Thermal Paste

[agent]

Any recommendations? Can I just buy the cheapest one I can find? Do I need any tools to apply it? I have a 1GHz Thunderbird.

Always remember, you are unique...just like everyone else.

 

[skinnyjoint]

article silver works find its cooled my system very nicely and just buy it for like 12 bux and your good for a lot of systems only tools i ever use is a screwdriver to get my hsf off and a "credit card" but there might be other ppl that use more sophisticated things lol

 

[fishmahn]

Generally considered the best is Arctic Silver 5 or Ceramique. But the cheapest is probably not much better than none. Difference between good and best? A couple degrees, maybe less.

"A little dab'll doo ya" Sorry, couldn't resist.

First make sure the cpu and hs is clean - 90% alcohol (70% will do) to remove any old stuff and dirt. Some say spread it out with a credit card to get the excess off, some say a dab in the middle and the HS pressure will spread it out... don't know if one is any better than another but I like to spread it a bit... Just be sure you don't have so much that it squishes out all over the place, and that you don't have too little that it doesn't fill all the cracks and crevises.

Mike.

 

[El_Jefe_77]

Yeah arctic silver five is way to go, even better is a big tube of it, then put it in an airtight baggie for years of use.
I prefer to rip off all my stock heatsinks, use isopropyl alcohol with a qtip (usp from a pharmacy is fine for me), and then AS5 them all and put them back on. Trully works wonders, even lowering case temps by some way im not sure how?!
www.coolerguys.com has some stuff for it, they are a nice bunch of people there.
The difference in stock vs as5 is 3-5 degrees sometimes, which is incredible for sticky goo

 

[RichPLS]

There are several different types.

Artic Silver 5 is what I use.

There is no reason to use anything but the best regarding thermal paste, since costs from high to low are negligable.


========================
Try everything...
Do not be afraid of failure, for this is how we learn and grow...
Live life to the fullest...
Do not regret what you have not yet done!!!

 

[agent]

Awesome. Thanks guys. I'll go pick up some AS5 and some alcohol.

 

[Crashman]

For most of my systems I use generic bearing grease. For my own system I use cheap silicon paste. I quit buying Artic Silver because it's expensive and has very little benefit over cheaper solutions. In fact the grease works just as well, it's just a bit messier.

The grease cost $3.47 a POUND. That's enough for a few thousand CPU's.

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[Crashman]

Just get whatever is handiest, they're all about the same.

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[skinnyjoint]

if your only doing a couple of computers then get artic silver and ppl say there is no difference well there has always been a big differnce for me on my most recent comp a xp 2500 it would run at like 53 c and now that i have artic silver it stays at a nice 45

 

[Crashman]

I had the following findings:

Stock TIM 46C
Removed TIM, replaced with Silicon Paste 45C
Replaced Silicon with Artic Silver 44C
BUFFED the bottom of the sink with Scotchbrite pad to remove scratches/oxides 41C

So sink prep went a lot farther to reduce temps than change of material.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[agent]

So I can just buy a Scotchbrite pad from the drugstore and scrub away?

Always remember, you are unique...just like everyone else.

 

[Crashman]

Depends on how smooth the sink is, I wouldn't bother scratching up a polished sink, but a sink with a lot of grain in it can be smoothed out nicely in this manner.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[El_Jefe_77]

hey, nice idea. i have one sink that says its smooth but eh it aint.

wish at times I had someone with a machine shop

 

[Crashman]

You could lap it flat on a piece of glass, but my cores have never been perfectly flat so I didn't bother making the sink perfectly flat, instead just smoothing out the roughness.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[El_Jefe_77]

hm. I duno how you would do that!

How's life MR. Crash?

 

[Crashman]

Life sux, I'll post why in the hard drive forum.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>