Expensive thermal paste is a complete waste!

newtekie1 · Jul 2, 2010

I finally used up the last of my MX-2 this week. I was going to order some MX-3, but I couldn't find any in stock. I thought about just ordering some more MX-2, but it is $13 shipped for a 4g tube. Then I saw that a 14g tube of Artic Silver Alumina was only $10 shipped, so I said screw it and ordered that.

It came in today, and the first thing I did was replace the MX-2 on my i7 just to see what the Alumina was capable of. To my surprise there was no temp difference under load according to Realtemp and CoreTemp... :eek:

Then I did a little figuring:

I releaized that the weight of the paste you buy doesn't matter as much as the volume. So 4g of MX-2 and 4g of Arctic Silver Alumina is actually a different amount of paste, and hence each give a different number of uses.

A 4g tube of MX-2 gives you about 1.1cc of paste, which is about 25-30 applications per tube. This means MX-2 costs about $0.45 per application.
A 4g tube of Arctic Alumina gives you about 9cc of paste, which is about 190-200 applications per tube! This means Arctic Alumina costs about $0.05 per application! :eek:

So MX-2 costs 9 times as much, and give no temperature difference! :laugh:

:shadedshu

Delta6326 · Jul 2, 2010

interesting never heard of Artic Silver Alumina

TheLaughingMan · Jul 2, 2010

I knew this already, which is why the paste I bought was $4.99 and worked just as well as stuff twice its price.

Mussels · Jul 2, 2010

its not about the temp difference, its about how long it lasts before drying up and needing to be replaced...

segalaw19800 · Jul 2, 2010

I hate math.. :slap:

trt740 · Jul 2, 2010

Well I have to tell you Arctic Silver Alumina is no slouch as a cooling paste and maybe cheap now but was once a top dog paste. So to truely make a comparison you need to go cheaper than that, but almost all current and past (last 5 years) thermal past is decent stuff. I just used some Evercool thermal paste that came free with a N/B cooler years ago and it is great stuff. It is hard to find a bad thermal paste on the market these days. FYI anything Artic Silver makes is top notch they were the orginal big name thermal paste company. Also they are not affilated with Arctic cooling they made paste a long time before Arctic cooling made paste. They were first then Zalman etc.... and nothing could touch regular Arctic Silver for years. I think Almunia was made after because it doesn't conduct electricty and is easier to clean up, plus it's a bit cheaper to make because it use aluminum oxide instead of silver .

Mussels · Jul 2, 2010

trt740 said:
well I have to tell you Arctic Alumina is no slouch as a cooling paste and maybe cheap now but was once a top dog paste.

indeed. it used to cost just as much as the new pastes do now.

LAN_deRf_HA · Jul 2, 2010

I switched to OCZ freeze last time I ordered a tube, was 5 bucks, is the best performing no hassle paste, and will last me years... I might buy something bulk for client builds but honestly you can just use the intel thermal pads for most of those. So really you could say there's not much reason to skimp either. Just depends on how frequently you need it.

trt740 · Jul 2, 2010

Here are some old reviews Arctic Silver Alumina
http://www.adriansrojakpot.com/Reviews/Arctic_Alumina/Alumina_05.htm

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/arcticalumina/

Here is the info on the grand daddy of all thermal paste companies Arctic Silver http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Silver

The reason you got such good results is because it is good stuff.

blkhogan · Jul 2, 2010

Ive been using OCZ Freeze. Its cheap and matches any of my "higher" end greases. Will have to get a tube of AS Alumina and try it when I run out of OCZ. Thanks for the info. Always good to find ways to save some greenbacks. :toast:

surfingerman · Jul 2, 2010

i will be loyal to the OCZ freeze i will obey!, wait shh the OCZ is trying to tell me something!

surfingerman · Jul 2, 2010

but seriously is anyone here addicted to heatsincs, i like their weight and how they feel, i have a whole box of I7 heatsincs i cant throw their copper goodness away, what a waste!, sometimes i put cooling paste on them just for fun and apply them to objects in the house and use a laser heat gun to measure the temperatures, i like heat sincs alot the problem is i can't throw them away and some have sharp corners and after handling them and feeling their cool radiant metallic glow all day my hands get scratched up sometimes, they feel good against the skin too

Kantastic · Jul 2, 2010

surfingerman said:
but seriously is anyone here addicted to heatsincs, i like their weight and how they feel, i have a whole box of I7 heatsincs i cant throw their copper goodness away, what a waste!, sometimes i put cooling paste on them just for fun and apply them to objects in the house and use a laser heat gun to measure the temperatures, i like heat sincs alot the problem is i can't throw them away and some have sharp corners and after handling them and feeling their cool radiant metallic glow all day my hands get scratched up sometimes, they feel good against the skin too

I will never look at you the same again.

m1dg3t · Jul 2, 2010

I have always liked Arctic Allumina/Ceramique. I fnd they are easy to apply/clean, non-conductive, long "shelf life", very cost effective and cool pretty damn good for just a few $$$ Great TIM IMHO :toast:

I do still have a small tube of as5 kicking around that i use for CPU's/GPU's but it need's to be swapped out every so often otherwise it dries up and is useless.

