What thermal paste are you using?

I am using Arctic Silver at the moment but will be changing CPUs/GPUs on a few systems and wonder if there are any others you would recommend. Have any of you tried Thermal Grizzly? How about Gelid? What are your experiences?

 

IC diamond for things I'm not pushing to the max and liquid ultra for those I am (not advised for all but the experts on that one).

 

To tack on @Meaker@Sager is saying that because if you screw up liquid ultra it will basically destroy your entire computer (though it is the best). Other thermal compounds aren't that risky.

 

Honestly, if applied correctly the temperature difference among top grade pastes should be within 1-2°C. I have used Noctua NT-H1, Arctic MX 2 and 4 as well as IC Diamond, all were pretty great (while I personally could not make the Noctua one cool my GPU perfectly well, it does wonders for my CPU though and is still applied there).

 

Liquid Ultra is out then. I am about as good at cleanly applying thermal paste as a monkey is at making nuclear weapons...

 

Their longevity varies a bit too.

 

Everyone here pretty much uses IC Diamond, Gelid GC Extreme, or CLU. CLU isn't a paste... You actually paint it on the heatsink and CPU/GPU but yes, if you get it elsewhere in the system you can fry it. IC Diamond and GC Extreme are pretty close in temps but IC Diamond can scratch your dies and GC Extreme doesn't have the longevity of IC Diamond but it's a thinner paste so it's easier to apply. For all but the benchers, IC Diamond should be more than sufficient.

 

Go with Icd if you don't want to use Liquid Ultra. Not only look at temp difference between paste. Longevity is also important.

Edit. Read also http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...t-testers-needed.789322/page-75#post-10304418

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...x-980-overheating.789202/page-5#post-10218939

 

ICDiamond is one of the most used ones. Fairly easy to apply, and pretty reliable results. There are tons of videos online for applying thermal paste, no matter which you go with.

 

I suggest ICD.. Gelid just doesn't last long enough!

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

 

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. Good stuff, reviews have made it out to be the best non-metal paste. Anecdotal testing on my part seems to corroborate that.

 

Grizzly Kryonaut isn't useful if your heatsink is a bit warped/uneven. The paste is very creamy compared with ICD and will pump out fast. Don't compare heatsink in laptops vs those used in desktops. You need a perfectly flat heatsink if you shall have full advantage of Grizzly K In laptops.

 

I should indeed mention that I'm using it on my desktop, where heatsinks are much better (and flatter/smoother) than laptops.

 

I thought so!! Laptop vs. desktop cooling are two different worlds!! Mostly all paste reviews is done with desktops/ special heatsink rigs. + high Oc on laptop hardware is an other story

 

After trying many different brands. I stumbled onto Arctic MX=4. I know it's not the preferred brand, but's its worked wonders for me.

 

In truth the difference between the best and average (non-metal) pastes is typically only a few degrees Celcius. The application method and the quality of your heatsink are more important.

 

CLU and IC Diamond FTW. CLU on overclocked CPU whenever and wherever possible... and, typically see anywhere from 10°C to 20°C improvement in load temps as long as the heat sink fits correctly. CLU doesn't wear out if the heat sink fits correctly. It only dries out when air is able to get in between the mating surfaces. Otherwise, it lasts indefinitely. If the heat sink doesn't fit properly, either fix that problem first or use IC Diamond and live with a hotter CPU. IC Diamond is extremely durable and works great on GPUs... more than adequate for any system's GPU(s) as long as the underlying cooling system is designed properly. It works better than anything else when sloppy and inconsistent manufacturing QC and poor heat sink fit can randomly become an issue. *looks at Clevo*

I don't care about the minor scuff marks IC Diamond leaves behind. They don't hurt anything... been using it for many years. I also do not care about the dirt on the tread of my tires or the old chewing gum stuck on the bottom sides of restaurant dining tables. That stuff just doesn't matter.

 

I use GC Extreme pretty much exclusively nowadays. It's the easiest to apply, non-conductive and almost impossible to screw up. It also cleans off very easily and pretty cheap here.

As mentioned, it doesn't last as long as ICD or CLU (maybe 12 months or so before you get noticeable temp changes) but I've pretty much gotten into the habit of re-pasting things every summer. I also take that time to properly blow out the heatsinks (which requires their removal anyway).

 

I would recommend the ICD.

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MX-4 user here!

 

In terms of application difficulty, MX4 is probably the easiest, then Kryonaught (quite gummy, doesn't stick well to the die) or IC Diamond.
I've tried CLU, but it was such a PITA so I went back to IC Diamond. Plus its conductive, I'm not risking a Quadro for 2-3 degrees.

 

I use MX4. I've used it on desktop CPUs and GPUs, and laptop CPUs and GPUs all without ever having an issue.

Thermal paste makes much less of a difference for temperatures than people give it credit for:

http://img.techpowerup.org/120126/thermal.png
http://overclocking.guide/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Tim_test_update1.png

 

Lots of experience with IC diamond, that is my go to for thermal paste

 

Grizzly Kryonaut went on easy enough for this rig. Been very stable since application. Initial drop from an internal cleaning and change of 4 yrs old Arctic Silver to Grizzly Kryonaut was about 13C.

