Repasting with CooLaboratory Liquid Ultra, any tips before I start?

Good job tidying up the monitoring. Might be helpful to show the CPU Package Power data though as that is sorely missing in most of the "temps" data we see flying around.

 

Yes, I hide all the stuff I don't care to see. If you look at the HWiNFO Title Bar it will say how many values are hidden. I have 58 values hidden for data I am not interest in seeing. I also choose to "Disable" before "Hide" so the sensors are not reading anything for the the hidden items. If I have to scroll up and down to see everything, I consider that too much information.

I also use HWiNFO64 to push data through RivaTuner Statistic Server for in-game OSD because MSI Afterburner and EVGA Precision X only provide GPU related data.

 

Yes, I am curious to see how durable this stuff is. Is it better than IC Diamond?

 

Oh man I am going to look into RivaTuner Statistic Server as I am currently using Afterburner OSD and youre right, no CPU data.

Update:

Mr. Fox, apparently MSI Afterburner's OSD works in conjunction with RivaTuner, can I somehow add CPU data to the display through this version of RivaTuner or do I need a different one running independent of Afterburner?

I found this, a real-temp plug-in, going to try it:

http://forums.evga.com/tm.aspx?m=733148

 

Yes youre right, that is useful data, I see if I can neatly un-hide it.

 

Sure, just go to the appropriate tab in HWiNFO64 and set it up. Like this...



(click images to enlarge in new browser window)

Explained in greater detail here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...mperatures-game-benchmark-screen-display.html

 

Wow, although those instructions might be for an older version of Hwinfo64 I did find where I could display values in RivaTuner, I didn't even know this was possible. Thanks again Fox.

 

Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra thermal compound dries up over time! - YouTube

liquid ultra wears out after 9 months, as the person stated in end of video. 9 month is pretty damn long, im probably in. bottom line, maybe go with liquid pro instead of ultra.

some quotes:
Liquid Pro and Liquid Ultra ARE 2 different TIM's. liquid pro has a much better reputation and tends to last yet liquid ultra doesn't. Don't even buy liquid ultra because it's a POS. Liquid pro is also a very strong thing. Just use it for the IHS and the processor itself. Don't use it on heatsinks because you may have to use ALOT of effort to get it off the heatsink like I did.

 

Yeah, you got that right... 9 months is a long time. I was impressed with IC Diamond typically going 60-90 days of heavy overclocking. If this Liquid Ultra cools as well as what I am seeing today for 90 days or more, I will be really pleased.

 

Playing around with my Flex Vid, I have been able to get it down to 24 while at 4.6Ghz. If I run Vantage of ITU Stress for 5 min and pass that a good indication of Stability? Also have my memory running at 2133mhz Cas 10:thumbsup:

On another note, why when I try to upload a pic it says I have exceeded my quota?

 

Man!! That's some low flex for 4.6 !

 

Are you trying to attach a picture to your post? You may have to use ImageShack or TinyPic to upload it and then paste the URL of the picture here. Each member has a certain amount of storage available for attachments. You may have already posted too many pictures. Attachments are stored in the database and take up space within the query of which your account exists. I believe this amount increases when you become a full member (1,000 posts or something).

 

nice memory and flex VID. i am at 4.6ghz at 17 VID but i don't oc my graphics though. I will probably try liquid pro or ultra when i finish my mods

 

4.6 at 17 flex?! Seriously ? Have you done a stress test at those settings ?

 

That's really low flex for 4.6GHz. If you can pass 3DMark11 Physics Test and 3DMark Vantage CPU Tests 1 & 2, and Cinebench R11.5 CPU test (R11.5 is more demanding on CPU than R15) without a BSOD, lockup or benchmark crash and the clock speeds do not drop, then yes it is stable. You should see a 3DMark11 Physics score of 11K+, Vantage Physics score of 31K+ and Cinebench R11.5 between 8.75 and 9.25 if your CPU is functioning properly at 4.6GHz. If your scores are lower than those ranges the CPU is not functioning as it should even if you do not see a BSOD, lock-up or benchmark crash.

If you don't mind, post a photo of your custom BIOS memory settings when you get a chance. You can get a free account at ImageShack or Imgur and post photos using the hyperlinks. That's how I normally do it.

If I do less than about 35 on flex at 4.5GHz Cinebench R11.5 crashes due to errors before it completes. These two runs are 45x4 @ 35 flex.



And, here's 46x4 @ 47 flex. Notice the 4.4MHz minimum... that was from trying to run 46x4 @ 35 flex. 3DMark11 crashed from not enough voltage and I forgot to reset the sensors after bumping the flex to 47.



I still can't believe my machine runs this cool with Liquid Ultra. Cray cray all the way.

 

yes, only memory test as I recall it is more stressful than cpu test in XTU. however I dont run much newer higher end games at ultra settings so if I did that, those will likely not pass. I'd say 20-22 VID would be safe zone as long as I dont OC graphics, note I am still on my 6990m cfx which is power hungry, I think it uses more power than 780m in sli in stock.

also note that I have went through several 3920xm and 3940xm chip to get to this. as much as I want to think this chip is similar to 3770k, it isn't. shame on intel

 

@ Mr.Fox
I've seen your benchmarks at post 47. Do you remember how a fresh ICD7 application used to compare against these other TIMs you guys are testing?
Also, Noctua NT-H1 seems to be as effective as Liquid Ultra, although not very durable. Could it be worth considering for an ordinary (stock clocks) daily usage?
Thanks.

Personally I would go with Liquid Ultra, but I'm a bit scared reading the third comment here. Is this really going to be hard as rock (well, hard as no-more-liquid metal ) when we need to remove it? Also, that guy says it dried up after 9 months of 24/7 100% load with a (probably overclocked) X9100: he's disappointed about that, but I wonder if we could expect anything better that that, reading your testing of ICD7 drying up in 30 days.

 

@noric - IC Diamond is much better than Noctua NT-H1. That IC Diamond had received a month of very severe use and it cools every bit as effectively as Noctua does when its fresh. It just lasts about 12 times longer, LOL. I cannot recommend Noctua NT-H1 with a clear conscience to anyone that does any overclocking. On the other hand, Liquid Ultra is pretty amazing. I just finished running a ton of benchmarks and 4.5, 4.6, 4.7GHz and the CPU never hit 100°C... incredible. On some of the benchmarks the 780M cards actually got warmer than the CPU did, which is something I have never seen before. Liquid Ultra and IC Diamond are the only pastes I plan to use going forward and those are what I will recommend to others. I can understand your concerns. I had the same concerns as you do before I applied it and the conductivity warrants a very heightened level of care. The only thing at that point that might cause me any regret is cleanup when it is time to repaste. Only time will tell, but I expect it to not be nearly as difficult as some are making it out to be.

The pastes don't dry up in a short time period. What happens is they get pushed or "pumped" out around the sides of the die where none is left between the die and heat sink. IC Diamond is very thick stuff and that's probably why it lasts a long time. Noctua is about the consistency of hand lotion. The guy that was upset that Liquid Ultra only lasted 9 months is just too silly. On a heavily overclocked CPU I have never had paste that lasted 9 months. I doubt the Liquid Ultra will last me that long, but if it does, that will be pretty sweet.

@ht_addict - other than the big numbers, your images are too small to read the text. Don't resize the images when you upload them to ImageShack... leave them full size, 1080p. You can use thumbnails here with the URL to your full sized images. If you need help with that, give me a shout and I can show you how.

 

I have benched the guts out of this system all day long... probably 20 runs of Cinebench R11.5, 3DMark11, Vantage and Fire Strike at 4.5 to 4.8GHz and temps are still holding strong with the Liquid Ultra. We're on day number 4 for thermal paste hell and it shows no signs of degradation. This paste is do so well that I can run 4.5GHz with 38 flex. It used to take 50 flex for 4.5GHz and I am see temps cool enough that I believe I will be able to change my "everyday 24/7 overclock" from 4.3GHz to 4.5GHz. We will see how it does over the next few days.

The runs below is with nothing but the stock fans run full blast... click to enlarge.

 

cooling CPU more effectively means CPU will run @ more efficient performance, hence may result in greater load/better distribution of load for GPU's in some way where CPU would be responsible in management of load segments, and maybe that's why you see increased GPU temps?

 

That's awesome news brother Fox. My Performance profile is 4.5 @ 50 flex on the IC7 too. I'd love to make that my new 24/7 clock, especially if I can drop the flex down some.
Great stuff man!!

