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Best Thermal Paste


elliott6307

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Hi guys,

I have an Alienware 18 and the motherboard is getting replaced on Monday.

I have a choice between:

Arctic silver 5

Arctic cooling MX-4 or MX-2

Antec Formula 7.

Now I have done a little research and I am not sure if what I read is true, that the diamond based compound can scratch the surface of CPU/GPU.

If it isn't as what it seems I think that the Antec Formula 7 is the winner.

Feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

:tennis:

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No diamond will not scratch the CPU/GPU

I used arctic silver 5 on my Core 2 Quad Q6700 in my Dell Optiplex 360 worked wonderfully runs idle at 85F (~29C)

As for the diamond i used it on both of my 780Ms in my Alienware M18xR1 there running idle at ~120F ( 49C)

Both i think are great but it also depends how well you put it on :)

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No diamond will not scratch the CPU/GPU

I used arctic silver 5 on my Core 2 Quad Q6700 in my Dell Optiplex 360 worked wonderfully runs idle at 85F (~29C)

As for the diamond i used it on both of my 780Ms in my Alienware M18xR1 there running idle at ~120F ( 49C)

Both i think are great but it also depends how well you put it on :)

Thanks for the reply.

How do you apply it?

Do you spread it evenly with a card, or put a pea size ball in the middle?

IC Diamond has done research that the pea size ball in the middle is their preferred way to apply the paste as the heat sink spreads it evenly and consistently across the CPU/GPU.

http://www.innovationcooling.com/applicationinstructions.htm

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It is easy to find complaints of IC Diamond scratching the surface. Avoid IC Diamond thermal compound [solved] - Overclocking - Overclocking

I find most high end pastes are simular in capability. I have had no problems with Artic Silver 5. And if you go to their website, they even tell you how to apply it depending on your cpu. Just avoid bubbles, get even coverage, and keep it as thin as possible.

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I prefer arctic silver 5 over the diamond it was a lot easier to apply But diamond is alright i mean i got it for free with my graphics card upgrade kits XD haven't had any problems

But a pea or an X in my opinion is a fine way to do it

Tell me how it goes :)

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I don't know about Antec Formula 7, but the MX-4 should be a little better than AS5. I don't think any of the pastes you listed can scratch the die.

Also people blow the scratch issue out of proportion. I have TONS of scratches all over my CPU and it works fine. Processors have an outer coating to take scratches. This coating is SiO2, which is a terrible heat conductor so if anything scratching your processor improves thermals. Of course if you scratch all the way through the protective layer it will die.

I'm thinking people who lost CPUs that got scratches on them from ICD or another paste probably lost the CPU due to static discharge and not the scratches.

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I don't know about Antec Formula 7, but the MX-4 should be a little better than AS5. I don't think any of the pastes you listed can scratch the die.

Also people blow the scratch issue out of proportion. I have TONS of scratches all over my CPU and it works fine. Processors have an outer coating to take scratches. This coating is SiO2, which is a terrible heat conductor so if anything scratching your processor improves thermals. Of course if you scratch all the way through the protective layer it will die.

I'm thinking people who lost CPUs that got scratches on them from ICD or another paste probably lost the CPU due to static discharge and not the scratches.

So I shouldn't worry about scratching anything then.

Or should I send back the Antec formula 7 and get some MX-4

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Take a look at some testing results and decide for yourself. Geek Tested: 17 Thermal Pastes Face Off - Page 2 | Maximum PC

Their testing is atrocious.

All higher idle temps indicate is that the room is hotter. TIM helps heat TRANSFER. If there is no heat transfer being done, such as at idle, then the TIM choice means nothing. I've completely screwed up mounts on the CPU so that only half the die had contact with the heatsink, and idle temps indicated nothing wrong, but of course load skyrocketed to 100C instantly.

So why did they determine that tuniq X4 was the best paste? because they screwed up and had the lowest room temps for the X4. In reality the best paste is the one that has the smallest difference between idle and load temps. The prolimatech PK-1 was the best paste they tested, they just didn't know how to interpret their own damn results...

As for PK-1 I tried it and it is great at first, but it dries out fast. I once repasted after 3 days to see it had already begun drying out. I always use liquid metal now. It doesn't dry out (it's metal), and it performs several degrees better than any conventional paste. It is expensive, conductive, and hard to remove though.

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You did see they tested under load didn't you? I wouldn't get hung up on "best" too much. Most of the good ones are within error ratings of each other. PK-1 is a good value, so much, you could repaste every six months if you wanted to.

They only tested non-destructive pastes. Liquid metals are the best, but they scare me.

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I use Cool Laboratory Liquid Ultra. Liquid Metal, easy to apply. My CPU(3940M XM @4.4Ghz) runs no higher than 80oC when benched, GPU's run no higher than 75oC under benching.

Yeah I use liquid ultra too. Definitely a big improvement. A big negative though is you will need to SAND it off your heatsink if you ever want to switch back to something conventional or you do a few remounts. It comes off the die very easily though.

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Yeah I use liquid ultra too. Definitely a big improvement. A big negative though is you will need to SAND it off your heatsink if you ever want to switch back to something conventional or you do a few remounts. It comes off the die very easily though.

I just got some MX-4.

Motherboard change tomorrow.

I will see how much of a difference it actually makes :)

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  • 4 weeks later...
I use Cool Laboratory Liquid Ultra. Liquid Metal, easy to apply. My CPU(3940M XM @4.4Ghz) runs no higher than 80oC when benched, GPU's run no higher than 75oC under benching.

I'd like to check out this Liquid Ultra - how have you found it for durability ?

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Liquid metal conducts electricity, and will eat aluminum. So be very careful. It is risky, too risky for me, but you will get the best results using them.

You also need to use sandpaper to take it off copper heatsinks. It comes off the die just like normal paste though. Liquid metal is definitely not for beginners.

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  • 2 weeks later...

IC Diamond doesn't cause any harm if it is handled properly. I have been using IC Diamond for a very long time and don't have any issues with scratches on my CPU die or CPU heat sink. It is very durable and does an excellent job of cooling. AS 5, MX-2, MX-4 and Formula 7 last about 30 days max with the kind of overclocking I do on my CPU... just not reliable enough for my purposes. My system idles at 4.3GHz with c-states disabled 24/7, except for when I am benching and pushing it at 4.6 to 4.8GHz. Under those conditions IC Diamond lasts about 90-120 days between repastes.

So, 4 to 5 repastes every year and no signs of damage. I use isopropyl alcohol and Q-Tips for cleaning. Here is a video some dude made to address this common criticism of IC Diamond.

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  • 1 month later...

Without question, the most effective and durable thermal paste I have found is Liquid Ultra. It outperforms everything I have tested (IC Diamond, TX-2, MX-4, NT-H1, AS5, Ceramique and others). I had been a die hard IC Diamond fan for a couple of years until about 4.5 weeks ago and Liquid Ultra's performance utterly amazed me. Have a look at these phenomenal results... nothing but normal room temps and stock laptop fans.

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@Mr. Fox Core 0 and 1 temps look high compared to 2 and 3 in all but the first test. Have you remounted to try to fix this? From my experience 1 and 2 should be at the same temperature, and 0 slightly cooler than 3. It looks to me like one side of the heatsink is not quite down all the way.

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