Thermal Paste Specification Comparison

[SEvsNK]

Noctua NT-H2 is good in the test.

Ya now i feel like trying out the H2. The reviews seems consistant across the board.

 

[Yongkit]

Cooler Master Unveils Purple-Colored “CryoFuze Violet” Thermal Paste With Exceptional Thermal Performance

Seems like color paste will be the future

 

[Phen8210]

Cooler Master Unveils Purple-Colored “CryoFuze Violet” Thermal Paste With Exceptional Thermal Performance

Seems like color paste will be the future

rgb thermal paste..

 

[Koenig168]

Cooler Master Unveils Purple-Colored “CryoFuze Violet” Thermal Paste With Exceptional Thermal Performance

Seems like color paste will be the future

Quite expensive at USD30 a pop. Think I will stick to my cheap MX-4.

 

[Yongkit]

Quite expensive at USD30 a pop. Think I will stick to my cheap MX-4.

at U$30 ya its too expensive, nevertheless I got the original non purple version on sales at S$9.90 during May-22.

 

[Koenig168]

at U$30 ya its too expensive, nevertheless I got the original non purple version on sales at S$9.90 during May-22.

Extra S$32 for the purple color.

OTOH if it's RGB, then totally worth it.

 

[Phen8210]

at U$30 ya its too expensive, nevertheless I got the original non purple version on sales at S$9.90 during May-22.

ya.. 30 usd price can buy the ssy 157 liao

 

[Yongkit]

ya.. 30 usd price can buy the ssy 157 liao

can buy the TFX 6.2g from amazon sg of better paste recommended by elmariachi :

 

[robolee]

TFX very dry and hard to apply....Unless you have a heat gun do not bother

 

[说好不打脸的]

Cooler Master Unveils Purple-Colored “CryoFuze Violet” Thermal Paste With Exceptional Thermal Performance

Seems like color paste will be the future

Before i start reading the details from the link. Wccftech editor Hassan Mujtaba somehow had quietly answered the Qns many people who are going to ask. ''Is the CryoFuze Violet worth buying?''

 

[matique]

https://www.igorslab.de/en/blob-or-full-flat-heat-conducting-paste-on-the-gpu-correctly-applied/
Optimal GPU paste spread. Learned many things, will try out next time I do maintenance. For now my current spread method somehow worked well still.

 

[watzup_ken]

Quite expensive at USD30 a pop. Think I will stick to my cheap MX-4.

Now you know why more and more companies are trying to come up with thermal compound. Gram for gram, high end thermal compound cost more than buying pure silver. I don't see the weight mentioned on this CM Thermal Compound, but the normal CM CryoFuze was just a 2g. If this is also 2 grams, then its USD 15 per gram. That's daylight robbery.

 

[elmariachi]

Like I've mentioned many times, especially for GPU, it's always better to use a thick paste like TFX for long term stability and durability. Yeah it's kinda annoying to heat up and spread but it saves you the headache of constantly opening up your card and repasting. Plus while opening up your card more than once, you probably will damage some thermal pads and have to replace them AGAIN. Good ones if you've used are NOT cheap.

My first 2 times pasting with regular Kryonaut ended up in creeping temps and widening hotspot deltas merely after 2 weeks and it just got increasingly hotter. TFX for the last year or so, my temp difference from day 1 and today is +/- 2 degrees. Hotspot delta is consistently 10-12 degrees depending on ambient. Memory temps are like 52 degree max consistent.

CPU doesn't really matter so much from my experience because there is an IHS. Only GPUs exhibit this issues with normal runny pastes particularly so with the Ampere chips which are notoriously convex. Thick pastes tend to be best on die chips like this. TFX also is equal to 1 or 2 degree Celsius better than Kryonaut, after it cures for a few days, and being thicker, is better for longevity. Kryonaut also has pump out within weeks while the TFX has been rock solid for the majority who have used it so far on their cards.