 

My GPUs are not running hotter than before. What I meant was that it is a new experience to see my CPU running cooler than the GPUs.

Totally agree... being able to lower my flex from 50 to 38 @ 4.5GHz is a big plus. I guess as the temps rise the flex needs to go up, probably because of decreased efficiency at higher temps. I'll see how Crysis 3 CPU temps look at 4.5GHz.

 

I was caught thinking otherwise

 

Poor choice of wording on my part. I can see where it could be read that way... I was not very clear about what I meant.

Also Crysis 2, just for fun... good temps!

Spoiler

 

so you would recommend this brother fox.. ive been reading the threads.. is it really better than ic diamond?

 

At this point I definitely do. It does a phenomenal job of cooling and so far, so good, on the durability.

I still don't like the risk part, but using appropriate caution should pose no issues. I really don't care about harmless stains on the copper part of the heat sink. Think of it as an "overclockers patina" LOL. If I see anything that changes my mind, I will definitely post it. I'm excited about this stuff.

Brother ht_addict posted about this stuff quite some time ago and nobody paid any attention to him. Shame on us, huh?

 

No point in worrying about the copper heatsink, I agree. But let's hope the cpu die won't get scratched...

 

how did I miss someone mention something this great ... true shame on us missing that somehow, but never too late to catch up

I feel as long as we regularly repaste every 6 months, cleaning should be pure ease with isopropyl alcohol wipe they provide, just dont use it up all, cut some amount required every time needed and re-seal the rest for future use

its not the copper you guys have to worry about, its the aluminium surrounding copper base. I was already suggesting earlier in this thread using some high temp automotive RTV stuff to create little border away from the CPU die but around it 360' so it just makes closed chamber when heatsink sits on to the CPU, and so even if LiquidUltra escapes (even accidentally, or poor application, etc applied too much etc) and if it falls on aluminium parts and makes them crack like cookies Since this TIM is Gallium based, I dont even want to imagine what harm can it do to the heatsink aluminium part itself if not done right or carefully, or even to system components, or to aluminium-magnesium chassis, just watch this video everyone please and go figure what would you have to do to prevent any of that happening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHHI2Lk79cY

@ Mr. Fox

Well that...these results of max peak temps while gaming... if they were ran on automatic fan control then this TIM defenitely calls for being used hardcore @ 4.5GHz as daily setup 24/7

beautiful results!

 

The Liquid PRO version of this stuff has a perfect 5 star review on Amazon from 18 people who claim to see about 35C drop across all cores on a 3770k at 4.9GHz overclock, hitting 79C maximum after running Prime95 for 12 hours straight. That is simply amazing... I take back what I said earlier in this thread. Nobody can argue with those results. Imagine the temperatures with a good water cooling system? Wow.

Still unsure of how long it lasts, though. Spending $15.99 every month to re-paste can become quite costly. If it lasts at least 3 months, it is totally worth it.

Keep it coming.

 

Hehe, people in car racing toss the engine after every race This would be good fun for the benchers/OCs to slug it out to see how far they can push this before going kaput (at least the Liquid Ultra). It seems like from the results, should people be able to push this to higher temps or is there some other limit it's hitting (79C doesn't seem like a top).

It sounds like most people would try this for the performance benefits alone to get super high scores.

 

Yes, I want to try it too but I'm afraid of the after affects and risks involved ... I want to see some reviews here of what it looks like after cleaning et


Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

^^^^ I guess you will need to wait good few months before we see re-pasting (and I hope even longer)

Im waiting for my dose to arrive so I can try it too

 

Well, after more than 2 hours of Crisis 2 running at 4.5GHz I finally saw a brief moment where CPU temps peaked at 88°C.

IC Diamond is still doing a marvelous job for the GPUs. The 780M cards have never been repasted since the day they were first installed.

 

LOL 2 hours, nice.

coolab liquid pro + Core i7-4940MX 5.0ghz in AW LETS GO

 

Here's an hour of Metro: Last Light at 4.5GHz. Great temps... Liquid Ultra still holding up. :thumbsup:

 

Gonna get me some of that liquid goodness. Next paste that stuff's going on for sure.

