Thermal paste...what's the best?

[AiiR]

I get tubes of MX-2 for a couple of quid and they last a lot of applications. More expensive stuff usually has less paste for a lot more money and saves you a max of 3-5c. Depends if that's worth it to you.

 

[foster grant]

I use the pea method with Thermal Grizzly its nice to work with

 

[Andy7]

Update: I phoned Customer Services about my order not arriving and the guy said he would send another out. Received it today Great service.

 

[abdidas]

MX-4 is crap, doesn't spread so good.

 

[Aretak]

MX-4 is crap, doesn't spread so good.

Can't agree. I had a nightmare trying to get a cooler screwed down recently and had to reapply it four times, so got a good look at each application. Always formed a nice circle using the dot method. Seems to last a long time without the need for replacement either. I sold my 4790K recently and it was still nice and gooey underneath the cooler after 21 months or so.

 

[abdidas]

Can't agree. I had a nightmare trying to get a cooler screwed down recently and had to reapply it four times, so got a good look at each application. Always formed a nice circle using the dot method. Seems to last a long time without the need for replacement either. I sold my 4790K recently and it was still nice and gooey underneath the cooler after 21 months or so.

I used the pea method and it just didn't spread uniformly over the cpu surface. I got my paste a couple years maybe a bad batch.

 

[Smffy]

I just use the pea method

There's a really in depth Linus video with every method tested... Outcome is basically it makes virtually no difference, worst thing you can do is use none, using a ton of it makes temps slightly worse but its not worth stressing over different methods.

Pea blob in the middle won't serve you wrong to be honest.

 

[Stealthploit]

Go for a quality one... i bought 20x1gram from china probly for 4-5 pounds they were somewhat ok ... but they dried up pretty quickly.... and heat trasfer will be slower with the low quality ones...... All the high quality pastes will almost have the same results changes from one another are almost insignificant..

if u asked what was the best one value for money i got

Arctic Cooling MX-4 if i remember it was about 8 pounds for 4grams you can do about 4 cpus 1 gram for each should be fine even for an amd system

 

[Nelly]

I've been using Thermalright Chill Factor 3 for a good 6+ years.

There doesn't seem much in it here >> http://www.play3r.net/reviews/cooling/best-thermal-paste-2015-update/

 

[almightydutch]

Used AS5 for years no worries, finally got some Kryonaut just before Christmas and I've dropped 2 degrees on peak and 'normal' gaming temps are 3-5 degrees cooler.

Possibly down to better application as my as5 was a few years old.

 

[=XDC=FluphyBunny]

ic diamond has been great for me.

 

[BluD]

Any paste better than what is put under the heat spreader will do.

Toothpaste? Probably would be actually.

 

[Amatsubu]

I use MX-4, does the job well enough at a very decent price. Don't feel the need to go bonkers with thermal pastes as I'm not that much into OC these days, my 4790k holds up pretty well at stock.