Good thermal grease for XSPC Raystorm

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tobitronics

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Oct 23, 2012
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Hi guys,

I was looking for some new thermal paste and came across this mega comparison chart http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62 As I want to make the right choice the first time I want to get some paste from the A(+) category. However, I fear that this chart is outdated. Am I right or isn't there anything better on the market right now than depicted in the high rankings of the chart?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Well, yeah, that list's somewhat outdated, but good test nonetheless.

I'd say - get Arctic Cooling MX-4 and you're good to go.
It's the best "mainstream market" thermal paste that you can get right now.
The only thing that's better is Nanoxia's liquid metal, which is quite expensive and hard to get/apply, so not worth the trouble for majority of people, including most of enthusiasts.
If you can get Arctic Cooling MX-4, definitely don't hesitate buying it.

P.S. Arctic Silver suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.... %)
 
Indigo xtreme is good, though I doubt many users really choose it since it isn't the easiest to apply (you basically have to burn it in). It's also twice as expensive as a tube of MX-4 and can't be reapplied to another CPU/GPU etc.

Another benefit to MX-4 is that it is non-conductive, which means it is safe for use on GPU components as well (extremely useful when mounting GPU blocks).
 
Yeah, pretty much what "90's Boiler" said.
Indigo's real pain in the ass.
MX-4's awesome to apply anywhere, really.
Personally, I changed default horse sperm of my MSi's "HD 7970 Lightning" and GT 640's (I use Hybrid PhysX setup, you see) to MX-4, both cards now run silent as deep space where nobody can hear you scream and cold as ice, even at 100% loads. %)
I also changed horse sperm of two HD 6970s (CFX setup) in my another build, my relatives are quite happy now and I won't be changing that setup for a long LOOOONG time, and also have gone and changed default horse sperm of my consoles: Dreamcast, Gamecube, PS 2, X-Box and Wii, they now run ultra-quiet (especially significant difference can be seen on Dreamcast and X-Box, which are, by default, two of the most loudest consoles ever made) and cold as Sub-Zero's ass. %)
And the most awesome thing in MX-4 is that it stays in good form for 6~8 years (against 3~4 years for MX-2, for example), so I won't have to change it in a loooooooong time.
So yeah, MX-4 is quite useful for tons of things besides just applying on PC processors.
 


It's a very nice thing (like everything else that Noctua makes, really), but not suited for high overclocking (like, 4.7GHz and higher). It works best at "3.8~4.2GHz" mark.
 


ok thats good to know. For right now its just gonna be running on a stock 3770K setup im building tomorrow, until I get my water kit. Then it's up up UP with the OC.
 
To the OP, one thing to note:

In the benchmark test you posted, from the worst performing paste to the best, there was only a difference of 3 degrees Celsius. This is in line with other TIM tests I've seen. Typically even the worst choice has a minimal difference.

So while getting a good TIM is important, its more important to have a good cooler to apply it under, and applying it correctly.
 



Interesting read. I knew Sandy was better for OCing but I didnt understand that was partly why. How hard is it to replace the "horse sperm"?

Also, when I say "up up up with the OC" I have no target number in mind. I just mean I'm gonna leave it stock til I get water cooling, then I'll start playing with the OC. I've seen a lot of folks running a 3770 at 4.6 or so, it seems to be the common final destination of an OC for that chip. So I guess I'd like that number, but ultimately the difference between 4.2 and 4.6 isnt gonna be huge in real world use. I care more about keeping it at safe temps while doing it.
 

But of course, it's only natural that things like MX-4/NT-H1 will work much better in combo with high/top-level coolers, than in "combo" with stock Intel's trash, lol. %)
 



Yup, they all pretty much do the same thing. I use AS Ceramique because it's cheap in big tubes and I fix 360's and PS3's and PS3's have huge heat spreaders, so I go through a lot of paste a week.
 


