What's the best thermal paste and pads to use for our beast's?

That's great news! I can definitely wait for the video + I know that you will want to make sure your beast is up and running like it should. I too am getting my slave 5870 (right side) replaced by a tech tommorrow as my tools won't make it in time to do it myself. Here's hoping that he knows what he's doing Thanks again for making that video Praetorian77 as it will undoubtedly be helpful to not only myself but many others as well.

 

Thanks for the pic Mkelliny,

Now I know what it looks like! I can't miss that, its right there!

 

lol yup no prob and good luck.

 

Thanks everyone, LOL! It says I gotta spread some rep around but I aint forgotten bout ya'll!

 

Hey there chiefs.

Seems like this thread is really rocking and moving along oles.

Went to bed last night on page one and BAMMM here we are on page 6 now lol.

Awesome stuffs! Be sure to check out this thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/523915-pics-cooling-mods-done-tx-4-clip-mod.html

It has a heap of nice pictures posted up by handsomerob and I've also got a few temp sensor pics in there from my thermal paste experimenting.

I've been using OZ freeze, AS5, Shin Etsu and now Tuniq TX-4. Been trying to do my own little experiment with the best paste to use on my GPUs and CPU.

So far the winners I can see are Shin Etsu and TX-4.

As for the pads you will need to use 0.5mm thermal pads for the 5870 GPUs and 1.0mm for the 4870s. Thats already been mentioned a few times so thats all good.

For the thermal pad above the CPU. I noticed the 1st time when I turned the notebook side ways to get a better look to see if it was making proper contact between the mem diodes and the heatsink. It wasn't so I decided to double up on my pads and it improved my CPU load temps by quite a bit.
My GPU temps are awesome now whether using TX-4 or Shin Etsu. They are roughly about the same so far in my testing phase. The TX-4 seems to be a little be lower though.

So far I really like the GPU temps from TX-4 however I liked the Shin Etsu temps for my CPU slightly better. I'm sure I can get them lower with TX-4 though. Just need to give it another go.

Also with the thermal paste you might want to give it a go a few times if your like me. I have been testing the different thermal pastes quite a bit now and opened up my 2 systems close to 50 times now to do various things. I remember the 1st few times I tried to change the thermal paste. I didn't put enough on so the fans were running super loud. Like over 4k rpm. That was not nice so I decided to give the paste another go. The next time I ended up putting to much on lol. So after a few more goes I have finally gotten it to the point where I like the temps and fan noise under load. When idle or doing everything except gaming my fans have to be quiet. So that was my main reason to try and get it perfect. I hate fan noise when I'm working or doing anything but gaming. Now my max fan RPMs hot 3300rpm max under gaming load for 2hrs or longer.

So yeh once you change your thermal pads you most likely won't need to touch them again. As for the thermal paste you can give it a couple of goes and then give them a test, check the temps and fan speed/noise. Then if your not happy redo them again until your completely satisfied. It might take a few goes as we are all human and aren't perfect. Once you get the thermal paste you will also get a much better idea of how it will be pasted onto the GPU/CPU dies. Nothing beats hands on experience.

I'll post up some pics of my temps with Shin Etsu. I have named the pics accordingly. Based on what I was doing with them at the time.

Also using Shin Etsu completely on the R1 has lowered the temps heaps and the fan noise on the GTX260s is much better. Before they were always loud no matter what I did. Now the fan noise is much better and lower. The temps before were always nice and super low with AS5 however the fan noise was still very loud. So temps on the R1 are superb and now fan noise is also great. All of this within a very hot room as well. With temps outside close to 40 degs C. No fans or Air con inside either as the AC is getting serviced and fixed. Funny thing is the AC needs new pads too LOL. Filter pads that is.

Also in terms of cure time and break in time for certain thermal paste. What is needed there is like 2 - 4 weeks of normal computer usage. So the optimum usage entails turning on the notebook using it for however long you like. Then turn it off and letting it rest and cool down to normal temps again. Only after doing this on and off after a few times and the min 200 hours as using AS5 for example will you see any temp improvement or difference. Without the cooling down and breaking in method it is hard to see further improvement of temp results. After a few months the temps will eventually stablelise. This normally takes longer in a notebook environment as compared to desktop computers.

Cheers.

 

Heres a pic of my Initial temps after applying TX-4 yesterday.
1st temps gotten after loading up the R2 for the 1st time.

Cheers.

 

Tuniq TX-4 temps.

