royal 3200C14, 2x8GB G.Skill Trident Z Black and White 3200 C14
Video Card(s) Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC
Storage WD SN850 1TB, SN850X 2TB, SN770 1TB
Display(s) LG 50UP7100
Case Fractal Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) JBL Bar 700
Power Supply Seasonic Vertex GX-1000, Monster HDP1800
Mouse Logitech G502 Hero
Keyboard Logitech G213
VR HMD Oculus 3
Software Yes
Benchmark Scores Yes
Sorry guys, the tag did not appear in my notifications :confused:
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
9,340 (5.35/day)
Location
Louisiana
System Name Ghetto Rigs z490|x99|Acer 17 Nitro 7840hs/ 5600c40-2x16/ 4060/ 1tb acer stock m.2/ 4tb sn850x
Processor 10900k w/Optimus Foundation | 5930k w/Black Noctua D15
Motherboard z490 Maximus XII Apex | x99 Sabertooth
Cooling oCool D5 res-combo/280 GTX/ Optimus Foundation/ gpu water block | Blk D15
Memory Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb | Trident-Z 3200c14 4x8gb
Video Card(s) Titan Xp-water | evga 980ti gaming-w/ air
Storage 970evo+500gb & sn850x 4tb | 860 pro 256gb | Acer m.2 1tb/ sn850x 4tb| Many2.5" sata's ssd 3.5hdd's
Display(s) 1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Case D450 | Cherry Entertainment center on Test bench
Audio Device(s) Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 | 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard G710+x3
Software Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores Are in the benchmark section
Not personally seen them. Kinda curious.

As mentioned above, I have received the CoolerMaster Cryofuze Violet TIM ordered from Amazon.
View attachment 267014View attachment 267015View attachment 267016
It looks more pink than Violet from the outside. Will be doing testing soon and on the same system I used to test MX-5.
Hi,
I have a policy
I do not use items that have cry in the name :laugh:

Over at Phil's Computer Lab, he;s done a few tests with thermal pads, the most recent one linked below;

There's also these;
IC pads are not very good for oc'ing
But if you don't care what the temps do sure go for it they are reusable so best for servers/ grandma/...
 
Joined
Oct 13, 2021
Messages
163 (0.14/day)
Processor 6900K @ 4.3Ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte x99 ultra gaming
Cooling H115i pro xt
Memory Tridentz 3200 32gb
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 4070
Storage 970 EVO 500gb
Display(s) AOC g2460pf
Case Non branded shit
Power Supply Corsair Rm550x
Mouse Logitech G603 Double click mode
Keyboard TGK205
Software Win 10
Hi,
I have a policy
I do not use items that have cry in the name :laugh:
That made me laugh, I remember the age of crysis, cryostasis and others 10~20fps range:laugh:

Bad times:(
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Messages
188 (0.12/day)
Location
Brazil
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Motherboard Asus TUF Gaming B550-Plus
Cooling Thermalright Frost Commander 140
Memory 2x16 3200@3733 Crucial Ballistix
Video Card(s) Gigabyte RX 5600 XT WindForce OC 6G (GV-R56XTWF2OC)
Storage Some
Display(s) Acer XV280K
Case Cooler Master HAF XB EVO
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE 650 Bronze
Mouse Logitech G502SE
Keyboard Ajazz AK35i with AKKO CS Rose Red Switches and white YMDK PBT keys
Please, test the gd007 too. I think it will be a good surprise
GD007 is included at
(CF14 = CryoFuse 14 W/mk, CryoFuse Violet is 12.6 W/mk and not in the test)


And another for accelerated aging(baked at 200ºC for 24h) at
 

Robinio

New Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2022
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
I asked Arctic for a little tester tube of MX5 and they said it was EOL due to separation issues.
I know you posted this a while ago, but I just received the LFII service kit and they provided a 0.8g tube of MX-5. Are they bringing it back?
 
Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Messages
2,217 (1.25/day)
System Name DadsBadAss
Processor I7 13700k w/ HEATKILLER IV PRO Copper Nickel
Motherboard MSI Z790 Tomahawk Wifi DDR4
Cooling BarrowCH Boxfish 200mm-HWLabs SR2 420/GTX&GTS 360-BP Dual D5 MOD TOP- 2x Koolance PMP 450S
Memory 4x8gb HyperX Predator RGB DDR4 4000
Video Card(s) Asrock 6800xt PG D w/ Byski A-AR6900XT-X
Storage WD SN850x 1TB NVME M.2/Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1TB NVMe M.2
Display(s) Acer XG270HU
Case ThermalTake X71 w/5 Noctua NF-A14 2000 IP67 PWM/3 Noctua NF-F12 2000 IP67 PWM/3 CorsairML120 Pro RGB
Audio Device(s) Klipsch Promedia 2.1
Power Supply Seasonic Focus PX-850 w/CableMod PRO ModMesh RT-Series Black/Blue
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Black Aluminun Mechanical Clicky Thing With Blue LEDs, hows that for a name?!
Software Win11pro
I know you posted this a while ago, but I just received the LFII service kit and they provided a 0.8g tube of MX-5. Are they bringing it back?
I assume they are just using up what stock they have left. It's definitely eol.

Edit- don't be worried about using it. The stuff I have has been top notch.
 
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
18,584 (2.69/day)
System Name AlderLake
Processor Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans
Memory 32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MT/s CL36
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Evo 500GB + 850 Pro 512GB + 860 Evo 1TB x2
Display(s) 23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p
Case Be quiet! Silent Base 600 - Window
Audio Device(s) Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Laser wireless
Keyboard RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless
Software Windows 11
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock
I know you posted this a while ago, but I just received the LFII service kit and they provided a 0.8g tube of MX-5. Are they bringing it back?

No there's MX-6 now.
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,878 (6.69/day)
Ok, tests for CoolerMaster's Cryofuze Violet are done. Sorry for the delay everyone, been busy and traveling. So here my review.

For reference, please review the test conducted previously with other competing TIM's on the same system and similar conditions.

Here is the application process:
CM-CFV-HS01.jpg

Simple line of TIM across the lead edge of the contact plate.

CM-CFV-HS02.jpg

All spread out. This TIM is a full-on paste! Very dry, not oily or fluid-like at all. It did spread smoothly though. Took some work, but spreads nicely as you can see. Now for performance.


In the following tests, Prime95 was used in Small FFT's mode.
CM-CFV-Test01-MX5.jpg

This test showed the Arctic MX-5 application that has been on for some time. Solid performance as expected.

CM-CFV-Test02-CMCFV.jpg

This test shows the CryoFuze Violet doing well. It performs within a couple of degrees C compared to MX-5 which is known for it's excellent performance(setting aside the bad batches).

Reviewer Conclusion;
Coolermaster has a good performer with this one but they need to adjust the value of the product by either including more volume of TIM for the same price or just lowering the price. The novelty of the "Violet" metallic appearance advertised is not delivered, see photo's above. This TIM is very much pink in colour and does not have the metallic sheen shown in marketing materials. However, at the end of the day, performance is king and CryoFuze Violet delivers that very well.

Please note: In this run of tests, I did not run each test for 11 minutes like I did last year. It was discovered that the system in question reaches thermal saturation within 2 minutes of load. There was no need for extended testing as the results would not have changed. I also used Windows 7 instead of 10 as that is what is currently installed on that system and I didn't feel it necessary to change the OS as variations for this series of testing were not expected nor observed.
 
