Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut not recommended.

[Gripen90]

So I got some Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut today and I was excited to see if that paste would lower my temperatures a bit on my Ryzen 9 3900X. I run it in an ITX case Sharkoon QB one, with a Corsair H100X 240mm AIO with 2x Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans, a Gigabyte X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi board and a Zotac RTX 2070 Super Twin Fan.
But holy crap that paste sucked BIG TIME in my build. I tried 4 times to reapply and test, but the temperatures were much worse than with the thermal paste the corsair H100X and pre applied. The first run with AIDA64 CPU/FPU/Cache stress test results in an 'stop hardware failure' error, something I never got the hundreds of times I ran the test. Second time with reapplying the pc shut off during the test. The 3rd time it ran for 20minutes fine but was hitting 95c on the spikes. 4th time I reseat it again with less paste, but the temperature rose to 90c immediately upon starting the test, so I stopped it. I then decided to pull it all apart again and drop the Kryonaut entirely. Instead I found my trusty Gelid GC-Extreme OC thermal paste, and I then applied that onto the cpu. And now the spikes fell to 88c and the average temperature would be around 79c in the same AIDA64 CPU/FPU/Cache stress test. And the test runs stable and fine.

I paid $£15 for that crap tube of 5.5gram Kryonaut.

My advice is that for a hot cpu like the Ryzen 9 3900X, then use anything else than Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut.

 

[Gripen90]

Are you sure its the paste and not the CPU mounting?

If the IHS has been damaged (I've had one before) then the pump plate won't sit on the CPU correctly. It's unlikely that the paste is the case IMO

It is the paste. Before I used the pre applied paste on the corsair H100X and I have run AIDA64 dozens of times without issues. The IHS is even else it would have had problems with the AIO to begin with.
I reinstalled the AIO 4 times and reapplied the paste 4 times, and every time with the same mounting pressure and it was much worse that the pre applied TIM. With only a tiny layer on the IHS the temps would rocket instantly. They whole fluid seemed quite watery and transparent.

How did you apply it?
TG is a bit thicker than most pastes and, for me at least, seems to work best if you spread it rather than just dollopping on a pea/rice-grain sized amount to squeeze down.

I think I have some MX4 or MX2 lying around, if you fancy a swap?

I applied it with the rubber head that spreads the paste and I made sure to make it evenly on the entire IHS.

I have MX2, MX4, Deepcool Z3, Noctua NTH1, Phanteks PH NDC and Gelid GC-Extreme and the last one is the best IMO.

Speak to OCUK. It's possible that there's a bad batch or even that it's counterfeit. There was a scandal some years back where one thermal paste advertised as having a high silver content was found to not have any silver in it at all.

Unfortunately I didn't purchase it from OCUK but locally in Denmark. I also noticed that the Kryonaut left some scratches on the AIOs copper head, just like this thread describes: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/kryonaut-abrasive.18827970/

 

[Gripen90]

How thinly, though?
Give it another go, but try it thinner than you think you need..

I did it very thin the last time, and immediately the cpu would run 90°c within the first 5 sec of starting AIDA64. The mounting pressure on the cpu distribute the paste all over the IHS regardless of how much paste is apply.
Right now I am running with Gelid GC-EXTREME and it has been running AIDA64 and OCCT for hours now without heat issues, and thats the only application I've done with that paste.
I am not tearing the AIO apart a 6th time just to get the same bad results as before.

 

[Gripen90]

I was not impressed by it and am not alone in this view by my reading, it is hard to spread but a bit easier when heated but still gave me near same temps as other good TIM so not worth the hassle or the overpriced cost of it.

Also tried peas and line method.

I opted for their Liquid Metal on my CPU (DIE > IHS > cooler) and my GPU and am happier now.

Also there is a newer Liquid Metal coming from them soon.

I tried the Kryonaut on my old ITX pc with a Phenom II X4 955. I cleaned of the previously used MX2 and put on Kryonaut. However it was a disaster here too. I could see the paste was almost squeezed out under the CPU cooler, and upon uninstalling the cooler, the paste seemed to be vaporized under the heatsink. Reinstalled it again with a thick layer and the temperature was better, but no where matching the MX2 application initially used. I cleaned of the Kryonaut and instead I tried out my Deepcool Z3 paste, and it actually improved temperatures over the MX2.

I might have a defective product here, but unfortunately I can't return it or get a refund. But I am not going for Thermal Grizzly products any time soon.

 

[Gripen90]

Considering that we've been told now that it was bought in a local store in Denmark (I believe, need to go back and check post on that), there's a fair chance it's still the "Thermal Grizzly" that's the issue. Note, that it might not be legit, or it might have still been from a bad batch, or even a really old batch that has now degraded (from bad storage). The possibilities are endless.

Well I got messages from several users reporting very similar experiences with Kryonaut. The shop I bought it from is a very well known store nationally, but counterfiet or bad products and finds its way in everywhere.

Anyhow I have ordered a Thermaltake Water 3.0 240 ARGB Sync now, because I don't like that the paste scrathed up the copperbase on the H100X. I am not trying my luck with Kryonaut again but will keep to Gelid GC-Extreme.