What thermal compound should I buy?

[Evan Owen]

I've been looking around for a good thermal compund to use and I don't really have a way to tell which one is better than the other. So I was wondering if anyone has had any experiance with different compounds, and what should I look for in a good one? or could someone recomend a specific compound for me?

[M-ursu]

ICdiamond is best on market!

[DontUSASme]

Arctic MX-4 is really highly regarded.

[TorguL]

Does it really matter which one you use? Dont they all work in the same way?

[DontUSASme]

Does it really matter which one you use? Dont they all work in the same way?

It can make a difference, but it's only around 3-5 degrees. IF your thermal compound is bad you can replace it and it will help a lot.

[TorguL]

It can make a difference, but it's only around 3-5 degrees. IF your thermal compound is bad you can replace it and it will help a lot.

Great, thanks.

[bmwbaxter]

Arctic MX-4 is really highly regarded.

+1 MX-4 is the best until you start getting into the really expensive and generally not practical ones.

[Asusmad]

I have been using Arctic MX-2, MX-4 is also a good paste from Arctic. I have really good temps on my cpu and gpu water blocks. I see a few posts mentioning Arctic mx-2 and mx-4. Go for either.

[Glenwing]

I would go with MX-4.  The difference between the best and worst thermal compounds is only a few degrees (well ok, worst within reason, lol).  MX-4 is the most useful because it's carbon based, unlike diamond or metal particles in other compounds, MX-4 can be used on CPU/GPU dies without scratching them which is always useful.  Even if you don't plan on using it for that right now, you might as well get the compound with the most flexibility in what it can be used for.  It's non-conductive (though most are), and it has good viscosity as well.

[goodforyou19]

if you are going for a combination of ease/performance, go with MX-4 since it is most similar with normal TIM that people typically use/see.

if you are going PURE performance/lowest temps, i heard there isn't anything better than indigo xtreme, but then again, i also heard that shit was an EXTREME pain in the ass.. but i guess thats your best possible solution for lowest temps

what i see coming up more and more as i did research (yea i was looking for the good TIM's not too long ago) is Coollaboratory's (http://www.coollaboratory.com) either Pro or Ultra is pretty darn good

 

vs MX-4: better performance, but much harder to manage/apply/clean

 

vs Indigo Xtreme: worse performance, but much easier to manage/apply/clean

 

I personally used some weird blend from Shin-Etsu which has been great to me, but I am about to pick up some Coollaboratory's Ultra to see the difference.

 

Reference for MX-4 vs Coollab vs IC Diamond:

http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware-m14x/1827-arctic-cooling-mx-4-vs-ic-diamond-vs-coollaboratory-liquid-ultra-tested-m14x-r1.html

[Emperor_Piehead]

I hear Noctua NT-H1, IC Diamond, and Artic MX-4 are all really and about 1-2c are within each other. Indigo Extreme is a pain since you have to turn off your cooler then run prime 95 and let it go to 90-100c until temperatures drop then stabilize then you turn your cooling back on.

[Ghost]

Indigo Extreme is a pain since you have to turn off your cooler then run prime 95 and let it go to 90-100c until temperatures drop then stabilize then you turn your cooling back on.

Not forgetting your CPU and heatsink is destroyed if you ever decided to take it off.

[Emperor_Piehead]

Not forgetting your CPU and heatsink is destroyed if you ever decided to take it off.

That too I didn't know wow.  :o

[Shyxlol]

Can you recommend Gelid GC-extreme? I have that and some NT-H1 lying around. 

Some reviews I found implied Gelid>Nt-H1. I'd go by that if no one says something like "DANGER!!!11".

[Ghost]

Can you recommend Gelid GC-extreme? I have that and some NT-H1 lying around. 

Some reviews I found implied Gelid>Nt-H1. I'd go by that if no one says something like "DANGER!!!11".

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gelid_Solutions/GC-Extreme/1.html

[SteepGnomeKing]

Would IC Diamond be bad for chips without a IHS than since it can scratch?

[Ghost]

Would IC Diamond be bad for chips without a IHS than since it can scratch?

Yes

[Evan Owen]

Thanks for all the input guys, I'll probably go with the MX-4 since it doesn't contain metal and it seems to have great efficiency :)