recommended thermal paste for a ps3

fishy554

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May 7, 2013
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my ps3 was randomly turning off and the fans would turn on jet mode looked it up and the problem most likely is the thermal paste i am changing it myself and was wondering what kind, brand of thermal paste to use? i need it to be relatively cheap but really good quality please let me know please and thank you
 
That test is 6 years old. A lot has changed since then.

The very best right now is Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. But its expensive and might not be available in your region.
Other than that Gelid GC-Extreme is pretty much the second best, closely followed by Prolimatech PK-3 and Phobya Grease Extreme.
Arctic MX-4 and Noctua NT-H1 are pretty good too.

Or just look here:
http://overclocking.guide/thermal-paste-roundup-2015-47-products-tested-with-air-cooling-and-liquid-nitrogen-ln2/6/
 
I use that test simply because, other than Collaborative Labs liquid metal offerings, very little has changed.

AS5 still has capacitance and curing issues, the rankings have stood the test of time .... Meanwhile Shin Etsu remains cheap, newegg sells it, and it still (even in 2015's tests) beats Gelid which is 1st in line behind the Liquid Metal offerings (and Grizzly). Tho many cooler vendors are marketing their own stuff which is just rebranded well known brands.

The Liquid metal stuff is not warranted for a PS3 and certainly not for use by a novice. So 6 years later, excluding Grizzly for a second, Shin Etsu is still at the top with Gelid right behind.

I still use Gelid on GPUs as doing the GPU and memory ICs, VRMs etc takes a bit of time and Gelid remains more pliable for a longer time so you can actually finish all this chips before it gets too sticky.

Meanwhile, while the Grizzly stuff is interesting but ...a) is hard to get your hands on, b) certainly not warranted for a PS3 and c) a bit expensive compared to Shin Etsu. I need to see it tested on some other sites that address application experiences and use "real CPUs" rather than two metal plates.
 
And I criticized it because its 6 years old. Mixtures have changed a lot since then, even if the names are different. Yet I havent seen a recent test of the Shin Etsu anywhere.
For example I have an old NT-H1 here from 5 years ago and a new one from 1 year ago. They differ a lot in temps.
I wouldnt buy thermal grease that hasnt been tested for like 3 years.

No need to go all defensive. I already mentioned all that.
 
Your "artificial test" reference still puts Gelid right at the top behind the liquid metal stuff, same as 6 years ago, so what's changed ? Shin Etsu for example markets numerous TIM compounds that are designed to accommodate various application scenarios as well as cost. What works best on a CPU, will not be what's best on a VRM or memory chip. What works best on one CPU may not even be what works best on another CPU which is why I frown on artificial tests. It all has to do with heat signatures and quality of contact which varies substantially depending on what's mounting on what. Shin Etsu has even better compounds but they are not much marketed to the OC community and Shin Etsu cares little about what they sell since the PC enthusiast market is a pittance amidst their worldwide sames.

Be aware that these compounds were not invented for PCs....they have been in use in the electronics industry for years and most are simply rebranded products from Dow Chemical and others. We have since had the introduction of the Liquid metal stuff which sits at the top but which I would never recommend for anyone who hasn't done several dozen heat sink mounts.

I can understand your misgivings but I am basing the comparison an actual hands on experience in build after build from 1993 to present day. When a formulation changes, it's rarely about any change in technology, it's about a vendor being unhappy with their market position and wanting to better compete in the industry. This may range from simply a "new and improved" marketing campaign where little to nothing is done to actually moving up from their OEM's 3rd tier product to their 2nd. The available technology isn't changing, the same quality TIM materials have been available from worldwide chemical companies like Dow and Shin Etsu since the 1970s, but when not satisfied with their market share, sometimes the vendors will move up to a slightly improved OEM product line. It's not like most of these guys have their own labs and could even attempt to compete with the likes of Dow Chemical and such.

Your old NT-H1 was simply that ... old .... TIM doesn't have an infinitely long shelf life.

I use Shin Etsu and Gelid regularly, and results have remained consistent over the months over the years. I have a test rig set up with 6 temperature probes (0.1 C accuracy), infrared themometer, fog machine for tracking air currents and used the TIMs on both CPUs and GPUs.... I have even used them on GPU waterblocks in SLI with one TIM used on each. The two trade blows depending on the quality of the mount namely due to how much time it takes to finish the application, but overall, I get better temps with Shin Etsu on CPUs and better temps on GPUs.

In any case, there's no need to spend upwards of $10 for a PS3. Any of the TIM's in the Enthusiast category will be well more than enough for this application.