Overclock.net banner

Best thermal paste for 7900x/7950x cpu?

1 reading
29K views 29 replies 20 participants last post by  alceryes  
#1 ·
Has anyone found a paste that makes "enough" of a difference to warrant using it specifically compared to any other pastes? I know these chips run and are designed to run hot but I wanted to try and keep temps down as much as possible without lapping the cpu or delidding(at least for now anyway. I wanna keep my warranty in tact haha)
 
#2 ·
A fancy thermal paste isn't going to make it run any less hot. Use whatever, and then slap eco mode (as in gamers nexus video) or fiddle with power limits (as in buildzoid video).
I figure you'll mostly get mx-4 or gelid extreme recommendations tho.
 
#4 ·
got links to those videos you're talking about?
I use Noctua NT-H2 since years.
I use it with 7950X and iCue H150i Elite Capellix.
Perfect.
I have some NT-H1 at the moment I was thinking about using.
 
#3 ·
I use Noctua NT-H2 since years.
I use it with 7950X and iCue H150i Elite Capellix.
Perfect.
 
  • Rep+
Reactions: IronAge
#7 ·
XTM70 is the best paste (by Corsair) followed by PTM7950 by Honeywell

Obviously liquid metals come first including non pastes, with liquid metal extreme by thermal grizzly being #1
 
#8 ·
I actually read alot of reports regarding liquid metal being a total waste on these because of how thick the IHS is.
 
#9 ·
Thermalright TF7 has been pretty good for me.
 
#11 ·
Liquid metal gets me extra 50mhz of boost over the EK paste that came with the water block.
Just make sure to cover up the SMDs.
 
#13 ·
I removed 1.2mm from the IHS with a belt sander and only dropped like 5°c and gained 500 points on CB23 (50-75Mhz more) . My point is that even with the best TIM in the world the difference will be marginal
 
#14 ·
What actually makes a difference is using the correct amount of paste.
Ihs and block should only look like it has a haze on it. Pea size is like 30-50 applications worth.
This is provided your block isn't junk w/ deep groves and milling marks that need filled (example hyper 212)

The usage of so much extra paste is due to how most (junk/cheaply made) blocks are machined and left unfinished.

Thermal compound is an insulation vs metal to metal contact. Paste is only meant to fill the gap of micro scratches.

Question: how often is anyone needing a cpu warranty? A cpu is more dependable than all of your other components.

Lap it already or remove the ihs and glue it back down if you actually need a warranty.
 
#15 ·
Question: how often is anyone needing a cpu warranty? A cpu is more dependable than all of your other components.
I have abused quite a few CPUs but have not lost one. I have killed boards and ram, GPU's once or twice, but not a CPU.

Actually, I had a Windsor that I kept dropping and losing pins after trying to straighten them. We were never meant to be, the respect just wasn't there :)
 
#16 ·
thermal grizzly kryonaught.

On my 7900x it dropped my temps by 7c going from xtm50, and my CPU was pulling an extra 10 watts.. i went from 93c-95c in R23 to 86c.
 
  • Rep+
Reactions: Dantrax
#21 ·
Can confirm on 12600K with monster overclock.. kryonaught dropped 3-5c over the arctic stuff that came with my Arc freezer II 280mm AIO(but have noticed it dries out)......BTWWWWWWWWWWW Whatever happened to Arctic silver? Back in the day it as like sacriledge to suggest it wasnt the best.. lol..I mean I get competition got better, but i never hear anyone recommend it....quite the fall from grace
 
#18 ·
Curve optimizer!
Tremendous improvement on my 7700X.
~25C reduction for gaming. ~12C for all-core synthetic load; 83 down from 95.
This is with the cost effective Arctic eSports 34 Duo.
 
#23 ·
SYY-157 is now my go-to paste. Super thick, so it is great for direct die cooling as it will resist pump-out like crazy, but still say to spread on a hot CPU or heating up the tube beforehand. I use it on both CPUs and GPUs.
 
#24 ·
SYY-157 isn't that great anymore, not the 2022 edition. It's much less viscous and in a direct comparison it's 2 degrees worse than their 2021 edition on my notebook. I recently tested the 2022 edition with some other pastes on my Dell laptop and the 2 degrees are clearly missing. Usually it was roughly on the same level of Deepcool G40 and Coolermaster CryoFuze. It could be a similar story with FUZEIce Plus, the new one I tested is not as good as it was 1-2 years ago.


Kooling Monster KOLD-01--------80.25
Aerocool FUZION----------------80.45
Coolermaster CryoFuze----------81.20
Thermalright TF9----------------81.60
Deepcool G40-------------------81.95
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut--------82.30
Thermalright TF8----------------82.90
Corsair XTM70------------------83.30
SYY-157 2022 edition-----------83.75
FUZEIce Plus--------------------83.85
Arctic MX-6----------------------85.15
Phobya NanoGrease Extreme----85.40
Alphacool Apex------------------86.40
Ceezon TG-128------------------87.80

Also a super thick isn't necessarily better for pump out, they can dry out faster. It's not a given that the old more viscous has better longevity than the newer less viscous version.
 
#28 ·
In my opinion after using it for a year now, it depends... If you're hitting over 80c often.. which many do, it could be 6-10months... if you find yourself staying in mid to high 70s C like my machine does when loaded....it can go a close to a year before needing repaste... and trust me.. you'll know when it needs it, it will be back up that 3-5c you lost... I dont mind doing it once or twice a year..... but if you live in 80-95c area some say it doesnt but i find it dries out faster if you live in that high temp zone.....Id expect 6 months maybe less so twice a year for sure.......YMWV tho im sure.
 
#29 ·
A very interesting post at Thermal Paste Specification Comparison
Baked at 200ÂşC for 24h, the green bar belongs to the survivors, it shows the values of before and after baking.
200ÂşC is too much, but it is interesting anyway.



For longer lifespan in higher temperatures I would look for a PCM thermal paste. Why PCM?


This one looks very interesting PCM


If it is really better(performance and life span) I do not know, but a crude review. (Click in the image)
 
#30 ·
I used TG Kryonaut for mine. Truthfully any of the dozen or so top TIMs will be fine.
With thermal paste less is more, and the ultra-thin layer buttered toast method is generally the best way to apply.