One day of usage without gaming. Right side pic.

+ I just shut down the notebook for a few mins and booted it up with these temps recorded straight after boot up. Left side pic.

 

Allright vid is done, uploading now. Will edit with links as soon as it's up.

Edit- Here is the link, should be finished processing in a bit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4z6N6ZQssw&feature=youtube_gdata

 

Youtube it if you will. Thx!

 

I'm very pleased with the TX-4
My GPU temps are very very low.
I'm overclocked to 880/[email protected] and my temps never really get above 70C
I dropped over 30C with the Clip Mod and paste on the Ram chips.
My CPU temp is good too but still gets around 88-94C
But I'm overclocked to 5% +75 and Throttle Stop set at 26-25-24-25 Multipliers and TDP/TDC 90/75

I'm taking a M17X R2 CPU heatsink to a thermal Heatsink Company to see if they can make a new better one in a week or two.

 

Hey reborn,

I didn't expect this thread to expand so quickly, thanks guys!! The knowledge that majority of you all have is phenomenal and extremely helpful to someone such as myself. I really appreciate the info on all of the different types of paste and the results that everyone is seeing. I think that I am going to try out different types of paste over time but for now I think that TX-4, and IC Diamond will work out well. My fans run fairly loud and for a while I thought that since I'm running a multi-gpu unit that this is normal, and after reading all of the posts about how paste and pads will lower fan speed and temps that it would be worth a shot. It's amazing to see the kinds of temps that your seeing with the Shin Etsu and TX-4 combo reborn. The on-site tech just came out today to replace my slave cards fan assembly and guess what? The tech had only worked on 1 other M17X R2 so he was extremely nervous, LOL! After 45 minutes of watching him guess on how to get to the slave card, I finally had enough and said I'll do it myself and give you the old one tommorrow! So now that I've gone into my system for the first time, I feel fairly confident that I can handle the cooling upgrade with ease. I am going to purchase my paste and pads tommorrow

 

These are great temps reborn, is this with the Shin Etsu on your cpu as well? I would really like to see my idle temps in the low 30's for my gpu's and mid to high 30's on my cpu

Ya, these temps are way better! Man, I can't wait to get my paste and pads!!!

It's just startin to cool down where I'm at so hopefully I will see more of a dramatic drop in temps when I apply them next week.

Thanks for the pics reborn!

Great video Praetorian, you explained the process with great detail and the image quality wasn't bad either!!

I now know how to go about applying the paste and pads in my beast with confidence. (I didn't know you had GTX 285M's in your R2 )

So now your beast is versatile, you can switch between Nvidia and ATI. This is great news and what I've been waiting to find out. +rep

I think that your video should be added to the wiki or stickied here in the forums because others are gonna want to see how the process is done. I'm more of a visual learner so I really appreciate you takin the time out to create this video on how to apply paste to both gpu and cpu components. Great work man!!!

 

Hey ya'll, thanks for all of the great info! You guys have truly helped me decide on what paste and pads to purchase and from where, as well as how to apply it to my components appropriately. You guys are what makes this forum what it is today, so thank you in that regard! Imma rep those that I forgot just gotta spread some first

On a side note: I just had an inexperienced on-site tech come out today to replace my slave cards fan assembly, and when I say "sweatin bullets" this guy was soaked! At one point he said "I get nervous when someone is looking over my shoulder" and I replied "well, I get nervous when inexperienced techs work on my 4K investment! So, can you blame me for looking over your shoulder?" After about an hour and a half, I had had enough. The guy clearly hadn't worked on an M17X before (surfing for info on his iphone) and so to prevent him from punching a hole thru the air vent underneath to get to the gpu fan, (he thought that the vents underneath were detachable?) I told him to stop what he was doing and that I would install the fan myself so that he could come back tommorrow to pick up the old fan assembly. Word to the wise, watch the on-site tech working on your machine like a hawk, A HAWK!

 

I have an HD version I could send to you if you'd like, but I'm out in the sticks and faster connection I've got here is around 76k, so it would have taken a while to get it up....

But glad I could help sir- hope all goes well!

 

@ Praetorian,

Thanks man, this vid works great and it is very informative. I honestly think that many will benefit from this if stickied and added to the wiki! Excellent work Praetorian, I will rep you as soon as it will let me

 

Very talkative vid. Nicely done. I had to stop it half way cuz I got dizzy with the camera moving so much. Wonder what's wrong with me? I couldn't stand watching Cloverfield either.

