The Official Thermal Interface Material thread

[Space Lynx]

New thermal material provides 72% better cooling than conventional paste

Thanks to a mechanochemically engineered combination of the liquid metal alloy Galinstan and ceramic aluminum nitride, this thermal interface material, or TIM, outperformed the best commercial liquid...

www.techspot.com

I think it's only for data centers, but it would be nice if we could get our hands on this for testing. I am still sticking with a Kryosheet for life, just to make life easier, but I am intrigued by this article.

 

[lexluthermiester]

New thermal material provides 72% better cooling than conventional paste

Thanks to a mechanochemically engineered combination of the liquid metal alloy Galinstan and ceramic aluminum nitride, this thermal interface material, or TIM, outperformed the best commercial liquid...

www.techspot.com

I think it's only for data centers, but it would be nice if we could get our hands on this for testing. I am still sticking with a Kryosheet for life, just to make life easier, but I am intrigued by this article.

In theory, that stuff sounds really cool, no pun intended. The question is, cost. Can it be mass produced in a reasonably cost effective way? If the reality can even get close to the the theory and they can mass produce it for a reasonable price, they'll have a winner.

 

[Noci]

Innovation, I'm happy to hear that. Sounds very interresting, but realize that even if it hits the consumer market, it will probably only be 1 or 2 degrees improvement in comparrison with the current (best) consumer solutions. And as mentioned by Lex, for what price?

This seems yet to be another development in the field of (applied) nanotechnology which on it own is a rather young branch in science (just a few decades), but is to be expected to have a bright future.
Let's just hope that as PC enthousiasts we soon can enjoy some spin-off of those developing technologies.

 

[freeagent]

So after someone posted a link to Igor's Lab showing some TIM info on TF7 and SYY-157.

I am no stranger to either, but I bought a tube of TF7, and was disappointed when temps were a couple of C warmer.

Back to SYY lol..

 

[Shrek]

Galinstan will mark the CPU and lose one the warrantee.

Intel denies RMA due to the use of Liquid Metal as a TIM | TechPowerUp Forums

 

[Noci]

Galinstan will mark the CPU and lose one the warrantee.

Probably it will, but I'm just curious if it reacts different in the combination with the ceramic Aluminium Nitride as in the article.
Guess it is known by these researchers also. And as they aim for a market where the big money is spend, they don't want those issues.

Let's just wait for what it will bring before making assumptions

 

[KLiKzg]

In theory, that stuff sounds really cool, no pun intended. The question is, cost. Can it be mass produced in a reasonably cost effective way? If the reality can even get close to the the theory and they can mass produce it for a reasonable price, they'll have a winner.

Can it be mass produced? Yes.
Is it cost effective? Lets say so, as only one material is semi-rare metal.

About reality, @Shrek is right...Gallium would void the warranty. Question is: how much Gallium is stable in this Galinstan composition?

 

[Octopuss]

How did I miss this thread? It's also pretty long, so pardon me for not reading through it.
I haven't looked into pastes for years, and with the exception of some random jobs here and there and my own PC, I haven't really been doing any IT work since 10 years ago, so I am completely out of the loop.
I have just repasted a new graphic card, and looking at what I have here in the closet, I decided to google up some stuff, ending up on some Igor's lab's articles. I was surprised to learn that Noctua NT-H2 was mediocre at best (or so he claims).

Can anyone tell me what are currently some of the better pastes out there that can work well for both CPU and GPU? For my own PC's CPU I use Grizzly's Conductonaut, but that's not a good idea for a GPU, and I certainly wouldn't put it into anyone elses PC either.

 

[lexluthermiester]

How did I miss this thread? It's also pretty long, so pardon me for not reading through it.

No worries, welcome!

I was surprised to learn that Noctua NT-H2 was mediocre at best (or so he claims).

It's ok. It'll do the job.

I use Grizzly's Conductonaut

LQMetal is excellent but has some hazards. You already know what they are. If you looking for a non-LQMetal TIM, KPx, MX4 or MX6 are at the top of my current list, but surprisingly, the old AcrticSilver5 is still proving to be excellent.

 

[Octopuss]

I guess what I'm looking for is a paste I can primarily use on a GPU (according to the Igor's database there is a huge difference between using it on a CPU and a GPU but I failed to understand the reason due to overly technical explanation) and I value longevity above anything else (assuming the thermal conductivity is good enough, whatever that might mean). I don't mess around with overclocking and tuning (unless undervolting) anymore, I just want something solid.

Oh and Igor's database also lists this weird Kooling Monster KOLD-01 among the top performers. Seems to only be sold on Amazon and is not in stock anywhere though.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I guess what I'm looking for is a paste I can primarily use on a GPU (according to the Igor's database there is a huge difference between using it on a CPU and a GPU but I failed to understand the reason due to overly technical explanation) and I value longevity above anything else (assuming the thermal conductivity is good enough, whatever that might mean). I don't mess around with overclocking and tuning (unless undervolting) anymore, I just want something solid.

Oh and Igor's database also lists this weird Kooling Monster KOLD-01 among the top performers. Seems to only be sold on Amazon and is not in stock anywhere though.

Given that info, my recommendation is KPx, if you can find it in the CR.

 

[Octopuss]

Hm, that Igor guy claims KPx is only good for LN2 overclocking though.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Hm, that Igor guy claims KPx is only good for LN2 overclocking though.

That would be incorrect. A lot of people use KPx in a non-LN2 context long term. It's not just really good for LN2, but as a general TIM. It is especially good as a GPU TIM. IGL made a generalized assumptive statement, they didn't actually test it.

 

[KLiKzg]

I guess what I'm looking for is a paste I can primarily use on a GPU (according to the Igor's database there is a huge difference between using it on a CPU and a GPU but I failed to understand the reason due to overly technical explanation) and I value longevity above anything else (assuming the thermal conductivity is good enough, whatever that might mean). I don't mess around with overclocking and tuning (unless undervolting) anymore, I just want something solid.

Oh and Igor's database also lists this weird Kooling Monster KOLD-01 among the top performers. Seems to only be sold on Amazon and is not in stock anywhere though.

To keep it simple:

• GPU has silicon to cooler with TIM in the middle.
• CPU has silicon with factory TIM to IHS...on top of which you put TIM with cooler.

& every transfer of heat from one material to the other, matters.

(also, search more in past few months for more explanation)