What is the best Thermal Paste?

[@lowrivera]

I just discovered Thermalright, hence my search for it on KZbin! This helps a TON! My new CPU cooler, Thermalright PA 120 Black comes with TF7. I looked at the rating and the TFX is 14W/m.k,. The TF7 is rated 12.8W/m.k, hence, I except it to perform within 2°C of the TFX. Very exciting! thank you for the video!

[@lowrivera]

@MyLazySundae I would use the TF7 it comes with. Artic MX-4 is only rated at 8.5W/mK, a significant difference in the wrong direction. Unless you want to go higher, then I’d buy the TFX. I used the TF7 it came with. Even with OC under the most intense load I’ve put it under, I’ve yet to see it past 65°C. Keep in mind I have very good air flow going through the case. Also, I use my new rig solely for gaming. All my productivity work, I do on my Macs.

[@LynnetteJJW]

There is one point that makes the TFX over the Grizzly hands down... the Grizzly was made with ultra performance testing in mind. not continuous usage. I used Grizzly for 2 or 3 years. but noticed my CPU actually thermal throttle wile playing a game like Rimworld wile compiling a game map. that is very odd. When i looked into Grizzly, apparently, their main line of pastes are more for enthusiasts, not every day work stations. THis was what i found in several reddit threads, and some wording i found on Grizzly's website. When i looked up the lifespan of Thermal Grizzly's paste, its about 3 years. This is a very important point as i dont want to upgrade my system every year. maybe every 5 or 10. SO. i looked up TFX's lifespan... 8 Years. Sold me right then and there.

[@UnhingedSystems]

Agreed 💯. I've been daily driving TFX for ~3 years now and I wouldn't use anything else. Desktop, GPU, laptops, mobile workstations. TFX has been very reliable for me. Not seeing any notable degradation yet.

[@LynnetteJJW]

@@UnhingedSystems Heres some numbers for you, im about 2 or 3 months in with TF-X. I repasted my CPU and GPU. My CPU used to set idle at around 132~138*F (this was after 2~3ish years with Grizzly). now, it sits at 118~128*F. though, when things get going, it likes to sit at 140~158*F. I use an AMD R9 5950X. No clock or edits to operation. For GPU, from AMD overlay. On sitting idle, itll hit 23~26*C (though im cheating as i have a 2nd set of fans, PCI slot fans, next to the GPU fans. So its cooling the card even when the GPU turns its fans off, and i have a fan behind the card, pulling heat off the back core space and blowing it out the back of the case :/ yay.) ... under load, it hits as high as 62~65*C. Powercolor Red Devil RX 6950XT. no edits to its operation.

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@LynnetteJJW I'm nearly at 3 years on one of my TFX applications on my 5950X and the performance is still stellar! Love the TFX compound.

[@julianc691]

@@UnhingedSystemswhat about arctic mx6? Is this a good option for my 7800x3d? Or noctua NH 2. ? Or is it the TFX Thermalright the king? Please help me, I would appreciate it very much.

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@julianc691 All are fine pastes. MX-6 is lowest in performance, then NT-H2, then TFX. Personally I will always choose TFX for my high-end builds. You would be fine with NT-H2, but slightly better with TFX. I'm not a fan of NT-H2 not having published thermal conductivity specs, that's kinda shady. With a mid-performance CPU MX-6 would be more than sufficient.

[@Wowzersdude-k5c]

The Thermalright paste is expensive. $11 for only 2 grams. The NT-H1 is $9 for 3.5g. Arctic has now released MX-6 (which they say is 20% better than MX-4) and it sells for $7 for 4g, making it the best deal. Another thing to consider is expiration date. Since we aren't pasting our CPU's very often, you need to find out how long it can be stored in the tube before it goes bad. Noctua says 3 years on their paste.

