preferred thermal paste

i will be repasting my gpu/cpu. i used to use mx2 and have been out of the loop for a while. i was thinking of upgrading to mx4 since it has better thermal properties than mx2 and is just as easy to apply (or so they say).

i know there is only roughly 1-3 celcius (if that even) difference between the better brands. but coming from a tropical country, i think ill need every cooling advantage i can get. i am also looking for a paste that is relatively easy to apply and un messy to use. please suggest any that may fit into the above. tia.

 

Benchmarks Thermal Compound Charts

I recently bought a 5g tube of Prolimatech PK-3.

 

how easy is it to apply and how long is the setting time?

 

Easy to apply. Warmed it in a cup of hot water beforehand to soften it. Standard drop in the middle of the die and press heatsink down, no manual spreading. No curing time AKAIK.

 

thanks for the input octi

 

You're welcome. I don't recommend MX-4. Even though it performs well at first, it dries out very quickly and temps go back up in a short amount of time.

 

that is true my mx2 is basically just good for a couple of months.

 

Your choice of paste depends on the nature of your cooling solution.
In most situations, I prefer Phobya HeGrease Extreme (or its analogue under a different name, Gelid Extreme) if high performance is required. This paste is second only to liquid metal.
In situations where repasting is difficult and there is poor heatsink contact, I use IC Diamond. It performs less but has much higher stability.

If you want a reliable and exhaustive review of the pastes, check out Skineelabs.

 

I've never had an issue with MX-4, but then again I don't strip apart my machines that often anymore for repasting.

I've been good with a decent sized tube of ICDiamond7. Honestly I think most thermal paste are close enough together in terms of performance, it's about the correct application that is more important.

 

I like using ICDiamond because you apply it once and never have to touch it again (at least on desktops), but might not be the best choice if you're one to strip it down and repaste every few months, its a bit more expensive that most other thermal pastes.

 

MX-4 is balls, works really well at first but after about 30 hours of gaming temps have already creeped up 3C in my Clevo.

Tom's found that Gelid GC Extreme works very well whether in a low or high pressure mount and good or poor die contact situations. This was for desktops though I can personally attest to its effectiveness (and longevity).

 

Don't get anything with nano diamond particles in it like ICD, it scratches dies.

 

Here's my personal experience so far, hope it helps.

IC diamond is great. I had it applied via Sager when I ordered the notebook in 2012. My GPU (675mx) Finally hit 89C a week ago. That's almost 2 years of awesome cooling power. Also, the removal of it was a breeze. I truly expected some sort of scratching or difficulty removing, but some soft q-tips, 91% isopropyl alcohol, and some care was all it took.

Ive been using Artic silver on my CPU. It's kept temperatures generally in the 70-75C range and lasts about 6 months before temperatures start creeping up into the 80s. I've been cleaning and repasting the CPU every 6 months, so ive yet to see how hot it will get.

I just repasted both the CPU and GPU this past weekend using prolimatech pk-3. So far, anecdotally, it seems to work just as well as IC diamond. Temps for the GPU are staying in the upper 60s, low 70s and the CPU is staying in the low 70s as well. I have no foil mods or any other modifications and both the CPU and GPU are running at stock. Also, my level of tech acumen is slightly above nooblet level, so i imagine anyone else would be able to achieve similar or better results, depending on their thermal paste application methods.

 

I think MX-4 is a bad bad choice looking back... After a while, it just loses performance... I would recommend something like ICD tbh as I had on my G73JH for 4 years and never needed it to be replaced...

 

There was a post somewhere saying that doesn't really hurt anything, wasn't there?

 

Does MX-4 really dry up fast? Ive had ICD 7 but it scratches the die.

I hear a lot of good reviews on it. This is the first time I hear there is problem with it.

Sent from my LG-VS410PP using Tapatalk 2

 

All i can relay is my personal experience. I had ICD 7 applied by sager. Lasted almost 2 years and quite frankly, i could have just cleaned out the fans and it might have lasted even longer. Cleaning it off was no hassle, i used some premium q-tips, 91% isopropyl alcohol, and a micrfiber cloth. I also took my time and didn't rush.

