Zalman CSL-850 thermal grease

[Giraffe]

i was at the shops be4 and i picked up a zalman csl850 thermal paste
i was planning on gettin a better 1 but this is all they had
i dont know how good it will be coz it only cost me $1 for a little tube.

any opinions on it?

BTW
dont recommend a thermal paste such as as5 coz i already know about all those.

 

[Newf]

It will work just fine.

 

[Giraffe]

I know it will work fine but how would it compare to more expensive types such as the coolermaster PTK-002 Premium which i was thinking of getting anyway

 

[Newf]

Sorry about the response delay.

Two trains of thought on this...
Empirical studies done by reviewers seem to show a mixed bag on the effectiveness of various brands/types of thermal compounds.
Engineering based heat transfer stats consistantly show that products with high metal content pass heat better.

IMO:
A product like Arctic5 silver (or equivalent) should give a 2 or 3 degree benefit with CPUs under load. This can be especially useful for Overclocking and/or Intel Netburst processors.
A generic grease suitable for any semiconductor/transistor mounting works fine. This is what I use.
More important than the product specs is the installation. Use only a very small amount, thinly spread over the CPU. The purpose is to prevent air gaps (air is a great insulator!).
Properly used, the electrically conductive products (like AC5) are best.
In the real world...well...they all work just fine.

 

[CMH]

Lol.

If you just plan to use a computer, anything is fine. Just like how you don't need to spend 3k on a computer if all you do if just surf the net, you don't need super cooling if all you're doing is reseating your stock heatsink or don't overclock, or do something that'll matter thermally (like stuffing your PC in an oven).

However, if you want to reduce your PC temps as much as possible, having the best thermal paste helps. Of course, if you don't apply it on a worthy heatsink/fan combo, or watercooling solution, it won't be of as much benefit as getting a better cooling solution.

Of course, it can just be a matter of lengthening the life of your computer. Lower temps are said to increase the life of a PC, although I don't see how lengthening the operating life of a pc from 10 years to 15 years help.



p.s. I use AS5, and I must say there's nothing that'll work better. Instant 3C reduction in temp over stock stuff.

 

[Giraffe]

Well first of all thx for the replies

I didnt want to spend 13$ or 20$(the prices at local stores) for as5 so i just used the $1 Zalman

This being the first time i have used thermal paste i probly didnt do it perfect so i was of been happy with 2-3 degrees.

However I am happy to say it has dropped 2-3 idle and 6-7 load.
from aprox 52 to aprox 45.

thx again every1 that helped me in this thread and in others