Arctic Cooling Announces MX-3 High Performance Thermal Compound

btarunr · Jul 2, 2009

The Swiss cooling solution provider ARCTIC COOLING today unveiled the new premium thermal compound ARCTIC MX-3 (4g). Its high thermal conductivity and non-curing nature make it one of the best thermal compounds for overclockers and gamers.

As an upgraded version of the award-winning ARCTIC MX-2, the performance of the ARCTIC MX-3 outranges other well-known thermal compounds clearly. This new compound is composed of carbon microparticles which lead to an extremely high thermal conductivity - 8.2 W/mK. It guarantees that heat from the CPU or GPU can be dissipated quickly and efficiently.

Tested and proven, by using the ARCTIC MX-3, the CPU core temperature is 7°C and 2.5°C lower than using stock compound and other branded ones respectively. It shows how significant a high performance thermal compound can be to reduce the temperature. Such excellent cooling result is surely what every overclocker and gamer is looking for. The ARCTIC MX-3 is the easiest way to push the overclockability further!

The ARCTIC MX-3 is a metal-free, non-electrically conductive compound which does not cause any damage of the components if it is accidentally spilled out on them. It eliminates any risks of short circuit and provides more protection to the CPUs, graphic cards and other applications between power semiconductor components and heatsinks. The ARCTIC MX-3 is a truly hassle-free premium thermal compound you can rely on. The ARCTIC MX-3 guarantees 8-year durability. It is available in July 2009. The MSRP is US$12.25 and 8.95€.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

Wile E · Jul 2, 2009

Hmmm, my Mx-2 is almost out. I think I'll pick this up and try it when I need more tim.

OnBoard · Jul 2, 2009

But how much bettter it is than MX-2 ?) It'll be more expensive in the start (MSRP is twice the price of MX-2) so I think MX-2 still wins.

MX-2 was a bit better than NT-H1 in some review, based on it MX-3 would win MX-2 by ~1C.

Weer · Jul 2, 2009

I used to think MX-2 was the best. Now, I know it's not.

The question is, how does this relate to diamond compound.

MopeyMartian · Jul 2, 2009

OnBoard said:
But how much bettter it is than MX-2 ?) It'll be more expensive in the start (MSRP is twice the price of MX-2) so I think MX-2 still wins.

MX-2 was a bit better than NT-H1 in some review, based on it MX-3 would win MX-2 by ~1C.

That would be correct, sir.

PVTCaboose1337 · Jul 2, 2009

I am going to continue to use my old tube of MX-2 I bought near release date. It is still good. I think.

Regarding MX-3: When I run out, I will buy some MX-3, but it puzzles me why MX-2 is still better than MX-3.

Mussels · Jul 2, 2009

yay new paste!

Breathless · Jul 2, 2009

PVTCaboose1337 said:
I am going to continue to use my old tube of MX-2 I bought near release date. It is still good. I think.

Regarding MX-3: When I run out, I will buy some MX-3, but it puzzles me why MX-2 is still better than MX-3.

It shouldn't puzzle you at all, since MX-3 is clearly better than MX-2 according to the review from two posts ago. It is approximately 3C better under load. That is very significant.

Now all we need to know is where we can get this stuff.

MopeyMartian · Jul 2, 2009

If you live in America, the best place I've found is Petra's Tech Shop.

Even thought their prices for everyday hardware aren't as low as Newegg's, they do offer super-low shipping on small items (like TIM).

For example:

If you buy MX-2 from Newegg you pay an additional $7 in shipping via UPS, for ~$14 total. Petra's gives you a 1st class USPS option, making my last order only $7.xx. As an added bonus, the owner writes personal notes in with your order. I got one that said, "Enjoy the MX-2!". :toast:

He doesn't seem to have any MX-3 yet but I would imagine he will soon.

LagunaX · Jul 2, 2009

sounds like diamond ic7

MopeyMartian · Jul 2, 2009

How long till we see carbon nanotubes in our TIM?

h3llb3nd4 · Jul 2, 2009

80+ TIMs in the market now....wow.

ShogoXT · Jul 2, 2009

Mussels said:
yay new paste!

Hell ya dude, exciting!

boogerlad · Jul 2, 2009

Isn't the liquid metal stuff still top? In terms of thermal conductivity, gallium is still on top. Not sure what else is needed for a good tim.

breakfromyou · Jul 2, 2009

Great timing! I just switched to OCZ Freeze because it was cheap ($4!) and got great reviews.

Do i pick some of this up?!?

Icejon · Jul 2, 2009

My ThermalFusion 400 is better than Arctic cooling MX-2. Easier to find and works better for me so I will pass on MX-3.

ShadowFold · Jul 2, 2009

Hmm I'll wait for some reviews. Until then I'll stick to my Xigmatek paste

Scrizz · Jul 2, 2009

boogerlad said:
Isn't the liquid metal stuff still top? In terms of thermal conductivity, gallium is still on top. Not sure what else is needed for a good tim.

ooo I just love electrically conductive compounds

OnBoard · Jul 3, 2009

MopeyMartian said:
That would be correct, sir.

Hmh, I think it's safe to say AS5 has finally retired after reading that review. It still did remarkably well in the 80-way TIM review, but probably a fresh tube. Doesn't cope that well with self life, or installed or instantly or with conductivity. R.I.P. AS5 you served us well, all hail MX-3 the new king

MX-3 vs. MX-2 did even better than I hoped for, granted the difference with dual core would be smaller, but to improve great paste even more is no small feat. Looking at the spread video MX-3 is same kind of goop as Noctua's NT-H1 now. With low pressure mounting and ease of use, MX-2 would still be a great choice.

WarEagleAU · Jul 3, 2009

Wow, sounds good. I still got 3/4 of a tube of MX-2 left and probably 7/8 of a tube of my Diamond IC7 which I think is the best (non coolit laboratory liquid pro stuff) out there. Ill pick some of this up eventually but the IC 7 is for me and the MX-2 is for family and friends. At least they dont get sucky stock TIM

Kitkat · Jul 3, 2009

so the diamond stuff is better yet or no lol

steelkane · Jul 3, 2009

I just ordered some ThermalFusion 400, but I build enough systems to try MX-3 when available. Thanks for the news

Kitkat · Jul 3, 2009

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1

Wile E · Jul 3, 2009

Kitkat said:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1

Doesn't have this TIM in it at all. That's from last year.

Kitkat · Jul 3, 2009

Wile E said:
Doesn't have this TIM in it at all. That's from last year.

okayyyyy i know thatttt but I thought it was an intersting link that could help sort out some questions i had and questions i see

The first one has the intial test from last year.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.ph...d=138&Itemid=1
theres a second one too some of the newer ones in the last 3 months (seen at tech powerup) are compared to the first link
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62

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Storage	Samsung 990 1TB
Display(s)	BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case	Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s)	ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse	ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard	Gamdias Hermes E2
Software	Windows 11 Pro

System Name	The ClusterF**k
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Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 BIOS F12
Cooling	MCR-320, DDC-1 pump w/Bitspower res top (1/2" fittings), Koolance CPU-360
Memory	3x2GB Mushkin Redlines 1600Mhz 6-8-6-24 1T
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Case	Technofront Bench Station
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Power Supply	ENERMAX Galaxy EVO EGX1250EWT 1250W
Software	Win7 Ultimate N x64, OSX 10.8.4

Processor	Core i5-750 @ 3.6GHz 1.136V 24/7
Motherboard	Gigabyte P55A-UD3, SATA 6Gbit/s & USB3.0 baby!
Cooling	Alpenföhn Brocken HeatpipeDirectTouch
Memory	Geil Ultra Series 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 @ 1440MHz 7-7-7-24
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB OC (mostly stock speeds)
Storage	OS: Samsung F3 500GB Games: Samsung F1 640GB
Display(s)	new! Samsung P2350 23" FullHD 2ms / Mirai DTL-632E500 32" LCD
Case	new! Xigmatek Midgard/Utgard side window with red cathodes, 1x140mm & 3x120mm fans
Audio Device(s)	new! ASUS Xonar DG & JVC HA-RX700 headphones
Power Supply	Cougar CM 700W Modular
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Video Card(s)	GTX 280 + 8800 GTS 512 \| 9800 GX2 + 8800 GTS 512 \| 6600 GT \| 8800 GS \| 9600 GSO 512
Storage	G.Skill 64GB SSD (OS) \| Segate 750GB [Downloads] \| 5TB JBOD [Movies] \| 3TB JBOD [Else] \| 1.5TB [Ex]
Display(s)	QUAD Monitors: Dell 2007FP [20"] + Dell 3007WFP-HC [30"] + Dell 2007FP [20"] \| Dell 2407WFP-HC [24"]
Case	Antec P190 \| Antec Three-Hundred \| Antec NSK2400 \| Thermaltake Strike MX \| HEC 6T10 \| HEC 8K01
Audio Device(s)	Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer PCI + [Audiophile HD600] + [Creative G500 + Logitech X-530 = 10 speakers]
Power Supply	OCZ 750w [62A] \| OCZ 750w [62A] \| Antec 380w [31A] \| Antec 650w [54A] \| OCZ 400w [33A] \| GeN [20A]
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Benchmark Scores	////////////////////////////////66,666 [Crunching] + 45,455 [Folding]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

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Mouse	Logitech G305
Keyboard	Corsair K70
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Software	Windows 8.1 (Tweaked)

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Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
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Motherboard	Foxconn Mars P35
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System Name	:)
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Cooling	Noctua NH-D15
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Motherboard	AsRock X470 Killer Promontory
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Memory	32 GB Geil EVO Portenza DDR4 3200 MHz
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Mouse	Razer Death Adder
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Cooling	CoolerMaster V8 Modded With 2 white LED's & 100CFM fan
Memory	OCZ DDR2 1066_ SLI Black-4GB
Video Card(s)	2xMSI 8800GT"s SLI
Storage	<<HDD For OS>> 2x150GB_Western Digital Raptor_Raid 0. <<HDD For Storage>> 3 x 1TB
Display(s)	ACER B273HU 27" LCD 2048x1152
Case	Apex SuperCase_Custom 7 month Build
Audio Device(s)	Striker Extreme Add-In Card HD-Audio
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Software	SE7VEN ULTIMATE 64bit
Benchmark Scores	3DMark01=NTTA, 3Dmark06=NTTA 3Dmark_Vantage=NTTA, Core Temp v0.99.5=28C

Arctic Cooling Announces MX-3 High Performance Thermal Compound

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