Hello,
Just curious if anyone on here has tried using copper grease instead of the expensive pastes most people seem to use?
It's available from any motor factors for very little money, and won't go runny or anything like that. Conducts heat better than generic silicon grease(which is cheapest at a plumbers merchants), but you need to ensure it is kept away from any electrical contacts on the CPU - it'll conduct.
On my Athlon XP, I covered all electrical contacts with a thin smear of the generic silicon grease.
Can't compare how it performs to the expensive branded stuff, but it's much more effective than silicon grease or thermal pads - I think the first time I tried it(several years ago), I dropped some 6-8C under full load...
--Rich
Heatsink compund / grease / whatever you want to call it!
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jaldridge6
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It goes tacky. But it stays useful for years - over here it's £1.50 or so for more than you'll ever use on a computer. The arctic stuff is considerably more.
My Athlon has been up 24/7 since 2002 with no ill-effects. Before that I've used it successfully on my 2 Celerons.
This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Generally used on the back of brake pads, threads on exhaust manifolds, etc.
ETA - Saying it goes tacky is wrong, really. It goes tacky and manky on the back of brake pads - after being abused by the elements and miles of brake dust...
--Rich
My Athlon has been up 24/7 since 2002 with no ill-effects. Before that I've used it successfully on my 2 Celerons.
This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Generally used on the back of brake pads, threads on exhaust manifolds, etc.
ETA - Saying it goes tacky is wrong, really. It goes tacky and manky on the back of brake pads - after being abused by the elements and miles of brake dust...
--Rich
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thejamppa
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AS5, As Cerámique and Zalman STG1 are all usually 3 to 7€'s around here. All are excellent thermal greases. I have all of them at stock for some reason. I mainly use AS5 but I use alot STG1. Now in this system I have in my siggy is made with STG1. Some say MX-1 is superior to AS5 or STG-1 but its not available in here.
I've heard copper greases only bran that I know manufacters such is coolermaster. But I think Silver greases like AS5 are better since more "valuable" the metal is, better its properties are. And silver is much more purer than copper. I am not sure does this apply in thermal things since its 7 years from my last physics / chemistry lesson.
But Basicly they say: Even toothpaste works between HSF and processor.
I've heard copper greases only bran that I know manufacters such is coolermaster. But I think Silver greases like AS5 are better since more "valuable" the metal is, better its properties are. And silver is much more purer than copper. I am not sure does this apply in thermal things since its 7 years from my last physics / chemistry lesson.
But Basicly they say: Even toothpaste works between HSF and processor.
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Das_Saunamies
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Cheapest I could find on the Google first 10 search results was £4... so if three pounds and postage really matters to you more than electrical safety, go for it. 
Have you ever taken those coolers off and tried cleaning it up? AS and the like wipe clean off and even if you spill a little, no immediate harm done. The copper grease I have in the garage sticks to surfaces real tight, and since it's highly conductive, any reserve power would jump straight through.
These thermal pastes are not expensive. A 5€ tube has lasted me four PCs and is still going strong. That puts the cost at 1.25€ per PC. Saving on that while endangering some of the more critical and expensive components is pointless. I very much doubt there would be a dramatic increase in thermal conductivity either. What we have now is pretty much as good as it gets when used right, dissipation has its limitations too.
Have you ever taken those coolers off and tried cleaning it up? AS and the like wipe clean off and even if you spill a little, no immediate harm done. The copper grease I have in the garage sticks to surfaces real tight, and since it's highly conductive, any reserve power would jump straight through.
These thermal pastes are not expensive. A 5€ tube has lasted me four PCs and is still going strong. That puts the cost at 1.25€ per PC. Saving on that while endangering some of the more critical and expensive components is pointless. I very much doubt there would be a dramatic increase in thermal conductivity either. What we have now is pretty much as good as it gets when used right, dissipation has its limitations too.
Copper grease wipes straight off. It's a doddle to work with, it really is.
I've been out of the loop for several years now, but the last I heard, Arctic Silver was virtually all aluminium? Don't get fooled with claims like "99.9% pure sulver" - all it means is the silver content is 99.9% pure, not that the paste is 99.9% silver...
A 100g tube costs £2.50 online, but a smaller tube is readily available from a local motor factors. A few years ago I picked up a small sachet from my local motor factors for 50p.
Don't get me wrong here - I'm not stating that it is, or indeed isn't, any better than Arctic Silver. But what I am saying is that it works very well when compared to regular thermal grease, is often cheaper, and will likely prove to be rather more useful around the home than a small tube of Arctic Silver. Plus, it's available in any small town for reasonable money, whereas buying arctic silver from a smaller, local computer shop is likely to cost somewhat more than online.
Cheers,
--Rich
I've been out of the loop for several years now, but the last I heard, Arctic Silver was virtually all aluminium? Don't get fooled with claims like "99.9% pure sulver" - all it means is the silver content is 99.9% pure, not that the paste is 99.9% silver...
A 100g tube costs £2.50 online, but a smaller tube is readily available from a local motor factors. A few years ago I picked up a small sachet from my local motor factors for 50p.
Don't get me wrong here - I'm not stating that it is, or indeed isn't, any better than Arctic Silver. But what I am saying is that it works very well when compared to regular thermal grease, is often cheaper, and will likely prove to be rather more useful around the home than a small tube of Arctic Silver. Plus, it's available in any small town for reasonable money, whereas buying arctic silver from a smaller, local computer shop is likely to cost somewhat more than online.
Cheers,
--Rich
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Bluefront
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FWIW.....I've used automotive-type copper brake caliper grease as a TIM...a bunch of times. On a CPU heatsink, it really doesn't turn hard or dry out (for as long as I've tried it anyway). This stuff is made to hold up to extremely high temps.....much higher than a CPU ever gets.
As to how it performs as a TIM, compared to AS5 for instance......seems to be the same to me. I've got a small can of the stuff that should last a life-time. Keep the top of the can tight and it never dries out.
As to how it performs as a TIM, compared to AS5 for instance......seems to be the same to me. I've got a small can of the stuff that should last a life-time. Keep the top of the can tight and it never dries out.
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Das_Saunamies
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Max Slowik
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Found it! Took too damn long, though. I'm consistently impressed with his Anglic prose. . .
Found it! Took too damn long, though. I'm consistently impressed with his Anglic prose. . .
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Das_Saunamies
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Funny. I'm so fresh I haven't seen that one before either.
But yes, good points: even if you use platinum in the paste, it may not make it conduct much better, but it'll be purpose-built stuff that won't corrode, short-circuit or any of that other nasty stuff. And that's what helps me sleep at night, as long as the stuff works.
But yes, good points: even if you use platinum in the paste, it may not make it conduct much better, but it'll be purpose-built stuff that won't corrode, short-circuit or any of that other nasty stuff. And that's what helps me sleep at night, as long as the stuff works.