arctic silver 5 vs tuniq tx-3- quick test!

Hello All,

As the title says, this is to share results from my testing of Arctic Silver 5 and Tuniq TX-3. I'll start by issuing a disclaimer to the purists that my testing methology by default is flawed. Between tests the mobo died and had to be RMAed. Also the ambients weren't strictly controlled although there wasn't a huge variance due to my personal comfort . Lastly these tests were ran at stock speeds only, which sort of defeats the point of aftermarket cooler anyway, but hey, it's on there now if I DO decide to OC. I just took the max temp from each test. Tests were hour+ of small tfts (or whatever) in prime95 and 20 passes of linx. Also, this isn't meant to declare "one better than the other" but instead to show what worked best for me in my situation. Your mileage may vary.

The hardware:
mobo: Asus p6t deluxe v2
cpu: intel i7-920
hsf: Coolermaster hyper 212+
Tims: Arctic silver 5 and Tuniq tx-3

software:
prime95 small tfts test
linx
realtemp

The backstory:
I built a new pc. When purchasing components, I was unaware that TIM had changed much in the last 5 years and just assumed AS5 was the best so I bought some. I also assumed stock stuff that comes with hyper 212+ is crap (which apparently it's not as iirc it is rebranded ac mx-2). This was first DHT heatsink I've worked with and gaps between pipes were scary big. I used a metal ruler and flashlight and both heatsink and IHS on processor seemed relatively flat (except gaps). I didn't like results I had with AS5, and given the properties of TX-3 , thought I would give it a try to see if thicker paste would work better. Only problem was after reinstalling cpu / hsf with tx-3, system won't boot at all. It wouldn't even post. I would just turn it on, all fans would go full blast (including gpu). No display, no post beeps, nothing. So advance RMA mobo with ASUS, installed tx-3 again and got results below.

Application methods:
For AS5: I filled in gaps and then put thin lines between pipes
For Tx-3: I spread thick layer on IHS with a flat edge (razor)
Application difficulties:
AS5 wasn't too bad. Stuff is sticky and gets everywhere. Working it into cracks was annoying but not too bad
TX-3 is the devil. This stuff sticks very well, but only to flat surfaces with pressure between them and small grooves (ie fingerprints). Trying to spread this stuff thin is pretty much impossible. When you try to spread it from one area to the other, it just pulls OFF the cpu from the spot you are pulling from. I managed to get it spread by "flattening" it out with a razor and using what is probably way to much. After two applications the tube is almost empty. The good news is it's not conductive so the extra you get over everything shouldn't hurt.

The results (with ambient temp varying between 72-75f)
arctic silver 5
prime95 max: 70c
linx max: 75c

tuniq tx-3
prime95: 58c
linx max: 64c

so difference of
prime95: 12c
linx: 11c

So needless to say I'm happy. It's possible that faulty mobo for AS5 test was doing something wonky to boost tempts. Its worth noting that before I did as5 test prime 95 ran about 16 hours. So it "seemed" stable. I'm also aware that AS5 has 200 hour cure time, but I highly doubt that would create a 10+ degree difference. My thoughts are Tx-3 simply just did a much better job filling gaps and therefore created more surface area to disperse heat.