Thermal Paste Shootout  (May 2008) Manufacturer OCZ Technology Antec Xigmatek Category Cooling Product Thermal Paste Composition Silver and various compounds Editor Winston Chim Share    digg this! " ...When it comes to lowering CPU core temperatures, a good quality thermal paste does and will ... make all the difference."

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Can the quality of thermal paste really make a differnce? ... We put 3 thermal pastes from Antec, OCZ and Xigmatek to the test.

INTRODUCTION 

Since my early days of PC building nearly 20 years ago ... I've always been told by my mentors to use thermal paste. It supposed to help transfer the heat away from the processor to the heatsink more effeciently. Nowadays, applying thermal paste is an essential part of PC building, and it's pretty much standard now. Early CPU coolers used to come with thermal adhesive or thermal pads already applied at the base of the heatsink. This is a great idea for system builders, as it's one less thing to worry about. But nowadays, most new CPU coolers will inlcude a sachet of generic white silicone paste. It will do the job and should more than enough to give good contact between the processor and the heatsink.

A small blob of thermal paste does wonders in transfering heat away from the processor to heatsink. But how good are the generic silicone paste really? Does different brands make that much difference? Manufacturers like Antec, OCZ and Xigmatek, who specialise in thermal products have been introducing all kinds of new and improved thermal pastes onto the market. Some have micronized silver particles for better heat transfer, while others have a new proprietary, silicon based formula for lower thermal resisitance.

Using branded thermal paste has its advantages. For mainstream users it's always good to have a cool running processor. But for the overclocker and enthusiast, excess heat is a real killer. So, by using good quality thermal paste ... they'll be able achieve lower CPU core temperatures and thus achieve higher overclocking results.

In this thermal paste shootout, we take a look at 3 thermal paste products from Antec, OCZ and Xigmatek. All have its own unique properties, and all claim to reduce CPU core temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Celsius. It all sounds very exciting. However, can we really reduce the CPU core temperatures ... buy just applying a different thermal paste instead of your standard generic silicone paste?

As an experienced system builder and reviewer, I always use good quality thermal paste. It's a habbit which I pass on, to all my colleagues and junior reviewers. Also, it's always good to know that any overclocking attempt is not hindered by little things such as using generic silicone paste.

For our tests, we'll be using our very toasty Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (B3 stepping) @ default 2.4Ghz, Gigabyte GA-X38 DQ6 motherboard, OCZ DD2-1066 2Gb Kit, PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 860W PSU and a 19" Dell Ultrascan P990 monitor. We also upped the CPU Vcore voltage to 1.4V to see how well the 3 thermal paste can handle the higher temperatures. 

OK, let's take a closer look at the at the 3 thermal paste products we'll testing ... starting with Antec Formula 5.