Most pastes are comprised of ceramic or metallic materials suspended within a proprietary binder which allows for easy application and spread as well as simple cleanup. These thermal pastes can be electrically conductive or non-conductive, depending on their specific formula. Electrically conductive thermal pastes can carry current between two points, meaning that if the paste squeezes out onto other components, it can cause damage to motherboards and CPUs when you switch on the power.
A single drop out of place can lead to a dead PC, so extra care is imperative. Liquid metal compounds are almost always electrically conductive, so while these compounds provide better performance than their paste counterparts, they require more focus and attention during application.
They are very hard to remove if you get some in the wrong place, which would fry your system. In contrast, traditional thermal paste compounds are relatively simple for every experience level. Most, but not all, traditional pastes are electrically non-conductive. We have a detailed breakdown of the best methods for applying thermal paste here. Here are the best thermal pastes, along with our complete test results. Keep in mind that you don't always get what you pay for as some budget pastes come awfully close to or overtake their more-expensive competitors.
Often hanging close to, but not overtaking, liquid metal compounds in our tests, PromilaTech PK-3 Nano Aluminum paste is a moderately viscous thermal compound integrated with aluminum and zinc oxide. The paste provides good stability, making it easy to apply to all surfaces as well as simple to clean up.
You really can't go wrong with this paste — it is sufficient for most CPU applications. Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is a mildly viscous thermal compound with good stability, making it simple to work with while also resisting drips and runs. This paste is very easy to apply and clean up, making it a favorite among system builders. A compound with traditional thermal compound attributes such as thick, pliable viscosity and good stability upon application.
MasterGel Pro v2 is easy to work with, simple to apply and cleans up well. Technical spec sheets do not list individual ingredients. MX-5 is a new compound which does not directly replace their popular MX-4 but is a new formulation for enthusiast use based on carbon micro-particulates in what is assumed to be a silicon or silicone base. The slight-blue tint and smooth, viscous compound has a bit more fluid consistency much like thin toothpaste making it easy to apply and cleanup which lends to very smooth and fast spreading during cooler tension, but can also be prone to dripping and running if applied on vertical surfaces.
NB Max Pro is a smooth, creamy non-conductive paste that flows well during tensioning. A screw-on cap syringe maintains compound longevity to prevent drying and is priced as an attractive paste for those on a budget.
You really can't go wrong with this paste — it is sufficient for the majority of builds. Gelid GC-Extreme is a moderately viscous compound, making it very stable during application and it spreads consistently, although it requires slow consistent pressure on the syringe plunger for correct placement.
This TIM is relatively easy to use and simple to clean up. While known and listed to being electrically non-conductive, most technical data sheets refer to the chemical make-up which includes heat-conductive metal oxides suspended in what is likely a silicone base.
This thick, viscous non-conductive compound has a great deal of plasticity, giving it slower spreading properties. As a result, heatsink installation will require additional focus to apply even tension to ensure proper spread. The NTE A paste is an industrial silicone thermal compound designed for diodes and transistors in commercial and residential electronic equipment.
NTE A is silky smooth and spreads very easily. The large, 1oz Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut liquid metal thermal compound has a very thin, runny consistency and is applied to the CPU integrated heat spreader with a syringe delivery system and capillary needle applicator tip.
Excess material can be siphoned off using a special extraction tip by pulling the syringe plunger to withdraw excess liquid metal. CoolLaboratory Liquid Pro is a liquid metal compound that is applied with a syringe and capillary tip to the CPU integrated heat spreader, and it ships with a scouring pad and alcohol swab for prep and cleanup. Application and spreading of the liquid metal are made easier with cotton swabs and generous pressure for even distribution.
Liquid metal can cause reactions with some metals, such as aluminum, and some reports of reactions with copper are also documented by end-users. Liquid Metal Compound LM ships as a syringe with a capillary applicator tip. Spreading the compound is made easier with cotton swabs and generous pressure to develop a consistent coating on the CPU IHS. Can cause reactions with aluminum and other metals.
Here's a breakdown of our recent testing, and we'll be adding new pastes to this list over the coming weeks and months. A bit further down, you'll find our original round of testing with 85 different pastes, some of which we've revisited in this new performance hierarchy.
That should give you a good idea of how other pastes that we haven't retested yet would compare to the newer pastes. We'll go into our breakdown of how we test these thermal pastes below, but the key takeaway here is that a single thermal compound can perform differently based upon several variables, such as what type of cooler and mount you use. To cover all the bases, we've tested every thermal paste with three variables:.
Below you'll find the temperatures we measured on our standardized test bench, and as always, lower temperatures are better. We've also included value charts in the album below as well. As shown in the slides above, the outcome of the different testing scenarios resulted in some interesting comparisons among the compounds. Air Cooling — Low Tension Mount Liquid metal compounds make their way to the top of the temperature chart with slightly cooler values than the traditional pastes.
This prevents any chance of short-circuiting even under high load which makes it a safe product. Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste It was not so long ago when the Arctic Silver 5 was considered as the pinnacle of thermal pastes, as it offered the best possible thermal performance for the time.
The Arctic Silver 5 as the name suggests, is made out of Its thermal conductivity is rated at 8. The Noctuna NT-H1 was one of my favorite thermal compounds that I recommended to many of my friends and family who were looking for a thermal paste. Now, the company has launched a much-improved version of the NT-H1. The NT-H2 uses a new fine-tuned mixture of metal oxide micro-particles for even lower thermal resistance and reduced bond-line thickness at typical mounting pressures.
