Thermal paste shoot out!

Comments

1. 
   28 Sep 2007 ~ 6:45pm Missileman The author can't even read his own data. Looked to me like MX-2 edged out the AS stuff on most tests. I have read the same thing in several other articles. This MX-2 stuff is kick ass. Slightly better cooling and is not conductive or capacitive.
   
   AS5 did very well in the GPU tests. Almost too well. I have a tube of MX-2 coming to give it a try. I want to see how it really does.
2. 
   5 Oct 2007 ~ 8:22pm Missileman Okay a little follow up to the MX-2 paste.
   
   BUY IT!!! IT ROCKS !!!!
   
   I tried it on 2 working systems. one water cooled and one stock cooled.
   Test was informal, but fairly honest and fair.
   
   System 1:
   
   E6600 mounted on an Intel DG33TLM motherboard with 4 GB RAM. (P35 with video)
   
   Cooling was stock Retail Fan.
   
   Stock unit idled at 34C and went to 60C using Intel supplied WAX.
   Cleaned processor and heatsink using "Goof Off" followed by a good cleaning with reagent grade isopropyl alcohol. Applied AS-5 per current instructions (they have changed BTW). Cycled power for 1 week, several times each day running orthos for 30 minutes each time to "cure" the AS-5. Results were: idled at 30-31 and load was 54-55C. Repeated above cleaning procedure to completely clean surfaces. Applied MX-2. I "buttered" each piece and wiped clean. Then I applied a thin layer of MX-2 to the face of the heatsink. MX-2 is not conductive, non capacative, and doesn't need cure time. Results were: idle 27-28 and loaded 50-52.
   
   System 2:
   
   I repeated all of the above with my Q6600 and water cooling. Results were: AS-5 idles at 30-31C and load was 36-38C.
   MX-2 idled at 28-29C and loaded was 34-35C.
   
   Oh and before you ask the loaded temp was after 10 hours of Orthos.
   
   This is good stuff and easy to work with. It's really worth a look. All the other reviews seem to track my results. They seem to show that MX-2 seems to lose some of its efficiency at higher temps compared to AS-5 so if you you are really cranking the overclock it may not be for you, but for most "normal" range temperatures this stuff is great.
   
   Not a full blown scientific test but the results should be fairly accurate.