[@UnhingedSystems]

Yes, it is expensive, but it performs the best out of the pastes I have used. A 2g tube does at least 3-4 applications if applied correctly.. When spending 5950X (at launch), 13900K, or 7950X money, do you really want to cheap out on your thermal paste? Thermalright TFX is a thick paste that doesn't suffer from pump out, I'm 2+ years into my last application on the GPU and CPU and the temps are still within expectations. Arctic suffers from pump out (I'll test MX-6 this year), as does NT-H1 (less so). I use TFX on workstation laptop applications where NT-H1 and Arctic fail within 2-3 months due to pump-out effects. 5600X, 13700K, sure get whatever paste, use stock pastes, it won't matter as much. Ultra high-end CPUs have temperature swings between 15C (cold basement) and 90C-100C overclocked (thermal limits). With expansion thinner pastes will just slip through the cracks, literally. MX-4 and MX-5 (which ultimately performed worse for me in all applications than MX-4) both have horrible pump-out. I won't use Thermal Grizzley because it is too sticky and likes to rip CPUs out of their sockets, and their non-conductive pastes don't perform any better than TFX. Ultimately the choice is the consumers, and most pastes will perform good enough in most applications. Just don't use any of EK's paste or thermal pads, they perform terribly in all use cases. Why any company would sell a $300-400 waterblock and include sub-par thermal materials is beyond me.

[@Zaptosis]

Would have been nice to see NT-H2, unless that just came out.

[@UnhingedSystems]

I'll do a major throwdown of thermal pastes later this year. The more expensive thermal pastes (non-conductive) are still only 1-2C better in most cases. There are really just some under performing pastes that are "cost effective" and "budget" pastes.

[@jamesdavies686]

6c discrepancy between MX-4 and NT-H1 has to be human error. Those pastes are neck and neck on dozens of other thermal paste shootouts online.

[@sjoervanderploeg4340]

The suction between the IHS and block is actually a sign that the paste spread correctly and achieved its goal to fill gaps. This is even possible with the good old white silicone thermal paste! To spread thermal paste as thin as possible, you can dilute it with a drop of turpentine (white spirit) and then just paint it on the IHS/cooler. No need for a heat gun, the turpentine will eventually evaporate although when I removed my CPU cooler the last time I could still smell a whiff of it... the CPU was pulled right out of its socket as well. This has been an issue since S939, my first experience with an IHS...

[@Squall4Rinoa]

> you can dilute it with a drop of turpentine Jesus christ, stay away from computers.

[@coldfever94]

Does the Thermalright TFX performance degrades after a few months ? because I used coolermaster mastergel pro v2 on my GPU and after a few months it leaves the die and seeps around it. So amazing temps after a fresh application, 88c to 65c max, then after a few months back to 86c. Fresh application again back to 65c max again. Please include long time reviews for any thermal paste that you used. I don't want to deal with applying thermal paste every few months.

[@UnhingedSystems]

No issues whatsoever with TFX long term. I'll do a long-term review later this year, but it's still as good as day 1 as far as temps go. I'll have to tear down the water block to clean it long before I have to replace the TFX. I'm not impressed with Mastergel, wouldn't use it again.

[@coldfever94]

@@UnhingedSystems yeah very bad product. Sadly I was fooled by fresh temps from tomshardware and guru3d charts of fresh applications(which is really good they aren't lying) Sadly I don't think anyone does long term reviews because simply it is not feasible. So your review would be of immense help.

[@dazeen9591]

What about Nab Cooling thermal paste ? Claims it lasts 4 years before needing replacement

[@1937Brett]

Is thermalright tf9 good for being heat projected against 300 c at least

[@UnhingedSystems]

TF9 is also a reasonable option. You would never run into a scenario where you are hitting 300C, but if you are doing liquid nitrogen overclocking competitions you definitely want something rated for deep sub zero temperatures.

[@1937Brett]

@@UnhingedSystems I'm using it to cover my heatbreak on my 3d printer

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@1937Brett That's a suitable purpose for sure! I had a guy ask me if I could liquid cool his 3D printer for him, sounded like a cool project.

[@1937Brett]

@@UnhingedSystems whats happening is due to my enclosure where I have my printer is heating up so then it's blowing warm air instead of cool air onto the copper heatbreak part of the printer witch cause it to clog and not print been doing my head in so I hope this works will I need more than one coating??

