Best Thermal Paste ... or does it not matter?

[Aleksbgbg]

I have a random thermal paste that I bought off of amazon a couple months back, so I'm just wondering if it is ok to use it on an i5-6600.

 

It is dark grey, but I'm sure they are all the same? It is called 'compound silicone'.

[The Official Czex]

I have a random thermal paste that I bought off of amazon a couple months back, so I'm just wondering if it is ok to use it on an i5-6600.

 

It is dark grey, but I'm sure they are all the same? It is called 'compound silicone'.

 

It matters, but it's only a few degrees of difference. It should be fine. Hell, I've seen someone use toothpaste and still maintian reasonable temps.

[iamdarkyoshi]

thermal grizzly is one of the best right now. I use arctic silver though as the difference is not very much and it is cheaper

[Geralt]

It's a really subjective topic. Some may say AS5, some may say MX4. You just have to try out different brands to see which one gives you a comfortable temperature.

 

That said, I still recommend MX4.

[yourdad165]

To be honest I just always use the stock thermal paste that's already on the CPU or water cooler.

[KemoKa]

A general rule of thumb is that pretty much any aftermarket thermal paste is better than stock paste.
 

From the last benchmark I've seen, Noctua, Arctic Silver and Deep Cool stuff works best.

[Swndlr]

It matters, but it's only a few degrees of difference. It should be fine. Hell, I've seen someone use toothpaste and still maintian reasonable temps.

Nutella

[The Official Czex]

Nutella

 

Jizz.

[Swndlr]

Jizz.

That hardens quickly, no good

[Josephdalepi]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M514CS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

5 hours of research

this is the best

other than liquid metal which is impossible to use

but  your generic garbage should work just fine

[The Official Czex]

That hardens quickly, no good

 

Lubricate well.

[Geralt]

Jizz.

 

That escalated quickly.

[Coaxialgamer]

It does matter. I was using generic silicon thermal paste: getting 40+ degrees at idle. Once i started using nt h1 from noctua, my temps dropped down to 30 degrees idle. Mind you this was duting the summer. The pastehas settled and is giving me better temps, and the ambient temp is also lower. Idle is now in mid 20's with load in the 70's

[Tsuki]

"best" thermal paste right now is Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. the only thing better is liquid metal, which i do not recommend using.

does it really matter though? honestly no. use something better than peanutbutter and you'll be fine. mayonaise will work for a little while if youve got nothing else

[Ethan819]

It's more than likely ok. All thermal pastes are basically the same. Some are better, but won't make a huge difference, maybe a few degrees.

Some of the best brands are: Grizzly, Arctic Silver and Deep Cool.

However, to answer your question, yes it's ok to use what you have.

[tomas710]

I have a random thermal paste that I bought off of amazon a couple months back, so I'm just wondering if it is ok to use it on an i5-6600.

 

It is dark grey, but I'm sure they are all the same? It is called 'compound silicone'.

This is the best TIM comparison table i have found. If you got a locked chip, it doesn't really matter much, i recomend PK-1, PK-2, STG2, MX-4, NTH1 and Hydronaut. AS5 performs a tad worst, is conductive (99,999999% non-issue, but still, totally unnecesary) and requires like 200 hours of burn in.

http://overclocking.guide/thermal-paste-roundup-2015-47-products-tested-with-air-cooling-and-liquid-nitrogen-ln2/6/

[Guest]

I like the MX4 from Arctic Cooling.

[sandboarder08]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M514CS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

5 hours of research

this is the best

other than liquid metal which is impossible to use

but  your generic garbage should work just fine

I haven't had a problem using liquid metal. Unless your in a huge rush not a big deal to spend another couple min applying thermal compound.

[Tsuki]

I haven't had a problem using liquid metal. Unless your in a huge rush not a big deal to spend another couple min applying thermal compound.

you also have to make sure you arent using an alluminium heatsink, or itll eat it

[Geralt]

I like the MX4 from Arctic Silver.

But MX4 is from Arctic Cooling...

[Josephdalepi]

I haven't had a problem using liquid metal. Unless your in a huge rush not a big deal to spend another couple min applying thermal compound.

the difference is about half a degree at 90 celsius and its so hard to work with.  why?

[Aleksbgbg]

the difference is about half a degree at 90 celsius and its so hard to work with.  why?

 

Why is it hard to work with? Is it literally liquid?

[Josephdalepi]

Why is it hard to work with? Is it literally liquid?

conductive to electricity

burn in time

literally liquid. you have to paint it on

[sandboarder08]

the difference is about half a degree at 90 celsius and its so hard to work with.  why?

I've used several pastes like mx-2, artic silver #?, Stock ect. CLM had the best rate. Sometimes a couple degrees will make or break a top 10 benchmark. For stock non oc not worth it.

Cleaning is not that hard just use a micro fiber cloth. Applying it is more like painting it on. You cover the whole surface.

[Josephdalepi]

I've used several pastes like mx-2, artic silver #?, Stock ect. CLM had the best rate. Sometimes a couple degrees will make or break a top 10 benchmark. For stock non oc not worth it.

Cleaning is not that hard just use a micro fiber cloth. Applying it is more like painting it on. You cover the whole surface.

a better cooler will kill any difference a thermal paste will give