t_ski
12-29-2007, 11:58 PM
[page=Introduction]
Introduction
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/noctualogo.gif
I would like to thank Noctua (http://www.noctua.at/) for supplying the review sample.
Features:
Excellent performance
Maximum ease of use & efficient dosage
Top-performance right from the start
Excellent long-term stability
Not electrically conductive, non-corroding
Suitable for compressor cooling
Specifications:
<blockquote><table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="500">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Volume:</th>
<td scope="row">1.4ml (for at least 15 applications)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Specific Gravity:</th>
<td scope="row">2.49 g/cm³</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Color:</th>
<td scope="row">Gray</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Recommended storage time (before use):</th>
<td scope="row">Up to 2 years</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Recommended usage time (on the CPU):</th>
<td scope="row">Up to 3 years</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Peak operating temperature:</th>
<td scope="row">-50ºC to +110ºC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Recommended operating temperature:</th>
<td scope="row">-40ºC to +90ºC</td>
</tr>
</table></blockquote>
About Noctua
From the Noctua website:
<blockquote>Noctua aims at establishing a new level of quality and performance "Designed in Austria" through paying attention to the users' needs in a market burdened with all kinds of frills and furbelows and providing sound-optimized premium components, which serve their purpose in a smart, precise and reliable manner.
Noctua arises from a cooperation between the Austrian Rascom Computer Distribution Ges.m.b.H and the Taiwanese Kolink International Corporation and entertains a development partnership with the Austrian Institute of Heat Transmission and Fan Technology (Österreichisches Institut für Wärmeübertragung und Ventilatorentechnik, ÖIWV). These connections form the key to the achievement of our goal: The partnership with the ÖIWV permits the application of scientific measurement instrumentation, methods of calculation and simulation technology in the R&D process. Rascom's long, customer-oriented experience in developing and distributing sound-optimized high-end products ensures a clear focus on the users' needs. The use of Kolink's advanced manufacturing technology and ultra-modern production plants allows us to efficiently implement our technical edge and provide solutions of the highest standard in quality and performance.</blockquote>
[page=Packaging & A Closer Look]
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth101sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth101.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth102sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth102.jpg)
Noctua's NT-H1 thermal compound comes in a large display package. The benefit of such packaging is that it has features, specifications, instructions and information about Noctua where it is visible for the buyer to see.
A Closer Look
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth103sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth103.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth104sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth104.jpg)
Noctua's NT-H1 comes in a syringe that is about 4.5 inches long. There is only minor information on the outside of the syringe, including a brief description and some usage warnings.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth105sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth105.jpg)
The NT-H1 compound is a medium shade of gray in color, and it is very thick and dry. When spread out with a razor there is no shine, which is evident of the dryness.
[page=Application]
Application
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth106sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth106.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth107sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth107.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth108sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth108.jpg)
To apply the NT-H1 compound, Noctua recommends putting a small 4 to 5 millimeter ball on the center of the CPU heatspreader. The next step is to place the heatsink on top, turning it a few times from side to side, and then fasten the heatsink. Here the NT-H1 has been applied to the heatspreader on an Intel E6850, and a Swiftech Storm waterblock was mounted to the CPU. When the waterblock was removed, the compound had spread out nicely, but it was evident how thick the NT-H1 was when trying to remove the waterblock.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth110sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth110.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth109sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth109.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth111sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth111.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth112sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth112.jpg)
Since the NT-H1 thermal compound is non-conductive, it is also suitable for use on chipset and GPU cores. Here NT-H1 is being applied to the Intel 975X chipset of an Asus P5WDH Deluxe motherboard. A smaller drop was used since the chipset core is not as large as a CPU core. Even with the Intel hook-style mounting, the compound spreads easily enough.
