How much dif is there from teh thermal compound that comes with most hsf, compared to say something premier as arctic silver 5? How many degrees dif woudl there be if any, or what is the real measure here? Is it worth it?

Properly applied...maybe a ° or two. Reviews and shoot outs between the different brands are all over the place. Gotta remember, it's not easy to accurately measure one degree.

Skip

Oh for sure, but that's what I wanted to know, if I should just use the no brand that comes with the hsf's, or if I should spend the $10 to get some better stuff. I could see for maybe 4° or so, but maybe 1°, not worth it to me. Thanks for the info.

Did the heatsink come with a pad, or a small packet of paste? Personally, I just go with it. I use paste only if I remove/replace the heatsink. I get the cheap stuff at Radio Shack for about $2 a tube. Whatever brand you use, follow these instructions for the best results:

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm

I spent £6 on coolmaster paste to replace the paste on my heatsink as I changed the CPU, the temperature was identical, I just think you paying for the brand, cheap $2 tube or expensive $10 tube, there is no difference between them

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I was a bit skeptical when I replaced my HS/F and I used Arctic Silver 5 , didnt think there would be much difference , but as they say it improves with age as it "cures" , well that was their claim and I believe them because it happened with me .

Peter

Peter,

How about backing up your claims with some numbers? When you say you replaced your HSF, do you mean you removed it, applied new paste, & reinstalled it...or did you replace it completely with a new HSF? If you replaced it completely, you can't necessarily credit AS-5 for any drop in temps.

If you simply reinstalled the same HSF with fresh paste, a degrees C drop "might" be expected...but if there was a significant difference, you probably didn't have the HSF installed properly in the 1st place.

right on, helpfull info. I'm going with the cheap gunk that they come with. From whatI've read, it seems more important to apply the propper amount, rather than the brand you use.

"it seems more important to apply the propper amount, rather than the brand you use."

Well put...except for the spelling...lol

Heh, sorry. I type fast with 4 fingers, so I'm not watching, and plus I've always thought the english langauge is retarded as far as spelling of words is concerned, so I don't care if I spell words incorrectly =)

their there they're
decent desent
dissert desert

whatever, say it don't spray it

If you do a google search on AS5 review, you'll have a lot of info. Most of the competing brands differ in 1~2C in either idle or load mode. But occasionally you'll see 4~5C in some reviews between different brands, say AS5 and some silicone paste. Personally, I like AS Ceramique better because of its density and viscosity.

That sounds more like placement of thickness then type of compound, but that's just my 2 cents. How long does the 3.5 gram tube of as5 last for anyway, how many p4's say?

You only need a small dab, so a tube should be good for several CPUs...but if you don't build very often, by the time you're ready for a new CPU, Arctic Silver 10 will be all the rage...lol

Thanks for your thoughts Jam, just an observation on my part , and yeah kept the same HS/F , it was put on OK and the difference in ° wasnt much , but led me to believe after a few weeks that their claims of AS 5 curing were believable .

Peter