Prolimatech PK-3 - thermal paste

Product Information

In the tube, it’s 92% diamond powder, and after it’s applied and properly dried, constitutes 94% of the total paste, making it a rich choice for cooling. Not every system will need the most expensive compound, so even the most budget-minded system builders can rest easy knowing that even lower-cost pastes can still prove very effective. These gaps act as thermal insulators, inhibiting the transfer of thermal energy from your components. So whether you’re looking to build a new PC, or you want to help breathe some new life into an older computer, using a great thermal paste is a must.

Liquid metal can cause reactions with some metals, such as aluminum, and some reports of reactions with copper are also documented by end-users. As shown in the slides above, the outcome of the different testing scenarios resulted in some interesting comparisons among the compounds. This won't change how much you pay for the products and it doesn't influence our decision in which products we recommend. With an extremely high thermal conductivity rating of 73 W/mk, it’s over 5 times more thermally conductive than the BSFF Thermal Paste, the highest rated, non-liquid metal alternative on our list. I have a comment, NT-H1 was slightly shorter lived paste than others, at least in my testing in laptops mx4's laptop started to show thermal issues (system throttles, palm rest is getting hot) similar to default paste after ~1.

This site is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and comparison features to its visitors. It’s also a non-curing thermal paste, meaning that it won’t dry out over time like other thermal pastes do. There are so many other things you can do (on purpose or on accident) which will make so much more difference. Perhaps the next most thermally efficient type of thermal paste is a carbon-based paste, and with the BSFF Thermal Paste, it’s easy to see how that’s the case.

We'll go into our breakdown of how we test these thermal pastes below, but the key takeaway here is that a single thermal compound can perform differently based upon several variables, such as what type of cooler and mount you use. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising.As a result, heatsink installation will require additional focus to apply even tension to ensure proper spread. Overall, if you’re looking for a standard thermal compound, then you’ll definitely want to grab a tube of Thermal Grizzly’s Kryonaut. It dries out a bit quicker than other thermal pastes, requires 10 minutes of drying time before you re-attach the heatsink to the CPU, and will take about 2 hours or so of priming to reach peak cooling efficiency.

This, in turn, can cause your CPU to run hotter, which can lead to thermal throttling, thereby decreasing your CPU’s performance. Gelid GC-Extreme is a moderately viscous compound, making it very stable during application and it spreads consistently, although it requires slow consistent pressure on the syringe plunger for correct placement. Most pastes are made of ceramic or metallic materials suspended within a proprietary binder, allowing for easy application and spread and simple cleanup. With high-performance thermal pads, the inverse can actually be true, and pads like the Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut are a great example of this.We do have new testing equipment for our updated tests, such as a more modern CPU, motherboard, and coolers for our tests, but we adhered to the same test methodology employed in these prior tests. However, whether you’re looking to add a little bling to your tricked out gaming PC, or you just want to stick to a trusted brand, the IC Diamond 24 Carat thermal compound offers great thermals and is an excellent choice. Cooling mainstay Corsair also has a new XTM70 blend that will be heading to our test bench soon, and Gelid has recently released its GC-4 Thermal Paste, showing that the TIM market is still thriving. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience.