Premium Thermal Interface Material(TIM)?

[BombTek]

After some recent discussions, I started wondering how many folks were using ASII, ASIII or arctic alumina and of those who do, did you think it was worth it? Also how many folks are "anti-premium paste"?

[Gorganzola]

I have used ASIII, AA, Nanotherm, Thermal Pads and heat grease.

I view thermal pads from the manufacturer as satisfactory. For the average person who wants a system to run in the average household environments, thermal pads from the manufacturer (that is, those found on the retail heat sinks) are fine.

Heat grease comes into play when you have to reseat the heat sink or your heat sink you bought for your OEM CPU didn't come with a thermal pad and you need something. It works generally better than thermal pads, although that black stuff that Intel currently uses is pretty comparable.

AS, ASII, ASIII, AA, and Nanotherm are all better thermal interface materials. ASII, AA and Nanotherm are all pretty close to each other in performance. The nice thing about AA and Nanotherm is that they don't have a silicon base and therefore don't end up drying out over time. As for ASIII is too doesn't have the silicon base but performs better.

If you are looking for good and fairly inexpensive then go with AA or Nanotherm since both don't have a silicon base. They are also pretty close in cost to your regular tube of heat grease, so why not get the better of the selection.

If you want and/or need the best of the best, go for ASIII. Figure it this way, you get quite a few applications out of one tube, and if you and a couple friends get together to buy new computers or improve on what you have then the cost isn't so dear and it doesn't sit in the corner wasting away.

[BombTek]

BumP

[StarTraveller]

Good idea for a poll, BT .

[BombTek]

Little bUmP

Thnx ST.. If ppl would just vote on it..

[StarTraveller]

I think you do get a few votes, but if you like then I see no harm in putting up a little ad in General . I'll place a pointer in General so people can find this thread in either forum.

Sometimes these special topic forums don't get the traffic they deserve.

[BombTek]

Sounds great! Thnx ST.. Think we'll see some interesting results..

[Protoplasm72]

As long as you're asking about thermal compound usage I have a question. What is the best way to apply it? I've heard people who apply a thin layer of the stuff like the AS website recommends, or a thicker layer, or smear it on the heat sink first. Some people twist the HS once it's on the core to work out any spaces and some just lay it flat on top. I personally follow AS's directions but I'm not sure if it is the best way. I've been thinking about using up the rest of my ASII to experiment and then upgrading to ASIII but maybe you guys could save me the testing time.

[Sir Skully]

I use AS, and I think its worth it. I use as little as possiple a light haze on the cpu. also rub some into the heatsink or water block. Take a lint free cloth and lightly wipe off, leaving just enough to level the hills and valleys.

[StarTraveller]

I'm with Skull on this one. I use almost the same procedure.

First I "polish" the heatsink in AS until it loses just about any reflective properties and then I place a very thin equal layer on the core. Just a haze as Skull mentioned.

I try not to move the heatsink around after placing it on the core because this supposedly can create small gaps that will not be filled with paste.

I wish I could throw some hi-res pics in your direction, but I don't have a digicam and can't borrow one good enough for this purpose :o .

For the record I want to mention that I've always had very good temps for the various HSFs and CPUs I've used. So I don't think I can be doing it all wrong .

[DeMenAce]

I have used AS, AS2, AS3 and the white stuff. AS in all brands kicks butt. I just tried some AS3. Hoping that it doesn't need to be reinstalled at a later date. If I see any degredation of the temps, I reinstall it. Clean it all up, coat the sink, wipe it off, 1 small BB sized drop, and start spreading it thin. I tried using a fanduct system of my own design. Worked good for a week. Then temps started to rise little by little. So, I reinstalled AS3 (first time trying it) and put the Delta back on. Even with the fan on at 9 volts, it out performs everything else I have tried. 80>60 adapters, smaller fans, fanduct. Delta rocks!

[swannema]

I use Nanotherm, it doesn't dry out unlike other heat sink compounds.

[Sweeper]

AS for sure. I have tried a couple of compounds.. one that came with the heatsink and another I bought from Altex Electronics. The goop from Altex was high dollar and I thought would do the trick... after a couple of days... got out the alcohol... cleaned the hs and waterblock and re-applied ASII. I just built a new system this past week and went to ASIII... haven't really noticed too much of a difference between ASII and III.

[Rafael]

While I have not tried AS2 or 3, I have tried Antec Reference silver compound and notice no difference except for the decrease in the angle of my hips when I sit down at the computer.
Could this be related to the thickness of my wallet? I say, yes.

Maybe I need to try AS2 or 3 or maybe I need to just keep buying the crappy Radio Shack goo. Considering I maintain good temps with this cheaper product and stock or poor heatsinks, I think I'll stay where I am for now.

O.K. thats my 2 cents.....now who wants to give me change?

$
RAF