 

[elmariachi]

This is my opinion so do not take it personally.
I do not know why you have to use a hair dryer to ensure that the thermal paste is spread evenly.
Is like spreading a jam on a bread if you heat up the jam it will harden and the contact
will even be worse.

For me I usually just put a bit not a lot just few a drop either on the center or for large die than
few drop. Than I will use the HSF press down first to ensure that the thermal paste
is just right before screwing it down.

Thermal paste just provide a contact between the CPU/GPU Die and the HSF so by right
it must not be too thick. Thermal paste does get dried up after something, this is something
hard to avoid.

So get a good thermal paste like Noctua HT-N1, there's no need for very high end or
liquid metal which makes not much of difference.
I have tried before electronic thermal grease before brought from Sim Lim Tower in the paste.

Computer manufacturer thermal paste works better for PC parts than electronic thermal grease.
For me when temperature creeps up after sometime especially GPU.
I will use paper towel, wipe it thoroughly using isopropyl alcohol make sure that the both
the CPU and heatsink have no residue of previous thermal paste.

Use a hairdryer blow both the CPU and heatsink first, wait a while before applying
a drop of thermal paste. I will than press down the heatsink if the spread is uneven,
I will just apply a drop of thermal paste to that area.

This is how I apply thermal paste so far no issue temp for my PC is alright.
CPU die is easy to apply thermal paste but GPU really have to be careful especially
it's die size.

If you have dealt with TFX, the paste is so dry that even 1 stroke causes it to stick to anything you're applying it with. By heating it up, I can do 2 or 3 strokes before it dries up and starts sticking to the applicator. I'm not comfortable heating up the die or the PCB so I prefer to heat the paste and spread.

Convex dies like the Ampere much prefer to spread though now there is a new method by line method but I haven't tested that yet.

Since this has proven to be the most stable and durable over the year, I will only use TFX for GPU from now on. I don't wanna take the risk of trying another paste for GPU cause it's not fun tearing up my card often.

CPU wise for me thermal pastes seems to perform around the same +/- 3 degrees between them. And doesn't dry up as fast as GPU for some reason.

 

[Lastwishes]

This is my opinion so do not take it personally.
I do not know why you have to use a hair dryer to ensure that the thermal paste is spread evenly.
Is like spreading a jam on a bread if you heat up the jam it will harden and the contact
will even be worse.

For me I usually just put a bit not a lot just few a drop either on the center or for large die than
few drop. Than I will use the HSF press down first to ensure that the thermal paste
is just right before screwing it down.

Thermal paste just provide a contact between the CPU/GPU Die and the HSF so by right
it must not be too thick. Thermal paste does get dried up after something, this is something
hard to avoid.

So get a good thermal paste like Noctua HT-N1, there's no need for very high end or
liquid metal which makes not much of difference.
I have tried before electronic thermal grease before brought from Sim Lim Tower in the paste.

Computer manufacturer thermal paste works better for PC parts than electronic thermal grease.
For me when temperature creeps up after sometime especially GPU.
I will use paper towel, wipe it thoroughly using isopropyl alcohol make sure that the both
the CPU and heatsink have no residue of previous thermal paste.

Use a hairdryer blow both the CPU and heatsink first, wait a while before applying
a drop of thermal paste. I will than press down the heatsink if the spread is uneven,
I will just apply a drop of thermal paste to that area.

This is how I apply thermal paste so far no issue temp for my PC is alright.
CPU die is easy to apply thermal paste but GPU really have to be careful especially
it's die size.

Just to clarify, you don't heat up the CPU or heatsink before applying TFX. You heat up the TFX away from the CPU/heatsink before applying it. What I did was to put the TFX into a small ziploc and leave it in a thermos cup with boiled water for about 30 minutes before using it.

