Introducing Arctic Silver 5 With its unique high-density filling of micronized silver and enhanced thermally conductive ceramic particles, Arctic Silver 5 provides a new level of... more
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results. The Artic Silver 5 can reduce significantly the temperature of your CPU by up to 3 to 12 degree centigrade. It is made up of 2 types of silver particles t...
A review by prosser13 on QuietPC Arctic Silver 5 High Density Silver Thermal Compound (3.5g) January 21st, 2007
Author's product rating:
Reliability
Excellent
Ease of Use
Simple
Quality
Excellent
Durability
Excellent
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
Great thermal conductor
Disadvantages:
Expensive, hard to spread
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
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 is applied properly though, it is well worth buying some AS5. I moved from a generic compound (the kinda white stuff you buy at Maplins) to AS5, and found that using exactly the same cooling setup my temperatures dropped by 3C at idle and 6C at load! I have read about something called Shin Etsu, which supposedly can drop load temperatures by 8C, but at double the price I didn't think that 2C was worth it.
Notes
Please note that whatever is said, it is NOT true that AS5 is extremely electrically conductive. If you get some on the pins of your CPU, just use some TIM Remover or some pure alchol and a paint brush and the CPU should be fine!
Also, temperatures generally decrease the longer the TIM has been applied for, so if there is not much change try running a program or programs such as Prime95, which will keep your CPU at 100% - this helps the TIM compound to 'settle'
Pros
Gives great temperatures Cheaper than Shin Etsu
Cons
Hard to spread Expensive (£5 compared to £1.50 for generic TIM)
Overall
If your looking for a drop in temperatures without spending too much money Arctic Silver 5 is perfect!
QuietPC Arctic Silver 5 High Density Silver Thermal Compound (3.5g)
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 21/01/2007
Manufacturer's product description
Introducing Arctic Silver 5 With its unique high-density filling of micronized silver and enhanced thermally conductive ceramic particles, Arctic Silver 5 provides a new level of performance and stability. Now available at Arctic Silver dealers worldwide, Arctic Silver 5 is definitely The New Reference. Arctic Silver 5 is optimized for use between modern high-power CPUs and high performance heatsinks or water-cooling solutions.
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