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@1937Brett One application should be fine, but unfortunately the long term solution for your printer would be to create air circulation in the enclosure (filtered with an air purifier level filtration if inside your home, or exchanging air with the outdoors). There are some air/water heat exchangers you could use to exchange heat without exposing the indoor air to the pollutants, but that could get pricey!

[@khajitt]

For laptops thermalright tfx is the best. No pump out effect

[@professorh8398]

Wish you also tested the nt-h2. Thanks, though.

[@THeBoZZHoGG]

I want to know which one lasts the longest. Repasting is a pain in arse and if mx-5 can last 8 years im all for it

[@UnhingedSystems]

I have a 12 year old system with MX-4 on it that is still cooling well (Intel QX9650). TFX out performs MX-4/5 a lot and I have noticed zero cooling degregation in over a year of use on my main system (CPU/GPU) and my workstation laptop (6-core CPU / Quadro graphics). Still cooling the same as day 1, 10/10 would recommend.

[@Zombie101]

how does tfx go up against mx6?

[@UnhingedSystems]

They claim 20% better than MX-4, which would still be under where TFX performs overall. Gonna be time for another thermal paste showdown soon.

[@Petelecaster]

Looks like there was decent consistency in the performance. For the final test, you should've checked the temperatures running a Windows update ;)

[@UnhingedSystems]

Hahaha Windows Update! Nice one! Thanks for the comment!

[@ПавелДорощук-з5д]

What is the best thing to take for Alienware X15 R2? Thermalright TF8 or Thermalright TFX or Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme?

[@UnhingedSystems]

I go TFX every time

[@Horizon-hj3yc]

Inaccurate test when I compare to tests done with similar products.

[@dazeen9591]

What about Nab Cooling thermal paste ?

[@UnhingedSystems]

It's only 8.5w/mK. On paper it is only on par with MX-4. I would not personally recommend it for the ultra high-end CPUs.

[@dazeen9591]

@@UnhingedSystems thanks for the reply! I'm personally more worried of longevity of the thermal paste though. And I think Nab Cooling claims it will last 4 years before you have to replace it... But I have no idea how long the Thermal Grizzly or Thermalright TFX would last

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@dazeen9591 I have systems (high-end laptops, desktops) using TFX over 2 years now, no issues, still performing as expected. Every high-end client build I do I exclusively use TFX because I trust it to perform the best the longest. All thermal pastes should be re-pasted every 4-5 years on high-end systems. Buying a big expensive CPU and a big expensive cooling solution and then using cheap thermal paste is like buying a fast car and then installing a spring on the throttle to prevent you from using the full power of the car. Even if one must swap the thermal paste every few years, it's worth the investment for top-tier hardware IMO. People don't buy a supercar and then put in regular gas. If you asked me if a 13900K or a 7950X would perform differently with better paste my answer would be yes. The new CPUs can perform higher with better cooling simply because they are designed to boost higher longer the more thermal headroom is provided to them. 5600X, 7600X, 13600K, yea you don't need the best cooling, perfectly good with an air cooler and cheap paste. The great thing about this hobby though is that people can go whichever direction they prefer when custom building a PC, and that's okay 👍

[@dazeen9591]

@@UnhingedSystems well I just have a measly 11400F which is a 65W TDP stock but I will remove power limits to run it on the max all core boost level. I even got an AIO for it which cost more than the CPU itself but yeah. I will enjoy low temps while pushing the CPU to max 👍 I don't feel like I need to pay $500 extra for a CPU that will only give me 10% better performance when I plan to play on 1440p. But thanks for the info! I think I will get TFX paste too. I wish I could call PC building a hobby too but sadly I can only afford to build like one PC every 5 years. Would definitely love to be in a position where I could build my dream PCs and not worry about bankrupting myself 😅

