Best thermal paste for 9900K with AIO cooling?

[JelloBeat]

What is the best thermal paste for 9900K with Kraken X72 on top of it? (The original paste has been in use for over a year now) 

[Sorenson]

Best that I would actually use would be kryonaut, but it’s expensive. I went from kryonaut to noctua NTH1 and havent really noticed a difference. 

[Beerzerker]

For cost, ease to use/spread and it still perform I'd suggest this TIM: https://www.newegg.com/arctic-cooling-ac-mx4/p/2MB-000S-00016

In every useage scenario I've ever had it in, it just works including use with subzero (LN2) based cooling.

[DoctorNick]

I can recommend all above, Kryonaut will yield the lowest temps though. But between Noctua NT-H1 and Kryonaut there is hardly a difference. You could also try the new NT-H2. I can recommend just putting a dot in the middle about the size of a grain of maiz when using NZXT X72 (I use X62)

[Kc7vwc]

Ditto what everyone else said.

Most pastes will only differ by a few degrees, 10 tops, performance wise.

What might make a difference is the longevity of it. I've had Mx-4 in a couple systems for over a year without issue. 

I've had a couple times I've swapped coolers but had to use generic paste from the local shop and it dried & crumbled within months. 

 

Tl;dr - just stick to anything with a name brand. Arctic 5, MX-4, Noctua, Cooler Master, Kryonaut etc.