Arctic Silver 5: How old is too old?

Landstander · Jun 4, 2014

I just built a new system and have been thinking the temperature is higher than I'd like.
The tube of Arctic Silver 5 I used I had bought to build an Athlon XP (Barton) system a loooong time ago.

Here's the thing, the AS was really thick. Thicker than I remembered. Not separate and something like half way between tooth paste and chewing gum consistency. It took some effort to spread, which didn't seem right.

While I know AS is supposed to thicken under use, the question is if it's already thick is it less effective? I already picked up a new tube, but haven't opened it yet.

What do you guys think? Toss the old tube or is it just as effective?

logainofhades · Jun 4, 2014

I would toss the old tube. If it is already dried out, it might now spread properly once the heatsink is installed.

Gam3r01 · Jun 4, 2014

If you arent sure on it dont use it. It sounds like it was starting to go bad. Will it still work? Probably. Should you use it? Not worth the risk.

Landstander · Jun 4, 2014

I tested some on my fingers to check the thickness, and couldn't get it off. Soap, rubbing alcohol, scrubbing, yikes.
What's the best way to get it off a chip and heatsink before applying new?

pigsinspace72 · Jun 4, 2014

Landstander :

I always use 90% rubbing alcohol with a microfiber cloth and worked wondrous. You could buy "thermal paste remover" online like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100010&cm_re=thermal_paste_remover-_-35-100-010-_-Product

Gam3r01 · Jun 4, 2014

I had to read that twice, thought you used soap and scrubbing on the cpu!

I use 95% (anything above 90 is great) and a coffee filter, long wipes, not circles. Works wonders, you can use a q-tip to remove any small areas. Dont use something that will leave lint, paper towels, towels, cheap microfiber.

Landstander · Jun 4, 2014

Where on earth do you get 90% or better alcohol? I just checked and mine is 70%.

Gam3r01 · Jun 4, 2014

I got mine at walgreens. It was cheaper than the 70%. 70 will work, 90+ is just better, less moisture on the CPU for less time essentially.

Pinhedd · Jun 4, 2014

Landstander :

Most pastes are slightly greasy by their very nature. Being unable to clean it off of your hands is normal.

AS5 is inherently quite thick, more than most thermal pastes. Thickness far greater than toothpaste is normal for AS5. It also takes about 200 hours to cure once applied and several full thermal cycles. It's unlikely that it's expired and I highly doubt that it will be any less effective now than it was when you purchased it. However, the only way to be sure would be to try it out. If you're concerned at all you can always send the manufacturer an inquiry.

logainofhades · Jun 5, 2014

Landstander :

I got mine at walmart. :lol:

4Ryan6 · Jun 5, 2014

Landstander :

Last time I got AS5 on my fingers it took Lava Soap to remove it!

AS5 is Old School, as as far as thermal compound is concerned you don't want a thick layer of the stuff anyway, not for thermal cooling conductivity performance, you want the thinnest layer you can possibly attain, as you are only filling the microscopic imperfections between the 2 contacting metal surfaces.

The thicker the thermal compound the less effective it is in conducting the heat and the more it acts like an insulator instead of a conductor.

The newer thinner consistency compounds like Artic MX-4, for example will thin to the most optimal amount under pressure and yields much better cooling results.

MX-4 is also carbon based and not electrically conductive, and easier to wash off your fingers!

logainofhades · Jun 5, 2014

Last time I went to Microcenter, I picked up this stuff. Used it for my FX 8320 with an old Zalman cooler. It seems to do pretty decent. I used it on one of my HD 5850's too. Card was overheating as the thermal compound was not very good shape and the fan was having issues. Used some WD40 to clean out the crud inside the fan itself and used this for the heatsink. System has been running great since. I haven't checked GPU temps since the change, but not a single shutdown when gaming now, where it was before.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/429370/IC_Diamond_7_Carat_Thermal_Compound_15g

Landstander · Jun 5, 2014

For some reason I always remember AS5 being the same thickness as Arctic Silver 3 (which IS the consistency of toothpaste).

Landstander · Jun 7, 2014

I didn't expect a response from the AS people, but I got one:

It's thick stuff. Sounds like your tube is fine. We conservatively
quote a shelf life of 12 months, refrigerated for critical
aerospace/MilSpec applications. Actual shelf life may be considerably
longer. As long as the compound is fully mixed it is safe to use. In
the unlikely event there has been some separation you may continue
pressing the plunger until fully mixed compound is dispensed. We
recommend you save some money and use your current tube.

Sounds like a good answer to me.

Pinhedd · Jun 7, 2014

Landstander :

Yup, just what I thought. Go ahead and use it. Good luck and have fun!

Guest · Jul 1, 2014

hey all I am still using tubes of arctic silver 2 & 3 and have not had any problems with it. it will never go bad from my point of view my tubes have got to be 10 years old at least. I have had to mix it up on a piece of glass because it had separated but it still works great.

Guest · Jul 1, 2014

hey all what are some opinions on using white transistor heat sink compound on processors. I have used it and it seems to work really well the few times that I have used it.

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