Also, @ senzazn - you say your 765m broke due to coke damage? Who tries to sniff a GPU?

 

No the coke broke the charging unit on the motherboard. I traded my old motherboard for a new 765M board.

Repasted with MX-4 and temps have been great. Reason I got it was cause of the reviews at newegg and how some have had good temps even after two years after applying the MX-4.

I'll keep an eye out on the temps if they deteriorate overtime.

Sent from my LG-VS410PP using Tapatalk 2

 

+1

I agree. Most of the time, correct application of the paste is more important than the brand name.Not to say that picking a particular brand will not help. It really depends I guess.

So far not having probs with MX-4 after months. I'll keep checking.

Reason I got the MX-4 was because of a special they had. 20 gram tube for $10. Pretty good deal.


Sent from my LG-VS410PP using Tapatalk 2

 

^^^^^^^^^^

 

MX-4 performance indeed deteriorates over time. In my Clevo it's about ~10C over a period of 4 months, with CPU load type and ambient temperature being constant.

I need to get something better, thinking about Gelid GC Extreme or Phobya NanoGrease Extreme.

 

Honestly does the 10C put your card into the danger zone (like 100C+). Sure there are those extreme overclockers, but I think they are such a small population of all the discreet video users. I would say you only need to repaste if it warrants it, not to just shave off 2-5C (unless the factory paste job is really horrific).

 

Well, my 7970M runs at 1000/1500 clocks 24/7, so 10C does make a difference for me, especially during Australian summer.

 

Yeah ofc, ICD reps all over the forums, too bad their defense falls on deaf ears. I would never buy anything from a company whose CEO is such a jackass.

 

Just repasted mine with noctua's nt-h1
temp drops significantly, at least 5-10 C on both cpu and gpu
I don't mind if it doesn't last very long...I can't use up the tube I bought anyway

I spreaded the paste with some cardboard instead of squeezing them with heat sink..
since they are bare dies, I think an even spread is important

 

I've had the same MX-4 application on my desktop since spring 2011 and my overclocked 2600K has yet to burn up

Then again, I suppose that the impacts of any loss of thermal paste efficiency over time would be greatly mitigated by the fact that a Hyper 212+ is better than any form of CPU cooling any laptop could possibly have.

 

Well as the other people have said, I've noticed a 5 - 10C increase in temps after 4 months.. I've just repasted in June so this is a joke..

As for ICD, you don't need to repaste for years so the scratching of components is negligible for me.. If you don't want the risk, Gelid GC extreme seems to be a good one..

How did you OC it so much? Did you mod the vBIOS to run at these clocks 24/7? I can set the speed on my cards to 925/1350 with 1.05V using Saphire Trixx however need more volts for higher performance.. Was wondering if there was something like NVIDIA Inspector or Precision X for AMD to be able to set voltage without modded vBIOS...

 

Gelid GC Extreme is good, and if you want something more exotic ShinEtsu X23-7921-5 also works great.

 

I guess I was lucky with the card. All stock, it run at 0.975V and I was able to overclock it to 930/1400. For 1000/1500 however, I needed to increase the voltage to 1.025V. I have done all overclocking through VBIOS modding and reflashing. I also have the P1X0SM/GTX780M heatsink in my P170EM - it reduces load temps by 8C.

 

Which thermal paste is the best one to be used on a laptop? Mine's running like 10 degrees Celsius hotter than it used to.

 

Right but my point was how many people overclock to those levels to strip apart their machines every week for a repaste. I think it's ridiculous that people spend 30-50 dollars on a tiny tube of thermal paste to get a few C lower.

 

But if those few degrees C cooler result in the fan(s) not ramping up into jet engine at takoff mode then it could be considered as money well spent. My Dell E7440 currently justs gets over the thermal trigger point when on sustained full CPU load and once the fan speed has gone up then it won't reduce until there's a substantial drop in termperature. It's only a 15W CPU but it would have benefited from a size bigger fan to give quieter cooling.

John

 

A lot of people like to overclock to the limit, and the whole point of getting a good thermal paste is for it to not only perform well but last for a long time without needing reapplication.

