What is the best thermal compound for a copper heatsink on a laptop

[LuciferTechWizz]

Hello guys.

 

I've been looking through the internet, under stones and trees for a good thermal paste/compound (w.e) for my laptop's copper heatsink, and I just can't seem to find the right one.

There are way too many opinions on various forums, so as a last run before running off and ordering something that won't work for me, I decided to ask You guys.

 

Thank you.

[Davidwr80]

If you have enough experience with it, try liquid metal. Its dangerous if you dont know how to apply it, but it works really well if you do

[LuciferTechWizz]

1 minute ago, Davidwr80 said:

If you have enough experience with it, try liquid metal. Its dangerous if you dont know how to apply it, but it works really well if you do

I have never worked with liquid metal. I have been reading about it but don't know how dangerous it is to try using it.

[Davidwr80]

2 minutes ago, LuciferTechWizz said:

I have never worked with liquid metal. I have been reading about it but don't know how dangerous it is to try using it.

You have to be really careful that no liquid metal gets anywhere exept the gpu/cpu die. I used normal thermal paste to isolate the components around the die, to ensure that the liquid metal stays where it should be.

[Blackhole890]

just watch how they perform... I suggest getting noctua nt-h1 or artic mx4

[zMeul]

don't use "liquid metal"

use any decent paste that's not electrically conductive - laptop chips are bare die, like GPUs

 

problem with Gallium based TIMs (liquid metal) is that Gallium will amalgamate with the Copper plate and in couple of months it will stop being effective and you'll have to scrape the alloy off the Copper plate

[Blackhole890]

1 minute ago, zMeul said:

don't use "liquid metal"

use any decent paste that's not electrically conductive - laptop chips are bare die, like GPUs

 

problem with Gallium based TIMs (liquid metal) is that Gallium will amalgamate with the Copper plate and in couple of months it will stop being effective and you'll have to scap the alloy off the Cooper plate

what about artic silver 5? so i shouldnt be using that you mean?

[zMeul]

1 minute ago, Blackhole890 said:

what about arctic silver 5

yeah, it's one option

[Windows7ge]

You can use liquid metal if you want but personally when their's resistors or other capacitors on the chip or nearby I used Arctic Silver Ceramic Photosynthetic compound. it's non-conductive goes on like toothpaste and works well for my applications.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Arctic Silver 5 is fine. It's not electrically conductive. Its only electrical hazard is capacitance but that isn't even that big of a deal.

[Windows7ge]

1 minute ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Arctic Silver 5 is fine. It's not electrically conductive. Its only electrical hazard is capacitance but that isn't even that big of a deal.

Depends what Arctic silver 5 you use. They have non-conductive and they have one made of 99.9% pure silver which I'm quite sure is conductive though I haven't tested it.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Just now, Windows7ge said:

Depends what Arctic silver 5 you use. They have non-conductive and they have one made of 99.9% pure silver which I'm quite sure is conductive though I haven't tested it.

There's only one version of Arctic Silver 5. And it's made with 99.9% pure silver:

Quote

Made With 99.9% Pure Silver:
Arctic Silver 5 uses three unique shapes and sizes of pure silver particles to maximize particle-to-particle contact area and thermal transfer.

However on the same product page we have:

Quote

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

Arctic Silver's other products are Alumina and Ceramique

[Windows7ge]

2 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Arctic Silver's other products are Alumina and Ceramique

I recommended the Alumina Ceramic in another post.

[LuciferTechWizz]

Sooo.. Arctic Silver 5 is what you recommend instead of using liquid metal?

[Windows7ge]

3 minutes ago, LuciferTechWizz said:

Sooo.. Arctic Silver 5 is what you recommend instead of using liquid metal?

Just be careful about which one you buy if you plan on applying it to a bare die with exposes electrical components next to it.