 

Yep sorry about that my actual camera wasn't charged up and I couldn't find my tripod....but I agree entirely. I hate this new-wave 'shakey-cam' film that everyone seems to want to make...watching Paul Greengrass with the last two Bourne movies was CRAZY....

On topic though, have been running this thing all afternoon/evening, and right now temps are around 46-48 for normal use, bumped all the way up to just hitting 80 when letting Wprime 1048 run on all 8 threads until it finishes.

 

Just ordered Arctic Cleaner 1-2(1), Tuniq TX-4(1), Shin Etsu G751(2), 0.5mm(2), and 1.0mm(1) Fujipoly thermal pads .

Hopefully this will allow me to achieve lower temps (in the low-mid 30's), and preserve the life expectancy of my components a bit longer thanks to ya'll . Something tells me that I should have gotten 2 syringes of TX-4 but them prices is high .

The wait begins!

 

Just ordered Arctic Cleaner 1-2(1), Tuniq TX-4(1), Shin Etsu G751(2), 0.5mm(2), and 1.0mm(1) Fujipoly thermal pads .

Hopefully this will allow me to achieve low-mid 30's on idle and high 60's during gaming, as well as preserve the life expectancy of my components a bit longer . Something tells me that I should have gotten 2 syringes of TX-4 but them prices is high .

Again, this site and the knowledge base that you guys provide is phenomenal, thank you!

Now, the wait begins!

 

sorry for the triple post, I was trying to edit my original post and accidentally hit save?

 

Hey there sir...

Well, best of luck with the procedure, and just keep up posted- any questions, just ask.

Also, just so you're not kicking yourself, I don't know if you'll pull those temps you're looking for, but 40's on idling and pushing up towards low to mid 80's when stressing the machine are easily achievable.

Just didn't want you thinking you had done something wrong if you boot it up the first time and it's not at 32 degrees idling.

That being said, what are most people's average idle/taxed temps around here? I'm curious....

 

Hey there sir...

Well, best of luck with the procedure, and just keep up posted- any questions, just ask.

Also, just so you're not kicking yourself, I don't know if you'll pull those temps you're looking for, but 40's on idling and pushing up towards low to mid 80's when stressing the machine are easily achievable.

Just didn't want you thinking you had done something wrong if you boot it up the first time and it's not at 32 degrees idling.

That being said, what are most people's average idle/taxed temps around here? I'm curious....

 

Hey there sir...

Well, best of luck with the procedure, and just keep up posted- any questions, just ask.

Also, just so you're not kicking yourself, I don't know if you'll pull those temps you're looking for, but 40's on idling and pushing up towards low to mid 80's when stressing the machine are easily achievable.

Just didn't want you thinking you had done something wrong if you boot it up the first time and it's not at 32 degrees idling.

That being said, what are most people's average idle/taxed temps around here? I'm curious....

 

From my research, I've come to the conclusion that the TIM itself isn't the main component to low temps. How the TIM is applied and the type of TIM applied is what matters.

I found this article that does a good job of explaining options and general rules to follow.

Here is a 33 TIM shootout, here's another 80 way shootout, looks like the top TIMs only differ by 1 or 2 degrees. Even in this case, it could be due to margin of error. I'd really like to see a long term evaluation.

It's just a shame the OEM doesn't take more time to do it right in the first place to avoid all of this reapplication of TIM.

Regards,

Mike

 

Oles chiefs,

Very true stuffs you said up above. You make a very good point. How it is applied matters quite a lot.
I keep trying to get it exactly how I like it which could take some practice runs until I am fully satisfied with it and the temps of course. However different thermal pastes can and do make a difference in idling at lower temps and also lowering of the max load temps.

The diffrences in temps might not be worth the hassle to most however I like trying out different pastes to see which one will work best for me. In some cases I have seen around 10 degrees C lowered in max load temps. That in itself is good enough for me. Also a few degrees lower in idle temps helps me out greatly as well.

Having experience with applying the TIMs sure does help though and knowing what to look for in terms of temps and fan noise also helps when determining which thermal paste is the best.

I have been mucking around with many pastes now for a few years so that helps. + i hate heat and fan noise. So every bit counts.

Cheers.

 

Hey Praetorian,

Thanx for the help, and I will keep you all posted as I progress. + I'm sure I'll have more questions just to be safe

Ya, after researching a bit more on TIM and how it performs. I might have to bring those temps up a bit. It's funny, but I get mid-high 40's on idle and high 70's during gaming on my beast as is, so it will be real interesting what kinda temps I'll hit when I apply the cooling upgrade? I guess what I would like to see is more stability with temps after the application process.