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@dazeen9591 Building a new PC every 5-7 years is a great plan! I can't even justify my own new PC more often than 5 years really. You are 100% right about not needing to spend $500 more on a PC for minimal real-world performance. It is actually a crazy thing how much we rely on benchmarks to provide us a measure of value when you could put a $1200 system up against a $3500 system and the average person couldn't tell you the difference in real-world perceived value. A lot of the PC industry is hype and the fear of not having the latest and greatest. I still have my 6700K and 980Ti system which plays 75% of the games I play very reasonably, it just doesn't multi-task well anymore (Discord while gaming is pretty much impossible without massive frame drops). I have a lot of clients that build ultra high-end systems, but every 5-7 years. Very few people buy a new system every generation, but the really successful tech KZbinrs tend to because they get most of their expensive parts provided for their reviews or donated for exposure. It sets a really unrealistic standard that people feel they need to try to keep up with. When it comes to one's own PC, upgrade when it starts to feel slow and tired and when new games you are playing no longer run reasonably on the old hardware. Anyone building a brand new high-end PC today won't need anything new for 5-6 years. I get the privilege of building between 30-50 PCs a year for clients and it's challenging to not want to build my own when their systems annihilate my personal one, but if mine does everything I want it to do why would I waste money on another one? My usual upgrade path was always $5000CAD for the PC, a new GPU after 3 years, then a new PC at the 5-7 year mark. I'll likely build myself a new PC In the next generation (after the 4080/4090 family), but only because I want to keep up and make interesting content, not because I actually need it. I want a nice 4K display but a GPU that can fuel it properly. 4K was quite bad on the 3090, and it's quite a bit better on the 4090, but the 5090 or 6090 will definitely be making 4K a walk in the park.

[@justinsugay1149]

I feel like there's a ton of videos comparing pastes with immediate results. What I don't see enough of are long term reviews. It seems that kryonaut wins everywhere but a lot of their products leave pitting on the ihs and copper plates of the coolers. Corsair has some good results depending on the review video but one noted an extreme hardening resulting in removing the cpu out of the socket as well. Noctua seems to be in almost every review and near the top but not quite the winner but embraced the most. I wonder what longer term (~1yr+) symptoms good or bad that come with each. Hard to do obviously but that's what I need to know more of. Thermal Grizzly seems to get you the best results up front but at what potential cost to your hardware longevity? Gamers Nexus did a case study showing no ill effects after 1 year with liquid metal but there are many videos showing getting the wrong amount not applied properly can do some serious damage. My research continues.

[@UnhingedSystems]

You are right about Kryonaut, not a great long-term paste (2-3 years) and definitely pits the heatsinks and really scratches the surfaces easily when cleaning it off. Noctua is fine for about 3-5 years of use then it needs replacing, decent enough. The TFX I've been using for maybe 18 months, but I use it on laptop repairs and pretty much everything else. I don't have any long-term TFX data to pull from, but I use it as a standard. I don't really like Kryonaut, personal preference. I wont do liquid metal, too much can go wrong and I don't want to support that long-term. I've got systems with MX-4 from 11-12 years ago that still cool effectively without a re-paste (mind you they haven't been actually used in 4-5 years for anything other than testing). TFX is my gold standard paste right now that I personally trust and use for everything, and I don't even get sponsored to say that 😆

[@UnhingedSystems]

@_zRoberto_ The TFX has gotten me consistent results. Harder to apply, but performs consistently. It's my standard for all things cooling right now.

[@UnhingedSystems]

@_zRoberto_ I haven't yet, but I will be running some more thermal paste roundups later this year!

[@TheEchelon]

@_zRoberto_ Don't use those for laptops. They have a runny consistency, which aid in spread and performance, but they don't last long due to the pump-out effect. For laptops, use something like SYY 157 or TFX, something that lasts long.

[@sidy1611]

Hi , will you also be able to test thermalright TF8. . I heard it is easy to spread and same performance as TFX

[@UnhingedSystems]

I'll include it in my next roundup! Based on its rated thermal conductivity I would expect it to perform just under the TFX, but probably within 1C of both TFX and Kryonaut. I like TFX because I can get 2g for the same price as 1g of Kryonaut.