[page=Performance]
Performance
The system being used to test the heatsink is as follows:
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel E6850 Core2 Duo</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">9 x 333 MHz = 3.0 GHz, Memory at DDR2-667</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Asus P5W DH Deluxe</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2 x 1GB G.Skill F2-6400PHU1-2GBHZ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Sapphire HD 2900XT PCI-e</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 in Matrix Raid 0/5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ThermalTake ToughPower 850W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Case:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Lian Li PC-A10B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP Pro SP2, Catalyst 7.12</td>
</tr>
</table>
Ambient temperature was kept to 22º Celsius (+/- 1 degree) and was measured by a standard mercury thermometer. CPU temperature was measured by Core Temp 0.96, and chipset temperature was measured with a Craftsman non-contact infrared thermometer. All idle temperatures were recorded after 30 minutes of resting at the desktop, and load temperatures were taken after 30 minutes of Orthos StressPrime.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph3.gif
Testing on the CPU was done with the new Danger Den MC-TDX waterblock, and the NT-H1 was compared with Arctic Silver 5. At stock speeds, both compounds performed identically. When the CPU speed and voltage were raised, performance stays nearly identical, with the NT-H1 edging out the AS5 by one degree under load. The best part is that the NT-H1 was ready to test immediately, whereas the AS5 had to settle for nearly two weeks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph4.gif
To test the NT-H1 on the 975X chipset, Arctic Silver Ceramique was used for comparison. At stock speeds and voltages, the NT-H1 beat the Ceramique by 5 degrees. When the voltage and speeds were increased, the NT-H1's effectiveness increased to a margin of 11 degrees. Again, the NT-H1 was ready for testing immediately, while the Ceramique needed a few weeks to settle.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
MSRP for the Noctua NT-H1 is EUR 7.99 / USD 8.99.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Great performance
No burn-in time
Competitive pricing
Easy to use
Easy to clean up
Long storage time
Long usage time
Great for sub-zero cooling
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Too new to verify long-term usage
Currently more expensive than Arctic Silver 5
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.8</th>
<td>
The Noctua NT-H1 thermal compound was a pleasure to work with. It was easy to apply and the performance was great right from the start. No burn-in time was needed with the NT-H1, unlike Arctic Silver products. The storage and usage time look great, but since this is a new product, there has not been enough time to verify the manufacturer's claims. The NT-H1 has an MSRP about the same as what other companies' products are listed at, and they will provide about the same number of applications per syringe. Right now I have found one store in the US (www.moddersmart.com) that is selling the NT-H1, but it is listed at $8.99. Hopefully as it becomes more available, the price will fall to closer to what Arctic Silver 5 sells for.<br />
<br /> If you are in the market for some new thermal compound, I suggest checking some Noctua Nt-H1 thermal interface material out for yourselves.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/editorschoice.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/noctualogo.gif
I would like to thank Noctua (http://www.noctua.at/) for supplying the review sample.
Features:
Excellent performance
Maximum ease of use & efficient dosage
Top-performance right from the start
Excellent long-term stability
Not electrically conductive, non-corroding
Suitable for compressor cooling
Specifications:
<blockquote><table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="500">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Volume:</th>
<td scope="row">1.4ml (for at least 15 applications)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Specific Gravity:</th>
<td scope="row">2.49 g/cm³</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Color:</th>
<td scope="row">Gray</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Recommended storage time (before use):</th>
<td scope="row">Up to 2 years</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Recommended usage time (on the CPU):</th>
<td scope="row">Up to 3 years</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Peak operating temperature:</th>
<td scope="row">-50ºC to +110ºC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Recommended operating temperature:</th>
<td scope="row">-40ºC to +90ºC</td>
</tr>
</table></blockquote>
About Noctua
From the Noctua website:
<blockquote>Noctua aims at establishing a new level of quality and performance "Designed in Austria" through paying attention to the users' needs in a market burdened with all kinds of frills and furbelows and providing sound-optimized premium components, which serve their purpose in a smart, precise and reliable manner.
Noctua arises from a cooperation between the Austrian Rascom Computer Distribution Ges.m.b.H and the Taiwanese Kolink International Corporation and entertains a development partnership with the Austrian Institute of Heat Transmission and Fan Technology (Österreichisches Institut für Wärmeübertragung und Ventilatorentechnik, ÖIWV). These connections form the key to the achievement of our goal: The partnership with the ÖIWV permits the application of scientific measurement instrumentation, methods of calculation and simulation technology in the R&D process. Rascom's long, customer-oriented experience in developing and distributing sound-optimized high-end products ensures a clear focus on the users' needs. The use of Kolink's advanced manufacturing technology and ultra-modern production plants allows us to efficiently implement our technical edge and provide solutions of the highest standard in quality and performance.</blockquote>
[page=Packaging & A Closer Look]
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth101sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth101.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth102sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth102.jpg)
Noctua's NT-H1 thermal compound comes in a large display package. The benefit of such packaging is that it has features, specifications, instructions and information about Noctua where it is visible for the buyer to see.
