CPU Thermal Paste - Can you mix two different kinds?

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TheGamingAlien

TheGamingAlien

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Hello Folks,
I'm going to be overclocking for the first time today!
I'm also changing from the stock cooler on fx 8350 to the corsair H100i and wanted to know, when cleaning the current thermal paste off of my cpu, does it matter if a little bit stays on there? and it mixes with the stuff that comes with the H100i? Would this do any damage?
I say this because i don't currently have any 70-90% alcohol and thus can't fully clean the current paste off.

Any and all help will greatly appreciated!
 
Solution
pierrerock
Some Paste are made out of metals (silver,copper) other are made of chemicals and some are even straight liquid metal. If you do mix two different chemical together, a reaction may happen which could dry your paste or make is less heat conductive.

I would not take any chance since your CPU is worth 180-200 $. i am sure you can wait a couple hours or until tomorrow.
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TheGamingAlien

TheGamingAlien

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My current paste is still only a few weeks old, so it's still "fresh"
 
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pierrerock

pierrerock

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Some Paste are made out of metals (silver,copper) other are made of chemicals and some are even straight liquid metal. If you do mix two different chemical together, a reaction may happen which could dry your paste or make is less heat conductive.

I would not take any chance since your CPU is worth 180-200 $. i am sure you can wait a couple hours or until tomorrow.
 
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TheGamingAlien

TheGamingAlien

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I didn't know that, i had assumed that they're all pretty much the same. Thanks for the advice :)
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Not at all .....

Everything ya wanted to know about TIM ....and why ya don't want Artic Silver

http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=12

 
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pierrerock

pierrerock

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on this benchmark artic silver 5 scored second on 80 different paste tested. why wouldn't we want this very good paste ???
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Actually, it did not finish in 2nd place, it finished tied for 1st with 4 other TIMs in thermal performance but is eventual thermal performance the ONLY criteria by which we should judge TIMs ???

Don't just look at the chart, read the footnotes....carefully.

(4) Arctic Silver 5 Application Instructions (up to 200-hours recommended curing time)
Click to expand...

Reason No. 1 - Cause 3 other TIMs that match AS5 in thermal performance don't take 200 hours to cure. Using the computer 8 hours a day on weekends, and ~ 3 hours a day on weekdays .... let's call it 30 hours a week .... you wanna wait almost 7 weeks before dialing in your OC's ?

I build systems for other people, I have the machine for a weekend tops, certainly not enough time foir the TIM to cure and get the most out of the user's puter before he / she picks it up.

Now go to the web site ....

Important Reminder:
Due to the unique shape and sizes of the particles in Arctic Silver 5's conductive matrix, it will take a up to 200 hours and several thermal cycles to achieve maximum particle to particle thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on the heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) On systems measuring actual internal core temperatures via the CPU's internal diode, the measured temperature will often drop 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period. This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer as long as the computer is turned off from time to time and the interface is allowed to cool to room temperature. Once the break-in is complete, the computer can be left on if desired.
Click to expand...


Reason No. 2 - Compound is Capacitive

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)
Click to expand...

In other words..... not advisable for GFX cards, not acceptable for CPU delidding, and if don't dare spill a drop on ya MoBo.

http://www.ekwb.com/shop/EK-IM/EK-IM-3831109868935.pdf

See step 2-3 ... look at all those exposed circuit points


 
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pierrerock

pierrerock

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So yeah but any silver based or liquid metal paste are a problem when speaking of spilling on motherboard. this is not a new thing.

200 hours cure to get 2-5 C of more effectiveness. i use for myself artic silver 5 and it has been great since the very beginning. It just become even better over the time because silver particles penetrate the metal of the cooler to allow an even better heat transfer.

So you point about the 200 Hours cure is not valid. Even at first hours of uses it is already better than a lot of compounds you can buy.

And yes if applied correctly, we should judge thermal paste only by the result they give.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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We ain't talking about a lotta other compounds; we are talking about AS5 versus the 4 other products that matches its thermal performance.

1. If the damage ya components is not a "new thing", then why the question ?

2. If two of the products have the capacity to destroy ya MoBo / CPU / GPU and three can't.... why is AS5's ability to fry ya stuff an advantage over the other 3 that can't possible damage anything a "good thing" ?

3. Again, read more carefully. The test results are after the cure time. AS5 doesn't get better than everyone else over time, the two silver based compounds take 200 hours to "catch up" to everybody else.

Each product tested received the curing time recommended (see below)
Click to expand...

Gelid GC-Extreme reached 37.55°C after 1 hour of cure time
Shin Etsu reached 37.55°C after 1 hour of cure time
Tuniq TX-3 after 1 hour of cure time
AS5 reached 37.55°C after 200 hours of cure time
Thermaltake Grease A2150 reached 37.55°C after 200 hours of cure time

Why is a good thing for a user to have to wait 7 weeks for his TIM to catch up to the competition ?

So given the two choices:

Option A - Buy a product that has the capability to destroy ya MoBo or CPU and absolutely is dangerous on a GPU or delidded CPU, requires you to wait 7 weeks before it is fully cured so you can dial in your OCs and produces a Delta T of 37.55

Option B - Buy a product that has no capability to damage any of your components, requires you to cycle for just 1 hour before it is fully cured allowing you to dial in your OCs and produces a Delta T of 37.55

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4DA1GN6641

So with Shin Etsu available, why should I buy AS5, when:

a) It costs $2 more than Shin Etsu
b) It have to wait 5 (west coast) - 15 days (east coast - Im in NY) for overseas shipping from Newegg
c) I have to wait 7 weeks for it's performance to "catch up" with ShinEtsu
d) I add the risk of damaging my components with AS5, a risk that doesn't exist with ShinEtsu




 
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