Arctic Silver Premium Silver Thermal Adhesive

Advantages: Works well, low cost
Disadvantages: Plastic push pins may prove to be single application only

..., as their bearings deteriorate. How does the Zalman product help? Well firstly it is a substantial heatsink, far bigger than the average HSF assembly provided by motherboard manufacturers. With bigger size comes more surface area and significantly greater cooling ability (although see my comments on case airflow below). Secondly, the removal of the old HSF offers the opportunity to properly apply a premium thermal interface material*, such as one of the Arctic Silver products, and therefore increase the efficiency with which heat is transferred from the northbridge chip to the heatsink. (Of course, this can also be achieved by removing your stock HSF, cleaning the old thermal grease* off and correctly reapplying a new layer of an appropriate product and reinstalling the stock HSF). Finally, although marketed as a passive product, it is possible... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great thermal conductor
Disadvantages: Expensive, hard to spread

...Arctic Silver 5 (AS5) is one of the most recommended TIM (thermal interface materials) by enthusiasts. Its made using actual silver, which is pretty cool, and it does look pretty cool when it comes out of the tube. Applying the TIM The ideal way to put TIM on the CPU is to put on a small amount, say the size of a small grain of rice, and rub it in. The excess is cleaned off and then an even smaller amount put on and left - when the Heatsink is put on, it is meant to be 'wiggled', meaning the TIM gets spread evenly. However, AS5 is very thick which means it is hard to spread, and most of the TIM ends up in a very thick layer in the middle while there is little on the edges, which is not good, as the IHS on the CPU (the metal thing) means that the heat is meant to be transferred evenly, not just in the centre! Results When the TIM... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Non-conducting, easily applicable, very good cooling
Disadvantages: tube is rather small, for approx 10 applications

...When buying a CPU or Graphics card, most manufacturers have already installed or included a heatsink + thermal conducting paste or pad with the product. This thermal conducting paste is usually made of silicone, either grey or white and has the effect of filling the gaps between the heatsink and the chip, to improve heat transfer from one surface to the other. So you are wondering why companies like Akasa produce heatsink paste when something is already included. The answer is that the Akasa product (TC 5022 Pro) performs significantly better than the standard one and holds its ground against other pastes (like Arctic Silver). The paste comes in a small tube and is pretty expensive. The compound is made of silicone, but has the benefit that it is easily applied on surfaces, as well as performing very good, even when not applying too... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful