The Official Thermal Interface Material thread

[freeagent]

My Ceramique.. didn't hit 80 after an all nighter so that's good

 

[KLiKzg]

Shin-Etsu is a big hightec Japanese chemical company

https://www.shinetsu.co.jp/en/company/history/

As for the 6 W/mK, those numbers we see don't mean much because we don't know the protocols on how they were obtained from.
IF you look/click at the first graphic from my previous post, you will see that Shin-Etsu 7921 has one of the best results(before baking).
In my own test Shin-Etsu 7921 6 W/mK worked better than Alseye T9+ Platinum 13.5 W/mK and Zezzio ZT-GX 14.3 W/mK that
seems to be a Thermalright TFX clone, because it feels, smells(clove) and behaves the same as TFX.

Still, on eBay only shipping is available from China - for a paste Made in Japan.

It is a 100% knock-off!

 

[lexluthermiester]

AS5 is a bit long in the tooth.

Not really. It's still a good performer.

Hasn't been relevant for a while, it's basically surviving based on it's recognizable name and nostalgia.

Not true at all. AS5 is still a solid performer and is priced well. A good formulae is always relevant, regardless of age.

My Ceramique.. didn't hit 80 after an all nighter so that's good

View attachment 279381

That's not at all surprising. That one was and is still a good TIM as well.

 

[jayjr1105]

Not really. It's still a good performer.

Not true at all. AS5 is still a solid performer and is priced well. A good formulae is always relevant, regardless of age.


That's not at all surprising. The was and is still a good TIM as well.

Yes really.

Yes true, poll 100 professional's who assemble or work on PC's regularly on what thermal paste they would use if they had a choice... maybe 3 would say AS5

When was the last time you saw Jayz, Linus, GN, or any reputable youtuber slap AS5 on anything ever? Probably been a solid decade if not more. Shit even the Verge had the sense to use a carbon based modern paste in their disaster of a build video.

 

[lexluthermiester]

View attachment 279435
Yes really.

Yes true, poll 100 professional's who assemble or work on PC's regularly on what thermal paste they would use if they had a choice... maybe 3 would say AS5

When was the last time you saw Jayz, Linus, GN, or any reputable youtuber slap AS5 on anything ever? Probably been a solid decade if not more. Shit even the Verge had the sense to use a carbon based modern paste in their disaster of a build video.

You're missing the point and if it needs to be explained to you, you have the problem. I'm not saying there are not better TIMs out there, because we all know there are, but they're not better by very much. What I'm saying is that Arctic Silver 5 is still a good performing TIM and is not expensive. There is nothing wrong with people buying and using it today.
EDIT:
Just an FYI, Amazon still has 12g units of it,

Amazon.com

 

[jayjr1105]

You're missing the point and if it needs to be explained to you, you have the problem. I'm not saying there are not better TIMs out there, because we all know there are, but they're not better by very much. What I'm saying is that Arctic Silver 5 is still a good performing TIM and is not expensive. There is nothing wrong with people buying and using it today.
EDIT:
Just an FYI, Amazon still has 12g units of it,

Amazon.com

Didn't I generally say this from the beginning?

I mean, price here is a no brainer

 

[lexluthermiester]

Didn't I generally say this from the beginning?
View attachment 279444
I mean, price here is a no brainer View attachment 279445

Wow... You sure showed me... Are you done?

 

[freeagent]

I would use AS5 over MX4 lol..

Edit:

I wasn't trying to sound like a snob, I haven't used MX4 before, But I used AS5 for a minimum of one decade

 

[ThrashZone]

I would use AS5 over MX4 lol..

Edit:

I wasn't trying to sound like a snob, I haven't used MX4 before, But I used AS5 for a minimum of one decade

Hi,
Guess I would to seeing i don't have any mx-4 but do I think have some as5

 

[freeagent]

Hi,
Guess I would to seeing i don't had any mx-4 but do I think have some as5

You got me before I could get my edit in

 

[VeqIR]

I think this review highlights the value and relevance of AS5 really well:

Arctic Silver 5 Review: Great Choice for 2022 - GadgetGang

A frank review of Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste, covering performance, price, and Arctic Silver 5's place in the market.

gadgetgang.com

“All of this means one thing: Though messy, it’s actually a perfect thermal paste for beginners. It’s forgiving on application proportions. It’s not electrically conductive, so it can be safely cleaned up if dripped on the board. It normally outlasts the effective lifetime of the motherboard.”
”That kind of defines the spirit of Arctic Silver 5: It’s omni-present. It’s handy and reliable, even if it isn’t the best or the cheapest. It’s a product that drives right down the middle of the road and finds its way to the correct destination.”
“It’s alright for people to have a positive outlook on a middling product. It’s even alright to have a bit of nostalgia about something as obscure as a brand of thermal paste. As long as those in the know are providing accurate technical information, and as long as the experts are using superior products for their high performance systems, we can let it be.”

Regarding MX4, I’ve gone through 3 larger tubes over the years—it used to be my default paste of choice. But it does eventually “pump out” on everything. I stopped using it after trying Kryonaut, NT-H2, and SYY-157. I’ll probably try one of those phase-change pads on my GPU next time (if I can find an authentic source) and will finally order some TFX (or Arctic MX6).

 

[ThrashZone]

You got me before I could get my edit in

Hi,
Fixed it for you

 

[Pictus]

Still, on eBay only shipping is available from China - for a paste Made in Japan.

It is a 100% knock-off!

It is the best paste I own, very unlikely to be fake as it kicked the Zezzio/Alseye in the butt.
The 7921 has no oil/solvent, I applied a bit in a paper and the paper was unable to absorb any oil/solvent...
How it be fake when has no oil/solvent and perform exceptionally well?

It's an industrial paste and the manufacture doesn't seem interested in selling small amounts to retail.
Someone in China and Hong Kong buys a 1 Kg bucket and resells it in small packets.

MODDIY - Search Results for “ 7921 ”

MODDIY has been specializing in manufacturing premium and custom computer cables and accessories for large corporations, computer enthusiasts, and gamers worldwide for over 13 years. Our cables and adapters are well-known for their best quality, top performance, reliability, and durability...

www.moddiy.com

I never verified, but people say that the Thermalright TF3 is a re-branded 7921.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Performance-Compound-heatsinks-applying/dp/B08XK8S984

 

[nomdeplume]

Still, on eBay only shipping is available from China - for a paste Made in Japan.

It is a 100% knock-off!

Manufacturing and business trade between these two nations has grown considerably. There are a lot of products made for Japanese companies in China that require importation back into China. A lot of these products are in fact reimported. The opposite is no so uncommon either.

Not quite the red flag you make it out to be. Rather an outdated blanket statement on a complex situation.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yeah takes a little time to counterfeit other paste labels so they can charge more

There were tons of pages over mx-5 and not much at all over mx-6 yet
What's up with that

 

[freeagent]

What's up with that

Indeed..

 

[ThrashZone]

Indeed..

Hi,
Is it a fool me once .... deal

 

[KLiKzg]

I'm saying you made an inaccurate statement leading off into FUD.

There was consideration shown in my answer towards looking for actual reasons to state counterfeit operations are being conducted. Any further deliberation would go off topic.

If the paste is any good, it would sell like crazy on eBAY or Amazon. Why nobody sells it from Japan?

Ah yes, they have this crazy little site for themselves called Rakuten. They also use Yahoo commerce called Buyee & some auction site called Jauce.
Enjoy with the ShinEtsu pastes.

 

[nomdeplume]

If the paste is any good, it would sell like crazy on eBAY or Amazon. Why nobody sells it from Japan?

It is because Japan doesn't sell many domestic produced goods outside their own country. Lacking an official importer is a no go for many people who'd rather just get whatever is quickest online.

Grey market goods in retail packaging are enough of a concern for many people. When the chances of scraping a few grams TIM out of a commercial sized container into an unlabeled jar increase... there is a rapid decline in willingness to feed in a CC # and home address.

Neither of these depict a counterfeit operation.

 

[95Viper]

Stay on topic.
Stop the geopolitical thread crapping.
Discuss thermal material without off topic side discussions.
This is a tech site... there is no need to inject your likes or dislikes of any particular country or people.

 

[Pictus]

If the paste is any good, it would sell like crazy on eBAY or Amazon. Why nobody sells it from Japan?

Ah yes, they have this crazy little site for themselves called Rakuten. They also use Yahoo commerce called Buyee & some auction site called Jauce.
Enjoy with the ShinEtsu pastes.

In 2022 there was a store in Japan that sold the paste in small packets, but I can't find the link now.
Amazon had the 7921, but it's sold out, only the 7783D is available today.

https://www.amazon.com/X23-7783D-Manufacturer-Shin-Etsu-MicroSi-Performance/dp/B01HMZBCMU

Shin-Etsu X-23-7921-5 is old(2015 ?) and still good today not only my test but in other tests here and here.
Why this paste was/is not popular is a mystery to me, even in my country(Brazil) that buys a lot of stuff
from AliExpress this paste is ignored, but seems to be more popular in China.
I think one of the reasons 7921 is not popular is because it's probably the driest/densest paste out there!
Without heat(hair dryer/heat gun/etc) we couldn't apply a thin layer over the CPU or heatsink.
The guys usually prefer easy-to-apply pastes from well-known brands that are easily available in any store.

Anyway, originally it is an industrial paste sold in kilograms to industries, not grams to final users.
So, someone has to buy a kilogram bucket, put it in a small package and resell it in grams to end users.
Seems to be +- the same case with the American Dow Chemical Company and its DOWSIL™ TC-5888
Not available in Amazon, but you can buy in grams from

MODDIY Home Page - PC Modding, Case Mods, Custom Cables

MODDIY has been specializing in manufacturing premium and custom computer cables and accessories for large corporations, computer enthusiasts, and gamers worldwide for over 13 years. Our cables and adapters are well-known for their best quality, top performance, reliability, and durability...

www.moddiy.com

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004598528303.html

Interesting that it is thixotropic like corn starch.

Again, the same case for the Honeywell with its PTM-7950
It is not silicon based, but some sort of polymer that has longer life span in high temperature like in direct die notebook/GPU,
when the temperature reach +- 45ºC it melts and do its magic. Also not available in Amazon, but you can buy from

Honeywell PTM7950 SP Super Highly Thermally Conductive PCM Paste

Buy Honeywell PTM7950 SP Super Highly Thermally Conductive PCM Paste for $19.99 with Free Shipping Worldwide (In Stock)

www.moddiy.com

https://www.moddiy.com/products/Honeywell-PTM7950-SP-Super-Highly-Thermally-Conductive-PCM-Pad.html (The "pad" is better)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004744337186.html

Linus mentioned that the AliExpress version is lower quality, I read somewhere that the AliExpress "pad" is a thinner version.
Not the best performer for a desktop CPU in this test https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/3hvl3_3ykm7.html
But he used the paste and it needs to dry before mounting the heatsink and both the paste/pad
will need proper pressure and some time working at higher temperatures to achieve maximum performance.

The Chinese https://www.halnziye.com/product/277.html also made a PCM(Phase-change material) paste with better specification than the Honeywell PTM7950.

If it is really better(performance and life span) I do not know. Found a review, click in the image.
The review is too simple/superficial, but maybe better than nothing...



The main advantage of PCM pastes is their lifespan at high temperatures, they melt but do not break-in/pump-out because they have longer molecular chains.

 

[lexluthermiester]

The review is too simple/superficial, but maybe better than nothing...

This tells us what we need to know. The HY-P16 performs the same as premium TIM's already on the market. So the question is, can the makers get it to the rest of the world at a competitive price?

 

[KLiKzg]

@Pictus , thank you for confirming a lower quality of product on "AliExpress".

Hoping my post will get you to original Japan web sites for ordering directly from Japan.

 

[Pictus]

This tells us what we need to know. The HY-P16 performs the same as premium TIM's already on the market. So the question is, can the makers get it to the rest of the world at a competitive price?

No idea, but PCM is usually more expensive than non-PCM paste.
The test is very superficial and only tells me that it is not bad.
I would like to see one made with a CPU or something running burning HOT for a few days without thermal degradation.
That's what PCMs are made for...

@Pictus , thank you for confirming a lower quality of product on "AliExpress".

Hoping my post will get you to original Japan web sites for ordering directly from Japan.

You're welcome, I also read elsewhere that the version from AliExpress someone was using was the same as the other one.
We can get fake thermal paste or lower quality stuff from Amazon too...
Anyway, fake or not my Shin-Etsu from AliExpress works soooo well, I don't need to buy from elsewhere.
For us in Brazil is almost always wayyyyyyyyyyyy more cheap to buy from AliExpress and we got tracking.

 

[maxfly]

For us in Brazil is almost always wayyyyyyyyyyyy more cheap to buy from AliExpress and we got tracking.

Sounds like a perfect business opportunity.