[@sidy1611]

@@UnhingedSystems thanks

[@sidy1611]

Great job !! Seeing your water cooled built I ordered dark hero & will be water cooling it next week . Keep up the good work

[@Vinametal3d]

Kryonaut + 5950x = stable boost progressive temperature

[@UnhingedSystems]

Same with the TFX. Been really happy with it. Will do some water cooling comparisons in the future!

[@Ozaryk]

What do you think of the ProlimaTech PK-1, PK-2, PK-3?

[@UnhingedSystems]

They are also great performing pastes, however, I personally would not use an aluminium based thermal compound on any non-aluminum surface.

[@Ozaryk]

​@@UnhingedSystems What problems could arise from using, let's say, PK-3 on the CPU IHS?

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@Ozaryk Pretty sure the IHS is some form of nickel plated copper. Different metals react with one another. This could cause pitting or corrosion eventually on the IHS and/or the CPU cooler base plate. The plating on the IHS should prevent any interaction with the aluminum but if the heatsink has a copper base it will react slowly over time.

[@Ozaryk]

@@UnhingedSystems That's what I thought. I want to get the IceGiant ProSiphon with the Copper base, but that isn't available to the public right now as far as I know, so I just went with one that I've used in the past, which is the D-15. Galvanic Corrosion is nasty.

[@professorh8398]

Dang tfx... not holding punches.

[@UnhingedSystems]

Honestly though! I use it on all my builds now.

[@henningot2]

Kryonaut Extreme, German engineering at its best. Der8auer put his extrem oc experience into this paste also try liquid metal von kryonaut 🧐

[@UnhingedSystems]

It is great, but the cost is so high! I like the idea of having the cooling that liquid metal offers, but I won't use conductive thermal interface material on my products unless there are some very large performance gains to be had.

[@jaromirandel543]

How about Thermal Grizzly aeronaut?

[@UnhingedSystems]

Aeronaut will perform closer to MX-4, it isn't an ultra high-performance thermal paste. Will work fine with mid-performance parts, but I wouldn't use it on high-performance parts.

[@jaromirandel543]

@@UnhingedSystems Thank You for Your answer. So that means for office computer it will be good, but definitely not for RTX2070ti

[@jaromirandel543]

@@UnhingedSystems I've decided to get Noctua NT-H2.

[@K543]

If you can, try out the new Coolermaster Cryofuze

[@UnhingedSystems]

That sounds fun! Thank you for the recommendation! I'll add it into my next roundup!

[@dennissmith1435]

I use the Kryonaut Extreme as my standard go to.

[@UnhingedSystems]

I haven't personally used the extreme. It touts the same thermal rating as the Thermalright TFX (as advertised). In air cooled builds with 6-8 cores I'll probably keep using MX-5 as the main as it is cost effective. Water cooled builds and high-end CPUs you definitely want the best pastes! How do you like the spreading on the extreme?

[@dederen1492]

For a hot gpu (vega) i had some issues with the noctua. Core temp was normal but hotspot was going to 90°c in 30 sec and up to 100°c+ with 15°c max room temp.Switched for kryonaut,hotspot sit in low 90°c with heavy game,despite having few degrees more in the room. The paste might not be thick enough to fill the imperfection.

[@Mmokiii]

I use KPX with my water-cooled 5950x

[@shaunvalencia2644]

Just purchased my first 3g tube.

[@mjrawesome3430]

Those results are not believable to say the least. No one else reports anything even close to this... 9C between MX-4 and Kryonaut? 5.2C between MX-4 and MX-5? Not even the manufacturer, Arctic, makes such claims.

[@UnhingedSystems]

I get exactly that result. I just swapped MX-4 on a customer's system that was only 6 months old. Temps went from thermal throttling at 90C to 79C on the same load. MX-4 only has roughly an 8W/mK thermal rating while TFX has 14.3W/mK. I've repeated these results over and over again with both liquid and air cooled systems. The results speak for themselves. MX-4 is fine for mid-tier CPUs but it isn't very good for high-end high temperature CPUs.