Last edited:

Space Lynx

Astronaut
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
17,297 (4.68/day)
Location
Kepler-186f
Processor 7800X3D -25 all core
Motherboard B650 Steel Legend
Cooling Frost Commander 140
Memory 32gb ddr5 (2x16) cl 30 6000
Video Card(s) Merc 310 7900 XT @3100 core
Display(s) Agon 27" QD-OLED Glossy 240hz 1440p
Case NZXT H710 (Red/Black)
Power Supply Corsair RM850x Gold
Ok, tests for CoolerMaster's Cryofuze Violet are done. Sorry for the delay everyone, been busy and traveling. So here my review.

For reference, please review the test conducted previously with other competing TIM's on the same system and similar conditions.

Here is the application process:
View attachment 268212
Simple line of TIM across the lead edge of the contact plate.

View attachment 268213
All spread out. This TIM is a full-on paste! Very dry, not oily or fluid-like at all. It did spread smoothly though. Took some work, but spreads nicely as you can see. Now for performance.


In the following tests, Prime95 was used in Small FFT's mode.
View attachment 268214
This test showed the Arctic MX-5 application that has been on for some time. Solid performance as expected.

View attachment 268215
This test shows the CryoFuze Violet doing well. It performs within a couple of degrees C compared to MX-5 which is known for it's excellent performance(setting aside the bad batches).

Reviewer Conclusion;
Coolermaster has a good performer with this one but they need to adjust the value of the product by either including more volume of TIM for the same price or just lowering the price. The novelty of the "Violet" metallic appearance advertised is not delivered, see photo's above. This TIM is very much pink in colour and does not have the metallic sheen shown in marketing materials. However, at the end of the day, performance is king and CryoFuze Violet delivers that very well.

Please note: In this run of tests, I did not run each test for 11 minutes like I did last year. It was discovered that the system in question reaches thermal saturation within 2 minutes of load. There was no need for extended testing as the results would not have changed. I also used Windows 7 instead of 10 as that is what is currently installed on that system and I didn't feel it necessary to change the OS as variations for this series of testing were not expected nor observed.

Not going to lie, I was tempted by the gimmicky name and color as well. lmao thanks for saving me some money.

I do still have my NT-H2 paste, so I will be using that. Not sure if anyone here has ever bought NT-H2 paste before, but damn Noctua is hella good at packaging and accessories. Mine came with little Noctua wipes to remove paste with, and the packaging is just solid and thought out. It doesn't matter, but I am sucker for nice packaging. lmao
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,878 (6.69/day)
Not going to lie, I was tempted by the gimmicky name and color as well. lmao thanks for saving me some money.
Make no mistake, it's a good TIM. It was only $7 for 2g. A little high, but not compared to the premium brands. You would not have wasted your money. 2g is enough for 7 or 8 applications.
I do still have my NT-H2 paste, so I will be using that. Not sure if anyone here has ever bought NT-H2 paste before, but damn Noctua is hella good at packaging and accessories. Mine came with little Noctua wipes to remove paste with, and the packaging is just solid and thought out. It doesn't matter, but I am sucker for nice packaging. lmao
There you go. NT-H2 is a solid TIM too.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
9,340 (5.35/day)
Location
Louisiana
System Name Ghetto Rigs z490|x99|Acer 17 Nitro 7840hs/ 5600c40-2x16/ 4060/ 1tb acer stock m.2/ 4tb sn850x
Processor 10900k w/Optimus Foundation | 5930k w/Black Noctua D15
Motherboard z490 Maximus XII Apex | x99 Sabertooth
Cooling oCool D5 res-combo/280 GTX/ Optimus Foundation/ gpu water block | Blk D15
Memory Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb | Trident-Z 3200c14 4x8gb
Video Card(s) Titan Xp-water | evga 980ti gaming-w/ air
Storage 970evo+500gb & sn850x 4tb | 860 pro 256gb | Acer m.2 1tb/ sn850x 4tb| Many2.5" sata's ssd 3.5hdd's
Display(s) 1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Case D450 | Cherry Entertainment center on Test bench
Audio Device(s) Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 | 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard G710+x3
Software Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores Are in the benchmark section
Hi,
Nt-h2 price is not solid though it's inflated by noctua adding a bunch of useless 2% alcohol wipes in it
Nt-h1 rules still in my book at nearly half the price at 10g tubes I've never noticed any fall off.
 

