monkey3d

is there even a big difference between the countless differnt kinds of thermal compund? if so which is the best. atm im using as5 but i hate how its conductive and and basically out too

MomijiTMO

Yes TIM is something often neglected. I find that I can have a huge variation in temps depending on how good I apply it. Maybe give MX-2 a whirl because it isn't conductive and they say [haven't seen that many tests] it out performs AS5.

xXkeyboardkowboyXx

i remember a while back there were a bunch of test's of shin etsu and as5 in all cases shin etsu was superior, but as of late ive been hearing more about ocz ice something.

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cathode

I know that diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of any material, are there any companies selling thermal compound with micronized diamond particles?

Blameless

Yes, but those thermal compounds are not better than other high-end pastes, and they cost significantly more for what you get. Even the most finely ground diamond particles are not as small as the more standard compounds used in other pastes. Also, thermal conductivity is always much closer to that of the liquid than the filler.

Currently some the top performing compounds are:

TIM Consultants T-C Grease 0098
OCZ Freeze
Arctic Cooling MX-2
Tuniq TX-2
Noctua NT-H1

The above all perform within about 1C of eachother and none of them are electrically conductive.


Some other good choices:

Arctic Silver 5 (only if you get it localy, otherwise it's cheaper for better compounds elsewhere)
Arctic Silver Ceramique (very cost effective, non-conductive, and on par with AS5)
Shin-Etsu X23 (some people have really good results with this, but it's a ***** to apply).
Thermalright Chill Factor (easy to apply, as good as AS5, non-conductive, but it doesn't last as long as other compounds and tends to tarnish copper)

I personally prefer Ceramique. It's less than 7 dollars for a massive 22 gram tube and it's only about 2C from the best compounds there are.

DuckieHo

AS5 is not electrically conductive. It is slight capacitive due to metal particles in a dielectric. However... this is very SLIGHT.

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Blameless

I used AS5 for years (from nearly the day it was released to about 9-12 months ago when my last of many tubes ran out) and in that time I've had at least a dozen shorts caused by it (sometimes requiring me to pull a board to wash it).

Whatever it is, it can short out electronics.

MomijiTMO

I got some on my mobo and took a lot of time cleaning it to ensure it was off before starting my board. Don't nit pick lol. AS5 isn't a good thing to get on your mobo for whatever electrical reasons.

cathode

Looks like, from the reviews i've read that compare many different compounds, Tuniq TX-2 is the best. Its also cheaper than any of the other compounds.

* Orders some *

waqasr

Ive got a tube of ocz freeze un opened yet but ive been using MX2 and i highly recommend it..Its very easy to apply and even easier to clean off..it doesnt smear like AS5, just wipes off so easily with a tissue. Also you get quite alot in a tube..mine is just finishing after like a year and many many remounts.

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