Which thermal compound should i use?

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Mortem420

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Feb 12, 2017
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I have an Arctic Cooler Alpine 11 Rev.2 in my PC and when i installed it i just left the MX-2 thermal compound that was already on there cause i didn't want to waste the thermal compound if i didn't have to. However, when i was buying all the parts for my PC i also got a tube of Arctic Silver 5 thermal grease to re-apply thermal grease on the CPU and GPU in my old HP desktop and also for in case i needed it for my new PC build. So now its about 6 months after Ive installed the arctic cooler alpine and my idle temps will sit around 35-37 degrees celcius, but when i game the temp sometimes gets as high as 70-75 degrees. Should i just leave the MX-2 on there or should i try the Arctic Silver 5.

Side note: I at one point had uninstalled and reinstalled the arctic cooler alpine because it was not installled how the instructions showed (I had to turn it 90 degrees one way). Im not even sure if that even mattered im just OCD. But would have removing it and then reinstalling it caused the MX-2 to not work as well??
 
I'm using Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut in one of my builds a very good paste, i get great temps when OC my i7 on air with an 212 EVO.
I'm going to be using it again in my future kaby lake build.
 
Just to clarify, cause im not too entirely sure, but the C2D E8600 has a recommended thermal limit if 72.4C. Now, should i be keeping like the whole CPU package temp below that, or is the thermal limit for the cores themselves?? Or does that number apply to both temps?? I've been watching the core temps mostly cause the actual CPU temp is usually about 10C lower than core temps
 


Have you read the 6 page application article in previous post ?

http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38



 


The Kryonaut is great paste, but rather expensive costing 4 times more than comparable alternatives. However, like all components, the system should be balanced and pairing the Kyonaut with the Hyper 212 is like pairing twin 1080 TIs GPUs with a G3260 CPU.

The Kryonaut is a great high end TIM
Th Hyper 212 is a great low budget cooler

So the advantages provided by the Kryonaut are somewhat nerfed by the abilities of the 212. On ya next Kaby Lake build, if using the same pairing, you *might* pick up 0.5C from the TIM but taking that money spent on the TIM and applying it a better cooler, would bring 2-3C better temps.

Hyper 212 Evo ($30) + Krynoaut ($12) = $42
Cryorig H7 ($35) + Shin Etsu ($4) = $39 and 2-3C better tempos

The better the cooler, the more impact using a better TM will have.

 


Thanks for the advice jack, its always good to learn new things.
 

I completely agree. Theres no such thing as too much knowledge. I've learned quite a bit since joining this site and even before i joined i was always in the forums looking for answers for my questions
 

So the pictures in the article you linked to, they show that there isnt even really much TIM on the heatsink after it spreads out. So can you really use that small of an amount and it'll still work properly?? I always thought there had to be a decent layer on there and everything on both contact surfaces had to be covered.
 
Yes, unless you put on too much less and gaps still exist at the location of the CPU. The actual CPU itself is quite small compared to the spreader and is where the TIM is most important. Articles that show 'de-lidding' will give you a good example. Usually the recommended size for TIM is no larger than an uncooked grain of rice.

The issue that can happen if you use too much TIM is it will actually act more as an insulator than help reduce temps. TIM should only fill the imperfection gaps since it wont transfer heat as well as straight metal on metal contact.