 

Well I will say this.. DO NOT USE TX-1 OR TX-4 lol it blows... I went to repaste and i was surprised to find that it was literally burning its self to a crisp.. ill take pictures later of the offending brand later for ya to see,.

between the gpus and the cpu i was in shock because i used 2 different types to see how they fared.. yea will not use these two every again..

(this has nothing to do with the one being reviewed in this thread.. just a heads up about 2 tims not to use..)

 

You got that right. I was very disappointed in both of those pastes. I tried them maybe 2 years ago and they performed very poorly for me.

 

This is posted in another thread, but it's fitting here for anyone thinking about pasting with Liquid Ultra...

 

Does this Liquid Ultra need to be applied both on the heatsink and on the cpu die? Not just the die, as with other TIMs?

 

I have done it on both surfaces with the M18xR2 and the 18 with superior results, so I am recommending that. The instructions say it can be applied on one or both surfaces. Since the layer is so thin (painted on) I felt it was the best way of ensuring full coverage without ending up with too much thermal material that might cause problems with it getting on unwanted surfaces.

<iframe width='853' height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ACcJVGF3b8c?rel=0" frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

yea, I think the same way, since the coating is so thin unlike any other TIM, you better of coat both sides of the application - the CPU/GPU die and the heatsink portion where it impacts the die, but be very CAUTIOUS about how much you put on there or how you apply it, not to touch the aluminium parts with this TIM to avoid catastrophic damage to the heatsink

 

Thanks guys. I think Mr.Fox has used the right words: we need to "paint" the die and the heatsink plate.

 

amazed at your results! but with the cpu running @4.5GHz, you're not able to do anything usefull with the gpus benchmark or gaming wise, are you? because of power shutdowns, i mean ;-(

 

Well, that depends on what you consider amazing. You can't really overclock the 780M cards enough to be amazing because the Alienware 18 doesn't support a dual AC adapter. For gaming it's more than adequate with a moderate GPU overclock and small overvolt, but it's not a very good benching beast due to the power-handling limitation. But, I can do a lot of things with the CPU that resulted in thermal shutdown before, so that part is pretty amazing and I am pretty stoked about how much better the temps are. The 4930MX is almost as potent as my 3920XM now that it's not on the verge of bursting into flames, LOL.

 

Would the liquid metal paste be a major issue on a laptop with uneven pressure on the CPU and GPU?

A while ago, I used pressure paper to determine what was my Asus laptop's build quality (i7 720qm, 1.6 Ghz quad, and OC'ed Radeon mobility 5730).

It was all red on one edge of the CPU and GPU dies, and then the pressure rapidly dropped off to light pink then white for the rest of the dies. I used IC 7 Diamond because I read that it was a very thick thermal paste.

I should also mention that previously, I used Arctic Silver. It only lasted about a year before the temperature starting approaching the original stock thermal paste's performance.

 

yeah i know that, but what i meant with amazing was the difference between now and before (applying liquid ultra, that is). and concerning the shutdowns i was actually just wondering what's your 24/7 clocking on this thing, since the dual psu mod is not working on this thing.
yeah i must say as well, this tim is doing such a great job! next time i have to apply it i might spread some on the heatsink as well, because what i noticed after reapplying it was, that there isn't tooo much on the heatsink, pretty much all of it sticks to the die (i only applied it to the die, not the h.s.).
cheers man

 

i'm about to throw the towel for today. i't trying to get some higher clocking on the cpu but with using the settings you posted in both settings and xtu i can't get higher than 41 multis on all cores and 41 on the cache. if i go any higher, it will crash as soon as in a game i.e.
any idea what setting i should try to tweak more in order to get more stability, i can't really think anymore ;-) oc'ing while you got fever isn't really the thing ^^


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You would need to try it and see. It might not be a problem for the Liquid Ultra to fill the gap. On the other hand, IC Diamond might actually work better if the fit is sloppy loose on one side. Is there any kind of mod you can do to make the heat sink fit better?

I have been running the 4930MX at 4.3GHz 24/7. With the Liquid Ultra I have been able to run it at 4.5GHz all of the time. I don't know why your CPU crashes with those settings. You may need more voltage. The only way to know for sure is to start tweaking and see what works. It's a real shame that Haswell CPU quality is so inconsistent from one to the next. I don't think I have ever seen it this bad before. Intel should be ashamed of themselves for this abortion they call Haswell for what a pile of trash it turned out to be.