dgianstefani

TPU Proofreader
Staff member
Joined
Dec 29, 2017
Messages
5,041 (1.99/day)
Location
Swansea, Wales
System Name Silent
Processor Ryzen 7800X3D @ 5.15ghz BCLK OC, TG AM5 High Performance Heatspreader
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I, chipset fans replaced with Noctua A14x25 G2
Cooling Optimus Block, HWLabs Copper 240/40 + 240/30, D5/Res, 4x Noctua A12x25, 1x A14G2, Mayhems Ultra Pure
Memory 32 GB Dominator Platinum 6150 MT 26-36-36-48, 56.6ns AIDA, 2050 FCLK, 160 ns tRFC, active cooled
Video Card(s) RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition, Conductonaut Extreme, 18 W/mK MinusPad Extreme, Corsair XG7 Waterblock
Storage Intel Optane DC P1600X 118 GB, Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB
Display(s) 32" 240 Hz 1440p Samsung G7, 31.5" 165 Hz 1440p LG NanoIPS Ultragear, MX900 dual gas VESA mount
Case Sliger SM570 CNC Aluminium 13-Litre, 3D printed feet, custom front, LINKUP Ultra PCIe 4.0 x16 white
Audio Device(s) Audeze Maxwell Ultraviolet w/upgrade pads & LCD headband, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, Razer Nommo Pro
Power Supply SF750 Plat, full transparent custom cables, Sentinel Pro 1500 Online Double Conversion UPS w/Noctua
Mouse Razer Viper Pro V2 8 KHz Mercury White w/Tiger Ice Skates & Pulsar Supergrip tape
Keyboard Wooting 60HE+ module, TOFU-R CNC Alu/Brass, SS Prismcaps W+Jellykey, LekkerV2 mod, TLabs Leath/Suede
Software Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2
Benchmark Scores Legendary
Silently pushing locked 1440p 236 FPS, from a single 240 mm radiator in a case the size of a shoebox.

Gotta love Kryonaut Extreme CPU/GPU and repadded GPU.

1667595749347.png
re
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,878 (6.69/day)
@MachineLearning
I seem to recall you working at a PC repair shop, do you often deal with laptops? Would you ever have a chance to test MX-6 in such a situation?

Currently use MX-2 in my laptop because it performs better than MX-4 does in that use case, and I would replace it if something else is significantly better.
I do. I've been using variety of TIM's over the years. Until recently we were using MX-5. Before that MX-4 and AS5. So far, MX-6 is performing well! It seems to be very stable and given it's properties, I think it's going to be exceptional for a wide range of applications, including laptops. For high power laptops, I've been using KPx. That stuff kicks @$$. Pricy though, but worth it if you need it. Keep in mind that a quality TIM is only part of the equation. TIM's are not magic and can not solve heat problems on systems that have a heatsink/fan design that is lackluster. IF the laptop itself can easily overload the cooling system, no TIM is going to prevent throttling.
 
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
109 (0.02/day)
MX-4/MX-5/MX-6 comparison:


MX-6 is much more viscous. On my notebook it performs much better than the previous MX-4/MX-5. This is not the best paste I have tested but given the low price it's a solid paste and unlike MX-4/MX-5 I can say it works on my notebook.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
5,095 (3.77/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name CyberPowerPC ET8070
Processor Intel Core i5-10400F
Motherboard Gigabyte B460M DS3H AC-Y1
Memory 2 x Crucial Ballistix 8GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
Storage Boot: Intel OPTANE SSD P1600X Series 118GB M.2 PCIE
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply EVGA 500W1 (modified to have two bridge rectifiers)
Software Windows 11 Home
Top