GarrettW.net » Computer Hardware http://garrettw.net A college student from Texas who is a self-proclaimed net addict. Not necessarily a good thing. Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:17:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc en hourly 1 The Best TIMs (Thermal Interface Materials aka compound or paste) http://garrettw.net/2008/06/the-best-tims-thermal-interface-materials-aka-compound-or-paste/ http://garrettw.net/2008/06/the-best-tims-thermal-interface-materials-aka-compound-or-paste/#comments Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:41:16 +0000 Garrett W. http://garrettw.net/2008/06/26/the-best-tims-thermal-interface-materials-aka-compoundpaste/
  • TIM Consultants T-C Grease 0098 [aluminum oxide]
  • Tuniq TX-2 [silicon oxide grease]
    This is what I use.
  • OCZ Freeze [aluminum oxide]
  • Arctic Cooling MX-2 [aluminum oxide]
  • Noctua NT-H1 [silicon oxide grease]
    I’ve seen this one recommended for those who have a phase-change cooling solution, as the Tuniq stuff apparently will not work with it.
  • Arctic Silver 5 [polysynthetic silver]
    The disadvantage of this one is the 200-hour curing period necessary before it will perform at its best (however, they say that even after the curing period, its performance isn’t any different). I used to use this one.


    • Notes:

    • For heatsinks with a copper base, it is advisable to avoid using silicon-oxide-based pastes for best results.
    • I myself have done no testing, and these results are primarily for my own record, having read many reviews on different products. I saved the results of my (incomplete) research into a spreadsheet, and I have 3 different versions available for you to download: OpenOffice “.ods” (recommended – 20KB), Excel “.xls” (71KB), and CSV (6KB).
      FYI: The lines highlighted in gray mean that my research is not complete for those particular brands.
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