The difference between a poor factory paste job and self-applied aftermarket TIM can be as much as 20-30C under load, easily the difference between a cool-running machine and an overheating and throttling one, as well as giving much more thermal headroom for overclocking.

$30-$50 is greatly exaggerated. The best normal ones can be found for $10-$15 for a 3.5-5g tube which is good for many repastes. It's only when you get into exotic stuff like liquid metal and phase change that prices really go up.

 

I paid £4 ($6) for my tube of MX-4... hardly $30-50...

 

Any other mx-4 people finding sucess im the long run?

Sent from my LG-VS410PP using Tapatalk 2

 

I think we've had several people chime in and say they've NOT had success with MX-4 in the long run... (myself included)

 

I wrote a guide many years ago on how to keep a notebook computer cool: Guide to Cooling Down Your Notebook Computer

I'm a long-time user of Arctic Silver 5 but my quick searching indicates it's rather expensive nowadays. My second choice would be IC Diamond; I've reviewed numerous notebooks that came with it pre-applied as an upgrade over the stock thermal paste and never had a cooling issue with any of them. We run our review units pretty hard during the benchmarking process.

 

Cool Labs Liquid Ultra or Pro, nothing is better. Period. Just remember, it's a PITA to remove.

 

Its also dangerous to apply... Not for the amatuer repaster like me...

 

I don't really think so.. I found it rather easy to be honest. It's just hard to remove, they sell a cleaner that makes it much easier however. But it's leaps and bounds better than any other paste on the market. But it's because it doesn't have the filler that makes it easier to remove. I'd never use anything else again. There are quite a few YouTube videos on how to apply it.

 

MX-2 for life.

 

For your mid spec laptop maybe but with gaming one's it degrades like nothing.. MX-2/4 are just not good enough.. ICD is a better option or Gelid GC Extreme..

 

Clq never degrades as it has no filler for easier removing.

 

Liquid Pro/Ultra will degrade over time due to aerial oxidation of the metals. The reason it's hard to remove is because eventually the paste becomes a collection of metal oxides. If you still remember your high school chemistry, they are damn near insoluble in just about anything except acid. Which is why it's a pain in the azz to clean off.

I've personally resorted to using 1 molar hydrochloric acid to cleaning the stuff off of my CPU and heatsinks. It works like magic but I don't recommend it unless you know what you're doing.

 

.... you now have me trying to calculate if 36.5 cm³ is equal to one mole HCL or not.

If I use MX-2 for more than a month or two under MY general load conditions on this machine, it EVAPORATES. Not pumps out onto the side or anything... evaporates. Vanishes. You probably don't use that i7 enough to experience something like that XD.

 

Damn you, and your semantics. I guess I was fooled by another member, but it appears that it just degrades vastly slower than others. Thanks for the tidbit.

 

Semantics? More like scientific fact...

 

I have tried reading about Liquid Pro/Ultra but never used it myself. It seems that there are varying reports on longevity. Some say to repaste every 6 months unless you like scraping metal oxides off your CPU/GPU and heatsinks. Others seem to say it lasts a long time with no issue (easy to wipe off still). I would love to try the stuff, but don't want to end up with caked on metal on expensive parts. Application doesn't scare me as proper preparation and patience seem to help prevent conduction related issues. I will probably give it a go once warranty is gone on my W230SS. My CPU gets very hot unless I undervolt and underclock just a bit.

Otherwise I can say that Gelid has worked great in the past. Easy to apply and temps were better than stock (2-5C lower depending on which machine it went in). It is my current favorite.

 

I used it on my delided 3770k for over a year, and it wiped right off, I dont know if being an on-die application helped that however.

 

2 years seems to be the limit, as this Macbook owner found out the hard way.

Also, copper is completely inert to even concentrated hydrochloric acid, so no concerns there. Nickel however will get eaten away by even dilute HCl. For a non-physical way of removing that liquid metal stain from your copper heatsink, try dabbing some nitric acid. Just make sure you do this outside. :laugh:

...and I think I should stop talking chemistry