The thermal compound can be stored for 3 years and works for 5 five years without any problem once applied. The thermal conductivity has not been rated by the manufacturer. Overall, the NT-H2 is an affordable yet professional solution for overclockers for some exceptional thermal results. These liquid-metal based thermal compound take the game to a whole new level by boasting very high thermal conductivity of That being said, these liquid-metal based thermal compounds should strictly not be used with aluminium heatsinks , as the gallium alloy used here will corrode the aluminium in your heatsink.
Thanks to its exceptional performance, it has become the go-to thermal paste for computer nerds who want to run their machines to the extreme.
They make keyboards, mice, cases, custom cooling solutions, mousepads, power supply, coolers, and more. The paste has an ultra-low thermal impedance which allows it to effectively lowers CPU temperatures. It also has a long life and lasts for years with no drying, cracking or change in consistency.
Apart from that, the Formula X paste is easy to apply, even if you are a beginner and it comes with all the tools you need like a scraper, grease, rag, fingertips etc. It is also highly durable, not volatile, odorless, and non-corrosive and very importantly, comes at a great price tag. Thermalright TF8 Thermal Compound Paste The final thermal paste that we are featuring here is the Thermalright TF8 thermal compound paste which is composed of carbon micro-particles which lead to an extremely high thermal conductivity.
It also has a very long life. Once applied, it can work efficiently for up to 8 years. Talking about some numbers, the TF8 has a thermal conductivity rating of What that means is that it can transfer heat from your CPU to heat-sink to give you better cooling.
Overall, one of the best thermal pastes on the market. The Cooler Master New Edition thermal paste, like the other Cooler Master paste, is aimed at high performance CPUs, GPUs and even chipsets and it brings the nano-tech diamond particle paste, which is said to have the properties required for the best thermal conductivity out there. Can I use any thermal paste on CPU? For the vast majority of users, any kind of thermal compound, whether pastes or adhesives, should work fine.
Just make sure that you buy a genuine product from a reputable brand. However, for folks running overclocked systems and frequently using stress testing applications , nothing but the very best would do. When you compare it with grizzly thermal pastes Kryonaut, in particular it has been observed that, although the reduction in temperatures is not that much of a celebration but the reduction in the thermal environment is set up at a lightning speed.
Regardless, it still lives up to its name. Since it uses lightweight fine particles, the electrical conduction has remained to its minimum.
It has been only possible due to the usage of nano and Pico carbon particles in the thermal paste, which boasts thermal conductivity. Not to mention, you can apply this thermal paste on both your Graphics card and processor. Simply spread the thermal paste with the heatsink, and you are good to go.
Gelid Solutions has upgraded its product range and produced a marvelous piece: Gelid solutions GC It is an updated version of the predecessor, the GC. What does this thermal paste offer? As for this version, you can expect up to a reduction of 7 to 12 degrees max. The application is far simpler. All you have to do is use the tool given with the product, and use it against the chipset. You have done applying the paste.
As for the particles, it also contains nanocarbon particles which help in lowering the electrocution hazards. These fine particles also promote high-end thermal reduction and help in dissipating the heat throughout the heatsink resulting in a boosted performance.
This product is also non-corrosive making it easier for you to apply and handle the product without intoxicating your lungs. Well, Coollaboratory liquid ultra has brought you something out of this world, a liquid metal thermal paste that delivers high resistance to thermal environments. Since it makes use of metal as a conductive medium, the dissipation is high.
When compared with other flagship models, it has thermal conduction of This means that the components you have applied the paste over will reduce their temperatures by folds. You can apply this thermal paste with liquid coolers to enhance the reduction in temperatures.
This is only possible if you, in particular, use nitrogen or helium-based coolers. The alloy used as the fine particles in the paste makes corrosion possible, so precautions are always recommended.
Not to mention, this paste is earned with a gift to push the limits to its best. You can still get the same efficiency at full overclocking, without any performance degradation. As far as the temperature range is concerned, this thermal paste can decrease up to 10 to 12 degrees, depending on the amount of paste applied. Thermal pastes are designed in such a way that it dissipates heat quickly without damaging itself. The thermal paste is applied between the heatsink and the device so that the air which is sliced in between the two parts is no more there.
Unfortunately, Air is not a conductor of heat. It sorts of traps the heat. When the heatsink is unable to spread out the heat from the device, its performance downgrades. To eradicate this problem, thermal paste lines up the surface as per the requirement without any trapped air.
This, in turn, helps the heatsink dissipate heat at a larger rate resulting in a boosted performance. Apart from this, do bear in mind that you can interchange the types of thermal paste depending on the type of component available. The reason for changing thermal paste is nothing, but to give a boasted thermal conduction between the heatsink and the device. What happens is that, when you buy a new processor or a GPU, the stock cooler which comes with the component has a rusted thermal paste applied to it.
These thermal Compounds have a shorter life span and dry out easily. All-in-all if you are looking for the best cooling paste while having a mediocre knowledge of applying, Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut is for you. Not to forget, they have surfaced in the markets long before any product and have won the hearts of millions of people. It is preferred that you go along with Grizzly thermal pastes because they are resilient, efficient, and provide the best dissipation rate.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is the best consumer thermalpaste because it is affordable yet have best conductivity. It is also easy to apply it all over with a free spreader. Arctic Silver 5 is the most valuable thermalpaste which is quite affordable than others and enough to put down heating issues. Without a thermal paste CPU cannot spread its whole heat to the passive heatsink itself. There must be active medium between them which is responsible to travel the heat from less volume to bigger volume.
Table of Contents show. Arctic Silver 5- Thermal paste. Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. Cooler Master-Master gel Maker. Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut.
0コメント