[@Tripokaridos22]

Noctua NH2

[@Dmwntkp99]

TFX should be more durable, T.Grizzly has the hype endorsed by Debauer so they can over charge you.

[@ArturOleszczuk1991]

Tfx - Just repasted second time in just 3 months as temperatures went back to 80° in that short time. This time I preheated paste and GPU, took extreme caution in placing GPU block back, if it will be f up in the same short time, I will call it a scam. Yes, temperatures straight after application are 64 in hot spot, but if I have to repaste every 2-3 months I quit

[@l.i.archer5379]

I've been using the 3-application tube of thermal paste that came with my Cooler Master 240mm AIO. On my Ryzen 7 5800X, my CPU temperature spikes for a fraction of a second at 62*C, with 52*C being where it's mostly at while playing Halo Infinite. On my Ryzen 9 5900X, my CPU temperature usually spikes for a fraction of a second at 82*C, with 62*C being where it's mostly at while playing Halo Infinite. Running Cinebench R23, my 5800X never goes above 69*C, and my 5900X never goes above 79*C. The temperatures on my 5900X weren't always this low. Using Bitspower TP-1 thermal compound, the CPU temperature was always 10*C higher than it is now. Upon further research, I discovered the Cooler Master thermal compound had thermal conductivity much higher than the Bitspower, which was merely 6.5 W/m-K. I found a large syringe of Cooler Master Cryofuze on Amazon with a thermal conductivity of 14 W/m-K. I'm not sure if the thermal paste that came with my AIOs is this Cryofuze stuff, so a little more research is in order.

[@lalitsehgal21]

Whats your choice for laptop?..

[@AutodidactEngineer]

Mx5 since it performa the best for air coolers also it has 8year warranty for kryonaut you'd have to re apply every 2-3 years!

[@UnhingedSystems]

Personally I am inclined to recommend Thermalright TFX for laptop use as well. It out performs MX-5 significantly.

[@alexandernigthzz4156]

@@UnhingedSystems noctua h2? Mx 4 mx5 or thermal grizzly kryonaut ? .

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@alexandernigthzz4156 Kryonaut is better than MX-4, MX-5, and anything Noctua offers as far as performance goes, but Kryonaut isn't the best for longevity. I personally don't like Kryonaut, it's too sticky and likes to pull CPUs out of their sockets more often. It also appears to suffer from hydro pumping a lot more than other pastes. 100% why I prefer TFX over Kryonaut. TFX is harder to spread, but once applied it performs very well for a long time.

[@alexandernigthzz4156]

@@UnhingedSystems how long last the kryonaut? Just to know...thanks.

[@aMartianSpy]

non thermally conductive thermal paste :D

[@UnhingedSystems]

🤦

[@Davethreshold]

Thank you for your effort! You may also try the newer Kryonaut Bonzo edition! 🤡Seriously there is a newer one. The older one dropped my 5930K by 5C at least over the noctua. Ready to build my 12900K any day now.

[@OTBASH]

MX-4 is dogshit. Im CONSTANTLY having to replace this crap after a couple of months because it just stops performing the way it does when I put a fresh batch in.

[@UnhingedSystems]

I'm wondering if they changed the formula. I used MX-4 forever without any issues. Today there are just so many better thermal pastes that the lower end ones just seem like a waste in mid-to-high end builds. If you have a low-end CPU that doesn't produce much heat it isn't really going to matter much what thermal paste is used. I tried Apple's old go-to thermal paste around 12 years ago (used by their authorized repair guys at the time) and it was the worst thing I'd ever tried. I'm sure they use much better stuff now.

[@OTBASH]

@@UnhingedSystems I don't know what happened, all I know is the one I bought just doesn't do a good job. It'll work fine freshly applied, but after a month or two it starts to drop in performance. It's why Im looking into new thermal paste brands now. Im just sick of dealing with it.

[@UnhingedSystems]

@@OTBASH I've had zero complaints with Thermalright TFX except it being more difficult to apply.

[@jimmorrison3687]

And the Syy 157???