thermal compound/grease/paste recommendations

[[Dr. V]]

MX-2 is my recommendation.

[azianai]

hmm so that means i gotta re-apply my AS5 soon....

[okron1k]

wow i can't imagine having to change the paste every year and a half to two years... can you imagine how many computers have been sitting for 6 or 7 years without never being changed once?

heh.. well maybe it's just so it works optimally..?

i dunno.

AS ceramique
AS5
AC mx2
tuniq tx2

so far those are my choices. of those.. which is the easiest to work with? spread, clean up.. and so on.

i've always read before to just put a BB size amount on the center of the heatspreader and when you put the heatsink on it will spread it out.. is that not good enough anymore? is using a razorblade or one of those finger condoms and spreading it out before attatching the heatsink better?

[okron1k]

NCIX.com - Buy Sunbeam Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound 3.5 Gram Tube - TX-2 In Canada.
NCIX.com - Buy Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound Paste NON-ELECTRICAL Conductive 4 Gram - MX-2T In Canada.

both of those are non conductive right? the AS ceramique is also non conductive but is the AS5 non conductive?

i think i may go with the tuniq stuff. unless it's too hard to apply or remove or something.

[onebxr]

Originally Posted by okron1k

i've always read before to just put a BB size amount on the center of the heatspreader and when you put the heatsink on it will spread it out.. is that not good enough anymore? is using a razorblade or one of those finger condoms and spreading it out before attatching the heatsink better?

I use a magnum trojan on my....to spread the paste everywhere. LOL I am kidding, or am I?
I usually just put the bb size drop on there, put the sink on, no need for spreading unless your heatsink is in some serious need of lapping.
-1

[gvblake22]

I've worked with the Ceramique, AS5, and MX-2 and found the MX-2 to be the easiest to spread. Ceramique is pretty easy too, but it is has more "substance than the MX-2 (kindof like melted fondue cheese or something) and can "string" out across the board if you aren't careful. Obviously it's non-conductive so it's not really an issue, it can just get messy if you're not careful. AS5 is easy once you get the hang of it, but it takes some getting used to as it is much thicker than the other pastes.

AS5 is the only one that is actually slightly electrically capacitive; not conductive so should be kept away from open traces and connections. Here is what Arctic Silver has to say about it:

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by okron1k

AS ceramique
AS5
AC mx2
tuniq tx2

If I was in the market for paste, I'd narrow it down to Tuniq's TX-2 and Arctic Silver's MX-2, and then I'd go with the former. It's cheaper, and while we haven't done a head-to-head (yet), others around the web have, and it appears to cool slightly better.

[screwballl]

It has gotten to the point that AS5 is the standard... but for those looking for a bit better cooling performance such as with overclockers or the anal retentive, then the TX2, ceramique and MX2 are also available.
I myself find that the AS5 works fine for all my uses and have not found a need to spend any more money on items that may or may not give an extra 1-2ºC cooling.

[azianai]

AS5's instructions also just say to use the sink to spread it after you put 1 thin line in the middle of teh chip.

[Yellowhello]

Originally Posted by screwballl

I myself find that the AS5 works fine for all my uses and have not found a need to spend any more money on items that may or may not give an extra 1-2ºC cooling.

Arctic Cooling's MX-2 is actually cheaper than AS5.