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importance of thermal paste

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  • Cooling
  • Thermal Compound
  • CPUs
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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August 28, 2013 6:03:16 AM

Now as far as i know the thermal paste/cooling paste can lower the CPU temperature signifigantly, but my question is how big of a difference is there between what is already on the CPU cooler and the "more expensive" stuff and would i actually gain something by applying either of the following below also are they actually worth it?

"stock thermal paste" = 0€

Arctic Cooling MX-2 = 8€

ZALMAN ZM STG1 = 10€

ARCTIC SILVER 5 = 17€

NOCTUA PRO-GRADE = 19€


prices "listed" are the rought conversion rates from "my currency" to euros

I should mention i'm not planing on overclocking(for now), the CPU i'm getting is a AMD FX 8350-BE with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO cooler

More about : importance thermal paste

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August 28, 2013 6:08:36 AM

Arctic Silver 5, is definitely something i recommend. Decreased my old system, 3.7ghz 4100 AMD OC'ed to 4.5ghz by 10 in idle temps. Yes, by 10. But that's just me.
August 28, 2013 11:39:34 AM

fjaesbog said:
Arctic Silver 5, is definitely something i recommend. Decreased my old system, 3.7ghz 4100 AMD OC'ed

to 4.5ghz by 10 in idle temps. Yes, by 10. But that's just me.


It's unlikely that a temperature drop of that magnitude would happen just by changing the thermal paste. I'm not saying it didn't happen, just that it's more likely that some other factor was involved. This is an exceptional situation and it would be more realistic to expect, at most, 1 or 2 degrees difference from using a higher quality thermal paste.

Anyway, my opinion on the topic is that it's not worth spending a lot of money since the benefit (only a few degrees) is minimal. Get an inexpensive, reputable compound like Arctic Silver 5 or MX-2 and spend the savings on a better CPU cooler.

Hope that helps.
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August 28, 2013 11:44:24 AM

That's why i said, "That's just me". Was surprised it even happened, but yeah. But the paste that already was on the CPU was almost gone, so that may be the cause.
August 28, 2013 1:55:08 PM

Lefturn said:
Anyway, my opinion on the topic is that it's not worth spending a lot of money since the benefit (only a few degrees) is minimal. Get an inexpensive, reputable compound like Arctic Silver 5 or MX-2 and spend the savings on a better CPU cooler.

Hope that helps.


so wait the Hyper 212 EVO isn't a good cooler ? which would you recommend at a budget of max 40€ (i guess thats about the budget in euros) the Hyper 212 EVO is about 25€ all the reviews i saw the only one that preforms "signifigantly" better then that is the noctua nh-d14 but that is priced at about 90€ which is WAY too much for me to spend on a CPU cooler. i should say the paste is actually not included in my budget but spending those 10extra € would be okay if the preformace was there, which you don't seem to think it is, but lets leave it at that and go back to the cooler issue
!