Just curious. I'm returning a Zalman 9700LED (it doesn't support PWM auto speed) for a Zalman 9700NT (has the 4-pin connector for BIOS auto speed) and am curious if I should try Arctic Silver 5 instead of the Antec Formula 5 I've been using. Is there any difference? I usually spread a thin layer on both my CPU and the bottom of the heat sink and am obviously looking for the best performance and stability...I want to put the heat sink on once and for all and get maximum cooling. The both appear about the same but I see so many more customers of Arctic Silver.

I'd go with Arctic Silver Ceramique, because it won't harden as fast. Also you'll notice about a 2-3c diff in cooling (less). It costs a little more than AS5 (by about $1.50), here is a link to it on the egg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] =Ceramique
(shipping is more than the actual TIM)

artic silver

mx-2

AS5

i hear mx-2 is really good... has better load temps

omg google it....there was some review with like 20 thermal pastes.... AS5 wins how much more proof do u guys need... GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND!! Tom's comes second!