A Closer Look
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth103sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth103.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth104sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth104.jpg)
Noctua's NT-H1 comes in a syringe that is about 4.5 inches long. There is only minor information on the outside of the syringe, including a brief description and some usage warnings.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth105sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth105.jpg)
The NT-H1 compound is a medium shade of gray in color, and it is very thick and dry. When spread out with a razor there is no shine, which is evident of the dryness.
[page=Application]
Application
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth106sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth106.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth107sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth107.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth108sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth108.jpg)
To apply the NT-H1 compound, Noctua recommends putting a small 4 to 5 millimeter ball on the center of the CPU heatspreader. The next step is to place the heatsink on top, turning it a few times from side to side, and then fasten the heatsink. Here the NT-H1 has been applied to the heatspreader on an Intel E6850, and a Swiftech Storm waterblock was mounted to the CPU. When the waterblock was removed, the compound had spread out nicely, but it was evident how thick the NT-H1 was when trying to remove the waterblock.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth110sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth110.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth109sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth109.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth111sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth111.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth112sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/nnth112.jpg)
Since the NT-H1 thermal compound is non-conductive, it is also suitable for use on chipset and GPU cores. Here NT-H1 is being applied to the Intel 975X chipset of an Asus P5WDH Deluxe motherboard. A smaller drop was used since the chipset core is not as large as a CPU core. Even with the Intel hook-style mounting, the compound spreads easily enough.
[page=Performance]
Performance
The system being used to test the heatsink is as follows:
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel E6850 Core2 Duo</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">9 x 333 MHz = 3.0 GHz, Memory at DDR2-667</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Asus P5W DH Deluxe</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2 x 1GB G.Skill F2-6400PHU1-2GBHZ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Sapphire HD 2900XT PCI-e</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 in Matrix Raid 0/5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ThermalTake ToughPower 850W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Case:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Lian Li PC-A10B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP Pro SP2, Catalyst 7.12</td>
</tr>
</table>
Ambient temperature was kept to 22º Celsius (+/- 1 degree) and was measured by a standard mercury thermometer. CPU temperature was measured by Core Temp 0.96, and chipset temperature was measured with a Craftsman non-contact infrared thermometer. All idle temperatures were recorded after 30 minutes of resting at the desktop, and load temperatures were taken after 30 minutes of Orthos StressPrime.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph3.gif
Testing on the CPU was done with the new Danger Den MC-TDX waterblock, and the NT-H1 was compared with Arctic Silver 5. At stock speeds, both compounds performed identically. When the CPU speed and voltage were raised, performance stays nearly identical, with the NT-H1 edging out the AS5 by one degree under load. The best part is that the NT-H1 was ready to test immediately, whereas the AS5 had to settle for nearly two weeks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NT-H1/images/graph4.gif
To test the NT-H1 on the 975X chipset, Arctic Silver Ceramique was used for comparison. At stock speeds and voltages, the NT-H1 beat the Ceramique by 5 degrees. When the voltage and speeds were increased, the NT-H1's effectiveness increased to a margin of 11 degrees. Again, the NT-H1 was ready for testing immediately, while the Ceramique needed a few weeks to settle.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
MSRP for the Noctua NT-H1 is EUR 7.99 / USD 8.99.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Great performance
No burn-in time
Competitive pricing
Easy to use
Easy to clean up
Long storage time
Long usage time
Great for sub-zero cooling
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Too new to verify long-term usage
Currently more expensive than Arctic Silver 5
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.8</th>
<td>
The Noctua NT-H1 thermal compound was a pleasure to work with. It was easy to apply and the performance was great right from the start. No burn-in time was needed with the NT-H1, unlike Arctic Silver products. The storage and usage time look great, but since this is a new product, there has not been enough time to verify the manufacturer's claims. The NT-H1 has an MSRP about the same as what other companies' products are listed at, and they will provide about the same number of applications per syringe. Right now I have found one store in the US (www.moddersmart.com) that is selling the NT-H1, but it is listed at $8.99. Hopefully as it becomes more available, the price will fall to closer to what Arctic Silver 5 sells for.<br />
<br /> If you are in the market for some new thermal compound, I suggest checking some Noctua Nt-H1 thermal interface material out for yourselves.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/editorschoice.gif</td></tr>
</table>