PS I preffer to use the Ceramique/Allumina for RAMsink's or anything else i wanna hot glue some sink's on to :pimp:

Midnite8 · Jul 2, 2010

I picked up some Type Z9 Heat Sink Compound from work that was just laying around, wonder if this is useable lol It's a huge tube

blkhogan · Jul 2, 2010

surfingerman said:
but seriously is anyone here addicted to heatsincs, i like their weight and how they feel, i have a whole box of I7 heatsincs i cant throw their copper goodness away, what a waste!, sometimes i put cooling paste on them just for fun and apply them to objects in the house and use a laser heat gun to measure the temperatures, i like heat sincs alot the problem is i can't throw them away and some have sharp corners and after handling them and feeling their cool radiant metallic glow all day my hands get scratched up sometimes, they feel good against the skin too

Edit: Stupid comment erased. Dont leave your rig alone while stupid drunk family members are around. :shadedshu

TIGR · Jul 2, 2010

I foresee a thread full of anecdotal evidence with people swearing by completely different types of TIM and all being sure their type of TIM is "best."

surfingerman said:
but seriously is anyone here addicted to heatsincs, i like their weight and how they feel, i have a whole box of I7 heatsincs i cant throw their copper goodness away, what a waste!, sometimes i put cooling paste on them just for fun and apply them to objects in the house and use a laser heat gun to measure the temperatures, i like heat sincs alot the problem is i can't throw them away and some have sharp corners and after handling them and feeling their cool radiant metallic glow all day my hands get scratched up sometimes, they feel good against the skin too

I just went and took this photo, just for you:

My only complaint is that there is no compatible backplate.

Thrackan · Jul 2, 2010

On a scale of 10 to 15 bucks, I don't give a crap which paste is more expensive. My tube of MX-2 will most likely last me for more than 3 years, which ends up at about 5 bucks a year, and I won't be mad about 5 bucks a year

Perra · Jul 2, 2010

MY tube of as5 has lasted my atleast 2 years now and it still has some life left in it. 12g, paid $15 for it or something like that. Not much considering how long it has lasted me

Oh and it's still among the best out there according to that extensive TIM-review someone did, just wish I could find it again, it was an interesting read

TIGR · Jul 2, 2010

Perra said:
....that extensive TIM-review someone did, just wish I could find it again, it was an interesting read

Maybe this?

hat · Jul 2, 2010

I like MX-2 because it lasts like forever... it's easy to apply, easy to clean, and it's non-conductive. My tube has lasted me for a year or so and it's still more than halfway full, and I have used it like 10 times.

p_o_s_pc · Jul 2, 2010

hat said:
I like MX-2 because it lasts like forever... it's easy to apply, easy to clean, and it's non-conductive. My tube has lasted me for a year or so and it's still more than halfway full, and I have used it like 10 times.

I agree ^^
I have to say the more i use MX-2 and AS ceramique the more i like them both. I know the ceramique is an older paste but it's been tried and proven for years now and is still the one i use most even after getting MX-2 and using it from time to time.

Champ · Jul 2, 2010

Mussels said:
its not about the temp difference, its about how long it lasts before drying up and needing to be replaced...

When I took my PC apart, the paste was dried up. I thought it was suppose to do that? Silly me. That may explain why it slowly started running warmer. It was Arctic 5. I had the CPU a little over three years and never replaced it.

Mussels · Jul 2, 2010

Champ said:
When I took my PC apart, the paste was dried up. I thought it was suppose to do that? Silly me. That may explain why it slowly started running warmer. It was Arctic 5. I had the CPU a little over three years and never replaced it.

they just dry out over time, its not a good thing.

Yes it can take years, but depending on temps, humidity and such it can dry out much quicker.

Perra · Jul 2, 2010

TIGR said:
Maybe this?

Yep, that was the one, cheers! :toast:

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Expensive thermal paste is a complete waste!

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

Delta6326

TheLaughingMan

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

segalaw19800

trt740

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

LAN_deRf_HA

trt740

blkhogan

surfingerman

New Member

surfingerman

New Member

Kantastic

m1dg3t

Midnite8

blkhogan

TIGR

Thrackan

Perra

TIGR

hat

Enthusiast

p_o_s_pc

F@H&WCG addict

Champ

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

Perra

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