Arctic Silver 5... not all it's chucked up to be?

[fableman]

There have been much better products than AS5 for quite a while. AS5 earned its reputation in the past and it keeps following it - this is the only reason people still use it (was a fan of it myself).

[yurano]

It's not the problem though. Can you not come in here claiming crap, even with benches, when I'm saying that we're comparing pastes?

I never, not once, said that the cooler was the gift from the heavens to PC overclockers. I simply said that compared to the voltages and frequencies it has cooled before with the Zalman paste, the AS5 paste is noticeably more shitty.

The Zalman cooler is a weaker cooler which may be contributing to your problems.

AS5 is considered top tier (A rank). The difference between A rank and A+ rank like the Prolimatech PK-1 is less than 3 degrees, even without AS5 cure time.

AS5 is thicker paste so you're heavily penalized for using too much and it needs to be mounted with high pressure. Can you not come here claiming the AS5 is crap when your mounting skills is most likely to blame?

[Deleted]

Sorry but I must disagree with yurano, I've been using the same cooler as deltrus with the paste zalman provided almost 3 years ago cooling my 2500k@4.8ghz and it never goes up to 75º at 1.42volts. Thats with 4hours prime test. I also use the p8p67evo from asus with their fanxpert utility that works really good tbh with the cooler, which is quiet at low rpm (700) and loud at 100% (1800).

[Ghâzh]

Sorry but I must disagree with yurano, I've been using the same cooler as deltrus with the paste zalman provided almost 3 years ago cooling my 2500k@4.8ghz and it never goes up to 75º at 1.42volts. Thats with 4hours prime test. I also use the p8p67evo from asus with their fanxpert utility that works really good tbh with the cooler, which is quiet at low rpm (700) and loud at 100% (1800).

That doesn't change the fact that it's still a weaker cooler compared to some of the higher end options.

As far as AS5 goes it's not the best paste anymore but it still shouldn't give you results like that alone, Deltrus. If I recall correctly to achieve the optimal performance AS5 needs to cure something like 100+ hours and that would account to about 3-5 degrees reduction. Based on the information you have given it'd look like a bad mounting or bad application of paste to me. For the record I used the regular pea method with my 3770k/silver arrow/AS5 mount and it's been doing fine (although I have nothing to compare this to so take my word with a grain of salt).

[hitmanblood]

I wouldn't say AS5 is bad what so ever, its not the best, that is what i will agree with. I have used AS5 for years and i am currently on a pc with a FX 8350, watching netflix and just internet browsing, using AS5 with a Hyper 212 Plus, and im getting a 14c semi idle. AS5 is just fine as i have used it on many cpus including a couple laptops. It could be that it didn't spread properly when you applied the heatsink, or the stick you got went bad.

I would take off the heatsink and give it one more go and try spreading it, the meathod i used was the cross method though, that never failed me, but dont use to much thermal paste, AS5 needs very little to spread.

[n0cturnal]

I wouldn't say AS5 is bad what so ever, its not the best, that is what i will agree with. I have used AS5 for years and i am currently on a pc with a FX 8350, watching netflix and just internet browsing, using AS5 with a Hyper 212 Plus, and im getting a 14c semi idle.

Are you keeping your computer outside in the winter or in a fridge? Idle temp can never be below ambient temp and I bet you don't have 10c in the room you keep your computer. Unless you use extreme cooling such as phase change or LN2.

[yurano]

Are you keeping your computer outside in the winter or in a fridge? Idle temp can never be below ambient temp and I bet you don't have 10c in the room you keep your computer. Unless you use extreme cooling such as phase change or LN2.

AMD temperatures aren't reported as real temperatures like Intel temperatures.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

AMD temperatures aren't reported as real temperatures like Intel temperatures.

Or the guy meant to type 24 and hit the wrong key. Because 24°C is a fairly normal idle temperature for AMD processors.

[DeltrusDisc]

The Zalman cooler is a weaker cooler which may be contributing to your problems.

AS5 is considered top tier (A rank). The difference between A rank and A+ rank like the Prolimatech PK-1 is less than 3 degrees, even without AS5 cure time.

AS5 is thicker paste so you're heavily penalized for using too much and it needs to be mounted with high pressure. Can you not come here claiming the AS5 is crap when your mounting skills is most likely to blame?

It was obviously the paste.

I put on the same amount of AS5 as I've always put on of the ZM-STG2. A small rice-grain size dot.

And guess what? When I put on the Zalman paste, my temperatures absolutely plummeted.



Wow, can you believe it? :O

Honestly though, yurano, I've seen your arguments. I don't want to have any of them. I'm going to chalk it up to a bad tube, because obviously letting a CPU go all the way up to 98 Celsius is probably extreme, even for a burning-in thermal paste.

It also sounds like the tube is a little more liquidy than people are leading me on to believe it should be, so hey, it's very possible.

[n0cturnal]

It was obviously the paste.

I put on the same amount of AS5 as I've always put on of the ZM-STG2. A small rice-grain size dot.

And guess what? When I put on the Zalman paste, my temperatures absolutely plummeted.

[IMG.]http://i.imgur.com/WroN4ldl.jpg[/IMG]

Wow, can you believe it? :O

Honestly though, yurano, I've seen your arguments. I don't want to have any of them. I'm going to chalk it up to a bad tube, because obviously letting a CPU go all the way up to 98 Celsius is probably extreme, even for a burning-in thermal paste.

It also sounds like the tube is a little more liquidy than people are leading me on to believe it should be, so hey, it's very possible.

I just find it a little hard to believe that AS5 would be worse than using toothpaste or mayo. There has to be something more to this story.