Ya, I have a fairly open mind and won't kick myself if the temps don't reach what I stated but then I would hope that they are fairly close

 

Darn! Just got a call from FrozenCPU saying they won't have TX-4 in stock for another week or two even though the site stated that they had it in stock (7) at the time of purchase

The other sites are either too expensive or out of stock, man this sux!!!

 

try AC MX3 then. thermal conductivity is much higher compared to TX4, or in other words, works even better than TX4

 

I ordered some Fujipoly pads and MX-4 from frozen CPU just last night...

I recently reTIMed my 260M and CPU in my M15X with AS5 and not seeing the results I had hoped for. I have quite a bit of experience with applying TIM in desktop CPUs and GPUs but this was my first laptop experience. Anytime I did a desktop GPU if it had Thermal Pads I would remove them and use AS Ceramique in its place.

I was trying to reuse the Thermal pads that were stock since I didn't order any when I first got the AS5 and the levels of the components in regards to the Heat Sink didn't look like they would offer great contact if I went all paste. After I put everything back together my screen was going completely white 20s into any graphic intensive game/benchmark.

Needless to say I was kind of freakin with this being my first laptop TIM application. I ended up taking it back apart and used AS5 on the memory chips as well and now I can game again but temps leave alot to be desired.

I am running about 50C idle and hit mid 80s when gaming... Ran Furmark at stock settings and hit 96C after about 8:30mins. Those are GPU temps... my CPU sits at 50C idle and 64C when gaming.

Any TIM I've ever applied to a desktop CPU/GPU (always AS5 or AS Ceramique), I've always done an even spread with an old credit card and usually achieved my best drops in temperature... When I did my laptop I went with the pea sized dot approach for GPU/memory and small line with CPU.. When I get my new thermal stuff in I think I am going to go back to my normal even spread method.

I ended up ordering:

Part # Product Description Qty Price Total
Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 0.5 x2
Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 1.0
Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 1.5
Arctic Cooling MX-4 Super High Performance Non-Conductive Thermal Compound

Going to redo everything once it arrives and plan to have enough to redo my M17X innards when it arrives. May do Ash's cooling mod for the 5870s depending on temps out of the box.

 

MX4!! 8.5 W / mK WOW! thanks for the heads up! ordering one now.

 

According to the reviews I've read, the MX-4 is inferior than the MX-3, but much easier to apply.

 

yeah, just read a couple of reviews. some say it's a bit better, some say a bit behind MX3, and some say they perform the same. i would say they are pretty much the same, but MX4 is much cheaper and most importantly, much easier to apply compared to MX3. anyway, my MX3 is almost finished (after constantly applying and reapplying on 3 different 940XM). will get MX4 soon.

 

I just ordered a 4.g tube of MX-4 to give it a try .

Arctic Cooling MX-4 Thermal Compound (4g) [] Cooling Thermal Materials
.

 

Okay chiefs.

Just an update of my Tuniq TX-4 experience. Day 5 now.
Temps showing everything but no gaming.

Cheers.

 

I will update with results of my new application once I receive everything and complete the installation.

Takes me a week-2 weeks to get anything I order since I am currently in Afghanistan.

 

Uggh Double Post

 

Okay Peeps,

Fast tracking the cooling off period.
(Before this the notebook had been running for 5 days straight).
I decided to fast track the shutdown cooling off period and cure time by putting the Alien in the freezer for 5 mins.

After taking it out.
Here are the initial temps after I rebooted it up oles. Ehehehhe ole TEMPS lol.

Needless to say the fans were completely off for a few minutes after bootup lol.

Cheers.

 

Temps after 15 mins. Resuming my normal hardcore usage of the Alien!

No gaming!

Cheers.

 

How good is the included thermal pasta from shirleyfu1117
S3AL?

LG

 

No idea.. What kind of paste is it? What does container it comes in look like?

 

Pic from shirley's Ebay.I have never heard of it personally .

 

Yeah, I have not seen it either... Google of SZAC THERMAL didn't bring up many results either.

I would say go ago and apply it and try it out... Can atleast get some expierence applying it since it didn't cost you anything extra. If temperatures seem higher than many of the other posts here on the boards of people using name brand stuff. Then it might be a good idea to purchase a TIM of known quality and reapply.