For Noctua HT-N1, it's a good paste, but like elmariachi said, it doesn't work well for Ampere GPUs. I've tried it (as well as MX-4) on a 3080, re-applied several times, and the temps and hotspot delta has always increased (from 12 to about 18) after 2 - 3 months. I switched to TFX more than a year ago, it's been holding constant, with my deltas still around 10 - 12 degrees depending on ambient).

For CPU heatsinks, there was very little difference between HT-N1, MX-4 or TFX in performance (also tried all three on the same chip); so there's not too much of a benefit here imo. But I've also re-pasted my x570 chipset heatsink with a copper shim - and TFX had performed noticeably better than NT-H1 here. Add the factor that it's known for much better longevity, I think it's a clear winner for parts where it's a huge pain to disassemble, when you just want to apply and forget.

 

[Lastwishes]

I don't use RTX3000 series so I don't know what are the temps are like.
BTW such cards if under warranty, it is best not to dismantle it just to reapply thermal paste.
Unless no warranty or brought from Amazon etc. than possible.

Given what I see, can try Thermal grease but have to get the correct one that isn't electrical conductivity
else risk of shorting the card. PS I hope no one come at me for saying elmariachi is wrong,
let me emphasis the point is that thermal paste shouldn't dry up that fast.

High end graphic card will definitely be hot no matter what thermal paste you use.
Unless you want better temp than maybe try thermal grease which can be brought from
either Sim LIm Tower or RS.

I have remove that comment else more will come at me.

This is an online forum. You are free to share your opinion.

But I think you're mistaken about people coming after you for disagreeing with any particular member. I'm not interested in online drama or imagined bandwagoning. Read back on the earlier posts on this thread, I've been saying the same thing about TFX, MX-4 and NT-H1 since I tried them about 2 years back.

 

[elmariachi]

I don't use RTX3000 series so I don't know what are the temps are like.
BTW such cards if under warranty, it is best not to dismantle it just to reapply thermal paste.
Unless no warranty or brought from Amazon etc. than possible.

Given what I see, can try Thermal grease but have to get the correct one that isn't electrical conductivity
else risk of shorting the card. PS I hope no one come at me for saying elmariachi is wrong,
let me emphasis the point is that thermal paste shouldn't dry up that fast.

High end graphic card will definitely be hot no matter what thermal paste you use.
Unless you want better temp than maybe try thermal grease which can be brought from
either Sim LIm Tower or RS.

I have remove that comment else more will come at me.

No one is going after you for anything. I know the pains involved for tearing apart a graphics card just to repaste. My experience with TFX is the same as what @Lastwishes has mentioned. It is also a pretty common scenario where most ampere cards at the start of production had shitty mounts and uneven paste spread having a significantly high hotspot delta out of the box. If you bother so much about warranty, then leave it. But don't expect dealers to RMA the card due to this they will simply return it back to you and say all working within tolerances. The only way is to do a repaste properly. But truth be told the main reason why most people even take apart the card is to replace the stock shitty thermal pads and while you're at it, might as well paste it with something good like TFX. Even high end cards have abnormal temps till people started remounting their cards with better pastes which yielded significant improvements.

To each to their own basically. Personally, I don't like running anything that's warm and not normal as with most GPUs today, temps drastically affect boost clocks and performance. I've had my card go as high as 60 degrees after 2 months using Kryonaut. With TFX, my temps have been 47-50 degrees depending on ambient consistently for over a year now. This too without undervolt and everything maxed out sitting between 2085Mhz-2115Mhz clocks in the games I play with approximately 450W TDP.

 

[watzup_ken]

Chill guys. We are talking about getting better thermals for hardware, but ironically, I sense a lot of heat here. Everyone's got a different view of things. It may be good to hear and learn, or simply agree to disagree if you feel strongly about certain suggestions.

 

[elmariachi]

As mentioned I am not here to argue with anyone, my point is very thermal paste should be
easier to apply if it is not than change.
High end graphic card like RTX3000 series are hot, out of factory usually the paste and thermal
pads are just normal type.