[Shinzai]

I just find it a little hard to believe that AS5 would be worse than using toothpaste or mayo. There has to be something more to this story.

...I kinda want a minty fresh smelling CPU now.

[DeltrusDisc]

I just find it a little hard to believe that AS5 would be worse than using toothpaste or mayo. There has to be something more to this story.

I didn't pray to the Silver Gods enough.

[Shakari]

AS5 has a cure time

of around 200 hrs if I remember correctly to achieve optimum performance, I have certainly had no issues with using it.

---------- Post added 2013-06-03 at 06:52 PM ----------

Arctic silver used to be the go to thermal compound for pc enthusiasts back in the day but honestly times change and things progress. There are simply better and easier options out there these days that do not require a cure time. Not to mention one of arctic silver's flaws is that it degrades over time and you have to re apply it every year or so to maintain the maximum effect.

Personally I use mx-4 because I got a great deal on it and it still works very good. But as others suggested Prolimatech PK1 works great as well.

Every compound CAN degrade over time AR5 no more or less than other compounds, what your not saying with that comment is WHY it can degrade. Enviromental conditions, how its mounted, operating temeratures, humidity etc.

Been using one CPU with it for over 5 years and it still runs at the same temp as it did after 3 months use now. Its a server not run at high over clocking but does run in a restricted air space.

Can't find anyway that says you have to renew it every year or so infact can't see any manufactures recommendation to need to renew it at all.

So I guess realistically you either like it or don't, but either way it certainly works as advertised

---------- Post added 2013-06-03 at 07:02 PM ----------

There have been much better products than AS5 for quite a while. AS5 earned its reputation in the past and it keeps following it - this is the only reason people still use it (was a fan of it myself).

Oddly doing a quick google from http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/artic...ry-2012/1490/5 still puts AR5 in the top 3 compounds,
and that graph had not changed much for over 12 months. What it may loose out on is perhaps ease of application and the cure time, but if done correctly its still a top notch compound for high performance cooling apps.

[Deleted]

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.ph...=150&Itemid=62 is a good guide, though somewhat old, that goes into how to best apply thermal paste to various types of coolers, while also testing performance of 80 different thermal compounds.

[DeltrusDisc]

2 degrees difference between AS5 and ZM-STG2 tells me to go for the Zalman paste, or maybe the Prolimatech stuff, but not AS5 if it has a cure time and you have to love it up. O_o

And Draken's guide shows it with only a .5 Celsius difference.

Yeah... I'll pass on AS5.

[Faithh]

Not going to read this complety but I can attest it's the paste. I've applied TIM so many times but every freaking time I'm failing with AS5. Also reviews of TIM doesn't say anything really, not everyone is experienced enough to handle the trickyness about AS5.

When I had to rma my H100 I haven't had any TIM left except AS5 to use with the stock cooler and of course the pc shuts down after x seconds >.< I'm not saying as5 is crap but it requires practice. Something like a noctua nt-h1 is just awesome and especially "noobfriendly"..

---------- Post added 2013-06-03 at 06:44 PM ----------

2 degrees difference between AS5 and ZM-STG2 tells me to go for the Zalman paste, or maybe the Prolimatech stuff, but not AS5 if it has a cure time and you have to love it up. O_o

And Draken's guide shows it with only a .5 Celsius difference.

Yeah... I'll pass on AS5.

Best TIM is indigo xtreme but theyre only sold as pads but also requires a burn in time but that's easy to do, just take the heatsink off. 5° difference vs as5, worth it?

http://www.indigo-xtreme.com/images/...verallTemp.png

[yurano]

I put on the same amount of AS5 as I've always put on of the ZM-STG2. A small rice-grain size dot.

Ever think that may be too little?

Maybe your cooler mounting system can't apply enough pressure to spread out the thicker AS5.

With the Hyper 212 Evo, you can twist the heatsink a few degrees after it has been mounted, which probably helps to spread out the paste.

Honestly though, yurano, I've seen your arguments. I don't want to have any of them. I'm going to chalk it up to a bad tube, because obviously letting a CPU go all the way up to 98 Celsius is probably extreme, even for a burning-in thermal paste.

So you're going to blame the product without actually troubleshooting your problem first? Especially when you're criticizing a product that has been used successfully by most people?

And you say my arguments are bad.

Something like a noctua nt-h1 is just awesome and especially "noobfriendly"

I think a lot of it has to do with viscosity.

[DeltrusDisc]

Ever think that may be too little?

Maybe your cooler mounting system can't apply enough pressure to spread out the thicker AS5.

With the Hyper 212 Evo, you can twist the heatsink a few degrees after it has been mounted, which probably helps to spread out the paste.



So you're going to blame the product without actually troubleshooting your problem first? Especially when you're criticizing a product that has been used successfully by most people?

And you say my arguments are bad.

I actually found AS5 isn't nearly as thick as Zalman ZM-STG2, it was far more liquidy.

I also read the directions that came with the AS5... it said, and I quote, word for word:

"Apply a small amount of thermal compound about the size of a grain of rice in the middle of the CPU metal cap."

I'm sorry, are you saying Arctic doesn't know how their product should be used?

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Meh, just get the Noctua stuff and be done with it

[BruceG87]

I got impatient when trying to read through this thread. Aside from the cure time AS5 requires, did anyone bother to mention that the product actually instructs users to tint before application? (Bottom of page 4)

From my own experience with dozens of thermal compounds, AS5 was actually not bad given cure time although it is not amazing either. By far the worst thermal compound I've ever tried was Phoyba HeGrease Extreme. Not just in application but performance as well. Right now as it stands, I'm extremely pleased with Prolimatech PK-1.