Recommend me a thermal paste

[Bennis]

Hey guys,

So I just went and purchased all my computer parts for my new build... however I forgot to get some thermal paste.

Now, the CPU and heatsink in question are:

- AMD Phenom II x6 1100t
- Coolermater Hyper 212 Evo

Does the CPU come with thermal paste, and is it any good? Or should I buy some better stuff.

Ide prefer ceramic paste as I have heard about the metal compounds having the possibility of shorting out.

Dont want to spend heaps, less is better.

Fire away with suggestions people!!

Thanks,
Ben

 

[87ninefiveone]

The risk of shorting out with metal paste is nil. You would really have to get messy with it to risk shorting something out, and even if you did it would be easily remedied by using an alcohol soaked cotton swab to clean up the mess (while grounded of course).

I usually just stick with tried and true Arctic Silver. At around $6/tube you can't go wrong, plus one tube will pretty much last you a lifetime.

 

[signor]

Your heatsink will come with pre-installed thermal paste. The paste is budget but will be perfectly fine for standard use/low overclocking.

If your planning to overclock I would recommend Arctic silver as it tends to be a sure thing.

 

[jaguarskx]

Hey guys,


Ide prefer ceramic paste as I have heard about the metal compounds having the possibility of shorting out.

Only if you are totally reckless when applying thermal paste to the top of the CPU. Kinda like trying to spread a full stick of butter on a single slice of toast.

Artic Silver 5 has been around for a while, but it is still one of the best thermal paste around.

 

[donkeywax]

ive got 212evo and i used thermal paste that came with it,

got a phenom 965 @4100 mhz

tops at 48c prime 95, not sure of ambient but ive only got a tshirt on and im not cold,

sorry cant be more specific

 

[hotthree]

artic silver! Best around. Just do not go overboard with it.

You can always do a test spread and see how far it spreads before you put it on and put more or less if you need. Least thats what I do.

 

[nikorr]

Arctic Silver 5 @ http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm
=========
Specifications:
Thermal Conductance:
>350,000W/m2 °C (0.001 inch layer)
Thermal Resistance:
<0.0045°C-in2/Watt (0.001 inch layer)
Average Particle Size:
<0.49 micron <0.000020 inch
Extended Temperature Limits:
Peak: –50°C to >180°C Long-Term: –50°C to 130°C
=================

 

[lucuis]

Best stuff i've used is IC Diamond, no cure time. Only requirement is moderately high mounting pressure.

http://www.innovationcooling.com/

The combined sample of individual testers includes myself and many users from Toms. IC did a free giveaway on toms a while back to help prove their product. Here are the results of tests done by our very own members.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/282002-28-diamond-test-results

 

[Uther39]

I personally like there MX4 paste

 

[davcon]

I've used a few different paste over the years and, honestly, the included CM paste is very good.
I wouldn't bother buying another paste.

 

[rds1220]

I don't want to hijack this thread but I've been reading the 2011 thermal paste roundup done here and there was one that really caught my interest, the coollabratory ultra liquid metal. I know the Cl Pro had a lot of problems. It was highly conductive, a pain to apply and a huge hastle to rmove. The ultra seems to be an updated version and from the reviews it seems to be a big improvement over the old Pro. People say it's easier to apply, ALOT easier to remove and still gives some great performance better than almost all other paste. Has anyone used the ultra and if so how was it?

 

[HEXiT]

wow. its time for some of you guys to update... there are much better pastes even arctic do better than there silver 5. there mx-2/3/4 compounds perfom on average 2-7 degrees better than AS5.
zalman thermal grease number 2 and tuniq tx-4 are also great pastes and most if not all are cheaper than AS5...
feel free to reference toms own paste roundup for the real numbers as mine are just rough estimates.

 

[simon12]

I would just use the styuff that comes with the 212. I changed my cooler once that had fully cured Arctic silver and used some cheap under £1 stuff and it only raised the temp 2C (I check room temp was the same to make it fair). Why pay for 2C.

 

[rds1220]

I've been using Artic Silver 5 and MX4 but like I said Ive been reading about the Ultra and it sounds like it outperforms a lot of paste.

 

[jerry6]

been using OCZ freeze for the last 4 years , does a good job , easy to apply and take off . Temps are down 44-6 degrees over stock crap . And it's priced right .

 

[chriscornell]

I've used Arctic Alumina: http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_alumina.htm
for my last 30-40 builds.

It's structure is quite firm and thick, so its easy to control/spread, and easy to clean off as well.

Since it has a white colour, you've got a good visual indicator of how even the layer you've applied on the cpu is.

 

[TomBrooklyn]

Many people have recommended Artic Silver, despite the fact that the Cooler Master 212 Evo comes with paste.

Why?

The Cooler Master 212 Evo is widely held in extremely high regard as a heatsink with outstanding performance for it's size. It has been tested by Hardware Secrets to have almost incredible heat removing ability with the paste that came with it. Why is anybody looking any further?

 

[rds1220]

Because its good but it's not the best.

 

[danwat1234]

If you want the best thermal paste, you need a 100% metal paste, like Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra thermal paste or one of it's competitors. The thermal conductivity is way better than arctic silver or any other hybrid paste, however the thermal conductivity of pastes like arctic silver is so good already, that going to a 100% metal paste might not give you the temp reductions you expect.
Up to you!

 

[simon12]

The 212 Evo is a very good cooler at a very low price but there are better but at 1.5 to 3 times the price. The reason to get it is extreme value so why spend more $s on thermal paste to improve 1-2C when you could just spend the cash on a better cooler.