The replacement of the product itself isn't that hard (you just carefully wipe off pony's cum and then apply your paste), what's hard is the process of "opening the cap" (since it's easy to damage the crystal if you're inexperienced and don't do it carefully) and then putting the cap back on. It's not such of a thing which a mainstream user should be doing, actually.
The risk of screwing things up is too high. If you decide to do it after all, try to get medical scalpel first (or at least a knife with a very thin edge). :\



Ewwwww... >_>




Duuuh...
 


Yeah I just read a thread on another forum about a guy that delidded his 3770k, lapped the IHS and put on a better TIM on the chip. Its tempting, but I dont think I'll risk destroying my $300 chip to get a slightly higher OC that I dont ultimately need. Its all risk vs reward really. Although the 30c temp drop the guy saw makes you think about it...
 



Ya, because the 1 degree difference between than and any other thermal paste is such a huge difference. 700+ consoles haven't minded Ceramique, so whatever.

The fact you refer to it as "pony cum" is really lame.
 


I never said that Arctic Silver is the "horse sperm", learn to read.
I said that "Arctic Silver sucks and I don't like it", but I never said that it's "pony's cum". It's just "meh" for me personally, nothing less or more than just that. "Meh".
When I say "horse sperm", I mean manufacturer's default "thermal gum" that's applied at assembling factories, because most of the time it really looks like a spoonful of thick, creamy-white mare's semen. You can't deny that, especially if you change console's default thermal compound on a regular basis.
You also can't deny that with MX-4 applied, consoles would benefit even more than with "Arctic Silver Ceramique".
"Pony's cum" is just another way of saying "horse sperm". %)
Deal with it.
 
The temperature differences in most pastes are very small, and when you do notice a significant difference it means you cooling system is the bottleneck.

I've used AS5, Ceramique, Ceramique 2, MX-2 and MX-4 and all will give virtually identical temps when the system is adequately cooled.
 
I'v always just used the paste that comes with the cooler. The difference between the best and worst pastes is 3c at most, not worth spending $10 on IMO when the paste that comes with it works fine.
Hell, the packaged thermal paste is often fairly good anyway. The paste that comes with a 212 EVO is apparently re-branded MX-4, so I imagine it would be the same with the Raystorm kit.
 

For majority of people that would be satisfying enough solution, but not for majority of enthusiasts and extreme OverClockers.


1. No it's not.
2. You obviously haven't tried garbage like AlSil-3, KPT-8, Titan Royal (There's nothing "Royal" in that ridiculously overpriced POS), Rosewill RCX and Thermaltake TG-2, lol.




I'm not afraid to to tell you this, but, nope - it's different. 😛
 
OK, maybe not the worst pastes, but among common enough brands that you dont have to buy off Russian stores to enjoy :lol:

I like the way you dropped "apparently" from my sentence :lol:.
Never tested or bothered to find out for myself, just remember reading it in a review once.
 


:)
KPT-8 is actually very good paste...WHEN IT'S APPLIED TO A HUGE SPACE...(it's used at most Russian Nuclear Power Plants, by the way) but NOT when it's applied to such tiny area as processor's die. Putting it simply: it works better the more heat area it covers, and it works worse as "working" area diminishes...and I'm talking about meters here, not even centimeters...the "work" area must be HUEG for KPT-8 to show itself at it's best. :\
On PCs it works horribly, and since it's considered as one of the usual thermal compounds to offer for a mainstream PC user in ex-USSR territories, this is why it is considered absolute garbage.
It's garbage on a PC, but it works wonders at Nuclear Power Plants, lol. %)



Because, of course, reviews and reviewers can't make mistakes/can't be biased, ya know.... :ange:
 
In a recent roundup by skineelabs I saw that the Phobya Hegrease constantly ended in 2nd place behind the indigo extreme. Is it a good buy?
 


Haven't tried that one yet, so I can't tell my personal opinion on it. I always base my opinion and recommendations only on my personal experience of dealing with products.
 
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