I be blunt if the card is hot, so long it doesn't artifact or causes instability like shutdown etc.
than should be OK. Is hard to maintain a low temperature for cards like RTX3080 or RTX3090 since
it's TDP are near 300 watts onwards.

Thermal paste have TDP limit, if it is for 300 watts TDP onwards than thermal grease
will be recommended. It's been very long since I use thermal grease so I can't say
which is good for 300 watt TDP onwards.

Highest end graphic card I have played is only up to RTX 2080, I rarely game so
I don't see a need for modern graphic card.

https://sg.rs-online.com/web/c/hvac...cs-heating-cooling-components/thermal-grease/
If anyone wants to try thermal grease, just make sure it is not electrical conductivity else
it will short the board.

I am not sure what to reply to you but thermal paste DO NOT have a TDP Limit. They are rated in terms of W/mK which stands for Watts per meter-Kelvin. It’s also known as ‘k Value’. The comparison of thermal conductivity can be measured by the ‘k’ value. The k value, or Thermal Conductivity, specifies the rate of heat transfer in any homogeneous material. If a material has a k value of 1, it means a 1m cube of material will transfer heat at a rate of 1 watt for every degree of temperature difference between opposite faces. The k value is expressed as 1 W/mK. The lower this value is, the less heat the material will transfer.

The higher you go on W/mk rating, the thicker and harder the paste is to apply generally. 2080 series and 3000 series are opposite ends of one another. They are also made using different fabrication processes and have different die flatness with the latter having a noticeable increase in TDP. I mean sure if you say the card can run hot without any artifacts and have stability, then so be it. It is not hard to maintain low temps on 3080/3090 with undervolt but if you have factors like paste and pads hindering your temps, there is absolutely nothing you can do even with an undervolt. Running something hot for prolonged periods of time is not something most of forummers here like. This is even why topics like this are created to share and feedback ideas. It is not rocket science that prolonged heat on electronics reduces the lifespan of components even if they are designed to run hot. You will be perpetually thermal throttling once things gets worse with the strong possibility of damage.

Thermal Grease or Thermal paste is the same to most of us here. I see no difference. They are all rated in W/mk as well. Both have conductive and non-conductive variants. I am not sure what you mean when you say thermal grease can be used for >300W because it is not the grease or paste that decides what max TDP you get to run. It is your cooler, ambients and rated TDP of your card. You simply use the ones with a high enough W/mk rating to maximise the heat transfer between your cooler and the GPU Die. That is all there is to that.

Btw, the silicon grease link you quoted is far worse than most of the thermal pastes that most of us using here which is rated anywhere from 8W/mk to 14W/mk. And these are all non-conductive thermal pastes.

 

[watzup_ken]

As mentioned I am not here to argue with anyone, my point is very thermal paste should be
easier to apply if it is not than change.
High end graphic card like RTX3000 series are hot, out of factory usually the paste and thermal
pads are just normal type.

I be blunt if the card is hot, so long it doesn't artifact or causes instability like shutdown etc.
than should be OK. Is hard to maintain a low temperature for cards like RTX3080 or RTX3090 since
it's TDP are near 300 watts onwards.

Thermal paste have TDP limit, if it is for 300 watts TDP onwards than thermal grease
will be recommended. It's been very long since I use thermal grease so I can't say
which is good for 300 watt TDP onwards.

Highest end graphic card I have played is only up to RTX 2080, I rarely game so
I don't see a need for modern graphic card.

https://sg.rs-online.com/web/c/hvac...cs-heating-cooling-components/thermal-grease/
If anyone wants to try thermal grease, just make sure it is not electrical conductivity else
it will short the board.

I am not sure if there is a TDP limit for thermal compound or thermal pads. The manufacturer only mentioned the recommended operating temps.

For me, the reason to change thermal compound is because,
1. There is a tangible drop in temp, particularly the hotspot temp, which then translates to,
2. Lower fan noise since the fan don't have to spin up as much