Thermal Paste Comparison, Part Two: 39 Products Get Tested
It's time for the numbers. In addition to testing liquid metal compounds and thermally conductive adhesives, each paste is discussed on its own merits before we chart out the results of four usage cases. After all, these products behave differently.
Pastes: Just For Fun
Toothpaste
I made the mistake of buying a premium toothpaste with blue stripes through it. A cheap white paste would have probably fared better. Yes, you can use this stuff as a thermal compound, though its long-term stability is questionable and we wouldn't recommend it for overclocking. If all of the shops around you are closed, though, and you want to play a little Battlefield 4 on a new machine, you could probably get by for a couple of days.
Toothpaste | |
---|---|
CPU Water Cooling, High Pressure | 41.8 ΔT (22 °C ambient) |
CPU Air Cooling, High Pressure | 48.7 ΔT (22 °C ambient) |
CPU Air Cooling, Low Pressure | 49.1 ΔT (22 °C ambient) |
GPU Cooling | Not measurable (overheats) |
Electrically Conductive | Slightly (depending on composition) |
Viscosity | 2 (1-10, lower numbers mean easier to use) |
Ease of Use | 9 (1-10, higher numbers mean easier to use) |
Application Hints | This paste seems best suited for the "lentil ball" method, but should be used only in emergencies |
Denture Adhesive
If you don't brush your teeth but do live with your grandma, denture adhesive could stand in for toothpaste during those same couple of days. Again, this is not a long-term solution. But then again, neither were grandma’s teeth (or yours, if you don't grab some toothpaste). Be careful with this adhesive. After burn-in, the cooler may stick to the heat spreader and prove hard to remove.
Denture Adhesive | |
---|---|
CPU Water Cooling, High Pressure | 38.2 ΔT (22 °C ambient) |
CPU Air Cooling, High Pressure | 43.5 ΔT (22 °C ambient) |
CPU Air Cooling, Low Pressure | 45.2 ΔT (22 °C ambient) |
GPU Cooling | 85.5 ΔT (22 °C ambient) |
Electrically Conductive | No |
Viscosity | 4 (1-10, lower numbers mean easier to use) |
Ease of Use | 7 (1-10, higher numbers mean easier to use) |
Application Hints | This paste seems best suited for the "lentil ball" method, but should be used only in emergencies |
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dragonfang18 I loved the toothpaste part. What about Vicks Vaporub? I wonder how that thing would do.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.Reply
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. -
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.Reply
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). -
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