Noctua Thermal Paste

[ktriebol]

When you buy a Noctua CPU cooler you get a tube of Noctua's own thermal paste. They want you to use it and claim it is the best paste to use. Presumably they feel it is better than Arctic Silver 5. I had always believed that Arctic Silver 5 was the best thermal paste to use, but I am now undecided. What are your opinions on this? Direct personal experience with both types of paste would be especially valuable.

[Flanker]

I found this nice review here with a lot of common pastes:
http://forum.hwbot.org/showthread.php?t=71658

Apparently Noctua pastes are not bad, but I believe in most cases, performance difference between TIM is negligible.

[xan_user]

unless you're already throttling at your loudest acceptable fan setting, and a few degrees drop will keep you from throttling, whats the point?

http://forums.overclockersclub.com/inde ... &p=1680970

AC5 cools the CPU just a couple degrees better than mayo....

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/ ... 012/1490/5

[edh]

This is a famous test:
http://www.dansdata.com/goop.htm

Toothpaste actually won that test but Vegemite is also worth considering from the results... It's well worth reading thye whole article as it debunks a lot of myths about more general things. Dan's data is a fantastic resource for things around the early 2000s just in case you want to read a review of an original Lian Li PC60 and his humour is good too.

[ktriebol]

Interesting links. It looks like both the Noctua and Arctic Silver pastes do a reasonably good job and there isn't one out there that makes an exponential difference.

[thejamppa]

If toothpaste works for TIM, then most toothpastes will do their job more than adequately and there's no reason to buy premium TIM's. I know this as I have gone thru more than over 30 different types and brands during my silencing career. They all work well enough.