Thermal Paste Comparison, Part Two: 39 Products Get Tested

Pastes: Prolimatech

Prolimatech PK-1

If we were judging based on price, we certainly wouldn't call this an entry-level thermal compound. But how does it perform? Nano aluminum sounds pretty compelling, but the benchmark results are what matter to us. The PK-1 paste performs well enough, but doesn't blow us out of chairs. Really, it's the price that kills it. There are better alternatives out there, even if Prolimatech's entry-level solution is generally quite user-friendly.

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Prolimatech PK-1
Thermal Conductivity10.2 W/(m*K)
CPU Water Cooling, High Pressure32.8 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
CPU Air Cooling, High Pressure36.3 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
CPU Air Cooling, Low Pressure37.3 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
GPU Cooling67.0 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
Electrically ConductiveNo
Viscosity3 (1-10, lower numbers mean easier to use)
Ease of Use8 (1-10, higher numbers mean easier to use)
Application HintsThis paste seems best suited for the "lentil ball" method, and should be used in average-temperature rooms, from 70 °F
Price (approximate)$9 (5 grams)

Prolimatech PK-2

Yes, Prolimatech offers more than one thermal paste. The PK-2 compound in the green box sports better performance than PK-1. While it doesn't appear among the front runners, this paste is still in the upper mid-range.

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Prolimatech PK-2
Thermal Conductivity10,2 W/(m*K)
CPU Water Cooling, High Pressure32,5 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
CPU Air Cooling, High Pressure36,1 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
CPU Air Cooling, Low Pressure37,1 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
GPU Cooling66,0 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
Electrically ConductiveNo
Viscosity3 (1-10, lower numbers mean easier to use)
Ease of Use8 (1-10, higher numbers mean easier to use)
Application HintsThe paste can be spread more easily if you warm it to 100-120 degrees Fahrenheit in a pot of water, sealed in a water-tight pouch.
Price (approximate)$9 (5 grams)

Prolimatech PK-3

Prolimatech’s highest-end paste is more expensive than its other two models. Perhaps that yellow packaging is intended to suggest gold? This is a good thermal compound, but it's not the best one out there. It's also thick like the GC-Extreme, a product that the PK-3 can approach, but not quite reach. Warm this paste up before using it.

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Prolimatech PK-3
Thermal Conductivity11.2 W/(m*K)
CPU Water Cooling, High Pressure31.9 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
CPU Air Cooling, High Pressure35.6 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
CPU Air Cooling, Low Pressure36.9 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
GPU Cooling65.0 ΔT (22 °C ambient)
Electrically ConductiveNo
Viscosity6 (1-10, lower numbers mean easier to use)
Ease of Use4 (1-10, higher numbers mean easier to use)
Application HintsThe paste can be spread more easily if you warm it to 100-120 degrees Fahrenheit in a pot of water, sealed in a water-tight pouch.
Price (approximate)$10 (5 grams)
  • rolli59
    As good as the first part!
    Reply
  • dragonfang18
    I loved the toothpaste part. What about Vicks Vaporub? I wonder how that thing would do.
    Reply
  • Azn Cracker
    Yeaaaa! nice in depth article. Disappointed that cheese was not use as a paste :(
    Reply
  • ledpellet
    Can you test Antec Formula 7 NANO DIAMOND Thermal Compound?
    Reply
  • TehDudeMan
    Great article guys! As a reader for over 10 years pretty much daily, this reminds me of the old Tom's Hardware. These type of in depth articles on enthusiast products are what I love.
    Reply
  • Matt Edwards
    A great article, agree the application of the compound, not the compound itself is most important.

    Like ledpellet I too am curious about these diamond compounds. Wonder if it offers similar results to the Coollaboratory products with an easier application, or if the results simply don't justify the price. E.g in Australia, Innovation Cooling IC7 Diamond 7 Carat Thermal Compound Paste - 1.5G can be found for as much as $25. The cheapest I have managed to find it for is $15. For that price it would want to be good considering the leading GELID GC Extreme, can be found for around $8.
    Reply
  • TerranTerrance
    Adding Ceramique would be greatly appreciated!
    Reply
  • danwat1234
    Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra isn't all that good after a year of hard use. In fact, it completely hardens / dries. On my X9100 after 9 months of nearly 24/7 100% load, I started seeing high temps and after 1 year auto shut downs while crunching. Turns out it was shutting off because it hit the 105 C thermal protection.
    Opened it up; thermal compound was as hard as a rock. has to pocket knife blade and sand it down.
    So for longevity it sucks. That is something to consider, not just initial performance, but performance months and years down the road. Especially for laptops that aren't designed to be opened up frequently for repasting.

    After trying Liquid Ultra many times and having it fail on me, I've put on Arctic MX-2 that has a supposed 8 year durability rating. Initial performance is great, we'll see how it lasts (been 3 weeks so far).
    Reply
  • slomo4sho
    CLU and Arctic MX-4 are both great products. MX-2 and MX-4 can often be found free after rebate so they are an exceptional value.
    Reply
  • CaptainTom
    More things like this! Articles like this will keep me here more often!
    Reply