 

That's a nice drop

 

Well my reseller applied Grizzly on my P750DM and to be honest I've had the best temps with this unit.

 

MX-4 is junk, GC Extreme is good for a month or 2 only IC Diamond lasts about 6 months for me!

 

MX-4 is the worst. I'd be more likely to try toothpaste than MX-4 again. The stuff completely pumps out in no time.

There's no debate here. IC Diamond and CLU are the top TIMs in low pressure mounts such as our laptops. They both have high performance, they both last ages without needing a new application (they both will likely outlive the system's usefulness - you're more likely to have to replace either because your fan kicked the bucket than you are for temp increases), and neither of them pumps out (unless you're sloppy and apply too much which isn't the same thing). GC Extreme might drop your temps 2C over IC Diamond but that's not consistent and you'll have to replace it in a year or less depending on your usage.

 

Which one? They have 4 compounds on the thermal grizzly site.
http://www.thermal-grizzly.com/en/products

 

@Schwartz @marios50 the Kryonaut version

 

Grizzly Kryonaut and Grizzly Minus Pad 8 on all our costumers units

 

Nice video. Is this your guys video?

Some sites have a 37g tube of Kryonaut

 

What shall you with that big tube with Kryonaut? Repaste every week?

 

Hmm I know that MX-4 may not be the best, but here's the thing:

1. It is much more available off the shelves in IT shops here
2. It is non-conductive, important as... Well, I don't have the most steady hands in the world

 

I personally use MX-4, and I love it. Gelid extreme is bit tricky to use in my opinion compare to mx-4.

 

MX4 is my regular paste when I don't need that 1-2 degree extra headroom, because it's cheap and easy to apply, and quite frankly whenever I see someone say they have 5+ degree temp drop by using another paste, I'm more inclined to think that the prior application wasn't done properly, like almost all factory jobs.

 

The temp difference between the paste will increase a lot with a properly Oc on processor. A big difference with +4.4 GHz Overclock vs stock clock speed. You can't compare a sloopy heatsink in laptops vs the one in desktops. The pump out effect will be shown very fast with low end thermal paste and a decent Overclock!!

 

Well, the system was not too dusty/dirty, and while the Arctic Silver a paste in the middle, the edges were crusting a bit. But what do you expect for 4+ yrs between cleaning/repasting!

 

Yeap that´s us!
We do offer delid in all unlocked desktop cpus too, kryonaut is also free, thermal pads also free, and our very own in-house overclocked free vbios!

 

But I'm only talking about laptops, since this is a notebook forum and all =P.

In any case, overclocking is an extreme scenario to begin with, and vast majority of laptops on the market can't be overclocked easily due to manufacturer restrictions. Even if you could, the integrated heat sink and fan can only dissipate so much heat, once that limit is reached, having the top thermal paste does nothing compared to the worst one, since you're limited by the rate of heat exchange. The improvement from repaste for people like myself seek is merely a proper application, best and worst paste is perhaps 3 degrees apart, since I'd be within the cooling capacity of the heatsink.

 

Why do you feel it's tricky to use?

 

Agreed, Gelid is as thin as MX-4 and should be just as easy to apply..

 

And much better. Regardless, I always heat up the thermal paste before the application!

 

Maybe I just got a bad tube of MX-4 but I'm not the only one who has reported that it pumps out in literally no time.

My GC Extreme on my desktop is still going strong 2 years later but again, its liquid cooled so the processor isn't heating to the kinds of temps my laptop was with overclocking. I was doing a full load (8 threads at 100%) doing calculations in Mandelbulber last night and my CPU didn't even hit 80C (4790k @ 4.4GHz). My laptop hits 80C before the fans can even spin up when its on auto. High temperatures will destroy most pastes. IC Diamond fares so well because its mostly made of diamond (92%).

 

I put liquid ultra on my 4870HQ (with the huge cache chip) and R9 Nano (with the HBM) and that was all a bit nerve racking even for me lol.

 

Unlike mx-4 you have to use some kind of spoon to get the best temperature. However, for some reason, I am really bad at using that spoon.

 

No need to use the spoon included with the paste!! Put a 2/3 long thin line with paste on mobile processors die and a small cross on the gpu. Put then heasink and screw in the correct order. The heatsink will do the job with squeeze out the paste. You can also put the paste tube in a bag and place it in a cup of warm water before applying(the paste will be softer and the application will be better).

 

wow really? I never knew that you can use that method to GC extreme as well. Thanks for the info

 

This is the best method to do it regardless of what conventional paste you use

 

You know I wonder how that doesn't degrade the paste... I mean, IC Diamond is 92% diamond so its not really going to do anything to it but GC Extreme? How do we not know that the heat doesn't separate the components in the process?

Seriously, I don't even do it with IC Diamond and I've never understood why people think its hard to apply. Sure, it takes a bit more pressure on the plunger but it comes out fine.