Thermal Compound

[bobrbend 28]

As a Newbie preparing to build my own rig, I fascinated by the sub-cultures of thermal compound application. Seems like there are a lot of ways to apply it, and advocates for the various methods. I wonder if some of the gurus here could give me their perspective. I've got an Asus P8Z68 V Pro MOBO, a Core I5 2500K processor and a Corsair A70 cooler. The compound I've got is Artic Alumina (I realize there are instructions on articsilver's website, but folks seem to have the own ideas) Thanks. Dan Cole

[ZachLW 37]

Over the years I've applied compound a few different ways, but the real technique isn't the application of the compound but rather seating the heat sink. Less is better, and lately I've used a small "blob" (the size of a pee) on the center of the die. When seating the heat sink, it's important to press down evenly and firmly while rotating the sink left and right about 45 degrees to get even distribution. Or so this technique has worked for me. This rig idles at 26C and maxes at 62C under Prime95, all cores showing pretty even temperatures. That A70 won't do quite as well, but it's no slouch!

[Guest jahman]

Just curious: Why did you go for the ceramic rather than the silver compound (lowest thermal resistance after graphene, carbon nanotube and diamond.) Cheers, - jahman.

[ZachLW 37]

Ceramic is cheaper. And for the cost, there's barely a practical difference. Yes, I use the relatively expensive AS5.

[MarkW 1,490]

I used the Nochua paste that shipped with the cooler and used the pea sized dollop in the center of the chip. Placed the cooler on evenly and the tightened it down. Worked like a charm. Mark.

[superglide17 11]

Here's an interesting essay on the subject: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=5

[bobrbend 28]

Just curious: Why did you go for the ceramic rather than the silver compound (lowest thermal resistance after graphene, carbon nanotube and diamond.) Cheers, - jahman.

I have no clue why I got the alumina. If the other one is better, I'll get that. We're talking about 5 bucks.

[bobrbend 28]

Over the years I've applied compound a few different ways, but the real technique isn't the application of the compound but rather seating the heat sink. Less is better, and lately I've used a small "blob" (the size of a pee) on the center of the die. When seating the heat sink, it's important to press down evenly and firmly while rotating the sink left and right about 45 degrees to get even distribution. Or so this technique has worked for me. This rig idles at 26C and maxes at 62C under Prime95, all cores showing pretty even temperatures. That A70 won't do quite as well, but it's no slouch!

OK. Is the die the middle of the CPU or the center bar of the cooler?

[cmeeks 8]

Dot method - every time. The article linked by Joe gives solid advice. I would fill the grooves, apply the single dot in the center, and then seat the cooler. Simple is better and less is more. I wouldn't use any more paste than what's shown in the photo. The die is the center of the CPU. Normally I would apply the dot to the CPU, but nothing wrong with applying it to the cooler. I would pick up some Arctic Cooling MX-4. It spreads easy, performs well, and is very affordable.

[ZachLW 37]

The CPU. The metal is better referred to as the "IHS" or integrated heat spreader, sorry. No one else seems to be suggesting my "twist" method. It works.

[cmeeks 8]

Just found this very up-to-date review on thermal pastes: http://www.hardwares...ust-2011/1360/5 of course, never trust 1 review. Here's another from skinneelabs: http://www.skinneelabs.com/2011-tim-results/2/

[Guest jahman]

Just found this very up-to-date review on thermal pastes: http://www.hardwares...ust-2011/1360/5 of course, never trust 1 review. Here's another from skinneelabs: http://www.skinneela...-tim-results/2/

Interesting! Both reviews indicate Indigo Extreme as the best "thermal interface" solution by a wide margin!(It's a thin metal foil that melts when heated by the CPU). I'm bookmarking this one for my Ivy Bridge Extreme Socket 2011 CPU and PCIe v. 3.0 nVidia Kepler GPU! Cheers, - jahman.