artic silver

Hey,

When they give you the option to purchase Artic Silver 5 with your laptop, does that mean they actually open the laptop up and replace the cpu etc?

Like how does it work...

 

Arctic silver is thermal paste -- it goes between the CPU and the heatsink. It's almost pure silver (silver is a very good conductor of heat) and facilitates heat exchange.

They actually put the computer together, so they just use AS5 rather than a different kind of thermal grease.

 

Most people regard AS5 as the best thermal grease to use. I just bought some for a computer that I am rebuilding. Supposedly given no other changes it can produce a 5 C drop in temperatures by itself.

 

I viewed it as a great performance increase per dollar spent. The option was 5$ I think when I went to order my C90s and from what I had heard any cooling you can get helps on a laptop so for 5$ I figured I'd give it a shot. I don't know how hot my computer would be without AS5 but the only time I hear my fans go off is when I've been gaming for 3+ hours like at a lan party or if the vents have been covered for a while by like a blanket or something from sitting on my bed for a while.

But as was stated it works by facilitating better heat exchange between the cpu and the heatsink. I have heard that some people use it on other components but I don't know if that's smart to be doing or not. I'd imagine if the cpu can take it then if done carefully you could use it on like a gpu or something but I'd ask around before spreading it willy-nilly. If your builder only charges like 5$ or so then go for it. If they're like alienware though and charge like 40$ then I'd seriously look at doing it yourself if you're competent or having a competent friend do it for less.

 

The risk on doing it yourself is that you will void your warranty. For $5 its worth it, $40 is questionable.

 

I just applied it to my desktop's gpu and cpu. Can't really say anything bout the temp's because its already watercooled. My c90 came with AS5 also.

 

Although you may find that your cpu temp drop a couple degrees after applying AS5, it really takes into full effect after ~200 hours of use (this is known as the "break-in" period). Check link below
Arctic Silver 5 Manual

 

I dont know how well it works with laptops, but with personal experience using it on my desktops...its definitely worth every penny. Get it if you get the option.

 

Hrm... because I ordered a V1s from excaliberpc, however they didn't give the option of artic silver 5...

Can I purchase it and apply it myself?

 

You sure can. Just keep in mind that you will void your warranty if you do. You can purchase it here.

 

Yes but if you send it for repair, the asus guy might just say "warranty voided" if he is in a bad mood.

 

hmm crap, why is it excaliber don't offer the artic silver? I guess it's a chance i'm just going to have to take