 

It's SZAC I think. I googled it and from what I read itr didn't look very good. Sounded like normal thermal grease, not meant for overclocking. I ordered some Diamond 7 instead.

No idea how accurate this is, just a random google result:
Note:
ZP Heatsink thermal compound is the U.S. English label for "SZAC" AC330 thermal compound. Your purchase may include syringes of either ZP or SZAC labeling, in either English or Chinese.

ZP Heatsink thermal compound fills in the small spaces where metal touches metal to create a more thermally conductive surface. ZP thermal compound is an excellent value for system builders.

For those unfamiliar with this thermal compound, my personal experience has been greatly positive. It is thinner than Shin Etsu and Arctic Silver 5 and yields similar temperature improvements for most applications.

I recommend this compound for system builders who need a basic compound, if your system is running a few degrees higher than it should, or it's a new build that will not be overclocked.

I do NOT recommend this compound for those overclocking their CPUs or GPUs. I would recommend Shin Etsu or AS5 over a basic thermal compound for systems trying to edge every spec of performance they can from their system.

Again- if you're looking for a basic thermal compound to improve temperatures and potentially extend the life of your machine, then look no further. If you're an overclocker who taxes their machines beyond what they are capable of running, then look elsewhere.

Details:
(provided by manufacturer)
type: white cream
heat exchange (conductivity): >1.22W/m.k
thermal impedance (resistance): <0.201°C-in2/W
silicone compounds: 50%
carbon compounds: 20%
metal oxide compounds: 30%

Included:
•1 gram tube of ZP Heatsink Compound or SZAC AC330 Compound

•Application Instructions Printout

 

I was doing some research about diamonds and they do have one of the highest thermal conductivity of any natural material.

Thermal conductivity of natural diamond is measured to be about 2200 W/mK.

Diamond 7 thermal compound though only has 4.5 W/mK. Sure they are not using real diamond dust

The Arctic Cooling MX-4 I ordered has a 8.5 W/mK rating. Hoping it gives some good results but I will not know for sure until I get it and test it out.

Where is our Graphene Thermal Paste at 4500-5300 W/mk

 

Check this stuff out.

Very interesting, from the Fujipoly site.

Interesting that the description doesn't seem to point to use for heat conductivity.

"New low thermal resistance gap filler pad"

There is another one in the ball park XR-J, but they provide very little documentation to explain appropriate use.

Regards,

Mike

 

Was thinking about requesting a sample of the XR-M, I registered on the site and everything.

Figured since my day to day job is calibrating and repairing medical equipment I could swing getting them to send me a sample. Going to try tonight will let you know what they tell me.

 

Date Submitted: October 22, 2010 8:47 pm
Web Sample Request #: 3482
Thank you for submitting a request for samples. Your request will receive a prompt response via email, phone or fax from our Customer Service Department.


Fujipoly Part number sample(s):
XR-M-0.5-200.0-300.0

Sarcon® XR-m is highly conformable/thermally conductive gel materials, 17watt/m-K (electrically
non-conductive) in a versatile sheet form that easily fit and adhere to most of shapes and sizes of
components, and make reliable and complete physical contact.
The surface consistency of the pads is excellent for filling air gaps and uneven surfaces.
1) Gives the lowest thermal resistance.
2) Has a flame retardancy of UL specification 94 V-0.
3) Low Molecular Siloxane content is very low.

Ship To Address:

(My Address)

 

Those temps are lookin really nice right now, I can't wait to get my hands on the TIM I purchased.

After gaming on AION last night, my temps were mid to high 60's after 2 hours and the worst I've seen is mid 70's but that's when I'm crackin out on the game.

I'm hope that after I apply the TIM to my unit, that I see temps drop from high 60's to low 60's, and possibly mid to high 50's during gaming. Here's to hoping!

 

Oles chiefs,

Man it sounds like your already rocking some pretty awesome temps ey. Seems like you got a pretty good system that had the paste done ay okay. Not bad at all chiefs. Most people stock from dell would be hitting 80 min degrees C while gaming. So those are some pretty great temps your already rocking chiefs. Koolos!!!

Post up some HWiNFO sensor pics for us olesss.

Cheers.

 

Hey Reborn,

Thanks man, ya I just had my right GPU fan replaced the other day and plus I'm running a targus chill mat (I need a NZXT Cryo LX) and ya I was a little surprised to. I'll upload some pics here soon, but first gotta finish my math assignments