New PC Build Questions

defiantxab · Jun 30, 2014

Two Questions:
1. Is there a real difference between Thermal Grease & Thermal compound?
2. Does it matter if I use the thermal compound that comes with the after market CPU cooler or use another product like Arctic Silver 5

rhysiam · Jun 30, 2014

1) Nope - not according to Wikipedia anyways: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease

2) It depends what you are trying to do. I expect extreme overclockers who are looking to squeeze every last bit out of their CPUs will care a great deal about which material. If you're just looking for a regular OC, and you bought a decent cooler (which should have bundled a decent thermal paste), then I don't think it matters at all. It's probably much more important that you put the right amount on (not too much) than which particular brand you use.

That's my opinion, others may have more brand preference than I do.

damric · Jun 30, 2014

1) Pretty much the same. Just don't confuse that with thermal adhesive.

2) It depends on the usage. For most CPUs, there is a heat spreader over the CPU die so just about any TIM will do the job safely. For other applications you need to be more careful. Example: AMD Radeon GPU dies are exposed and have some exposed leads, so you would strictly use non-conducting TIM in that sort of application.

As far as Arctic Silver 5, I no longer recommend that as there are cheaper compounds that perform better, spread easier, and have no burn-in time. Generally, stock cooler grease is very good if it is gray in color and comes in a syringe or packet. It's lightweight and easy to spread. Sometimes it is pre-applied, and that's where I often replace it so that I can apply fresh stuff myself.

defiantxab · Jun 30, 2014

rhysiam :

1) Nope - not according to Wikipedia anyways: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease

2) It depends what you are trying to do. I expect extreme overclockers who are looking to squeeze every last bit out of their CPUs will care a great deal about which material. If you're just looking for a regular OC, and you bought a decent cooler (which should have bundled a decent thermal paste), then I don't think it matters at all. It's probably much more important that you put the right amount on (not too much) than which particular brand you use.

That's my opinion, others may have more brand preference than I do.

defiantxab · Jun 30, 2014

rhysiam :

1) Nope - not according to Wikipedia anyways: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease

2) It depends what you are trying to do. I expect extreme overclockers who are looking to squeeze every last bit out of their CPUs will care a great deal about which material. If you're just looking for a regular OC, and you bought a decent cooler (which should have bundled a decent thermal paste), then I don't think it matters at all. It's probably much more important that you put the right amount on (not too much) than which particular brand you use.

That's my opinion, others may have more brand preference than I do.

defiantxab · Jun 30, 2014

Thanks for the information is really helps

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