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7 best thermal grease
Cooler won't help without good thermal interface
Author: Vladimir Nyenets
The effectiveness of any cooling system is largely determined by the fact that the excess heat energy is transferred so well and completely from the heated object to the radiator. Since the process of heat transfer between the contacting surfaces is conductive in nature, its speed depends on the contact area.
In fact, the thermal interface is designed to maximize this figure by filling in all sorts of scratches, irregularities and other microdefects of the radiator base and processor cover. In this case, the formed layer should be as low as possible in thickness, possess sufficient thermal conductivity and not change its properties under the influence of temperature or with time.
In this article we will talk about the best thermal grease for a processor, video card or laptop, which can be easily found on store shelves.
| Category | A place | Name | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The best inexpensive thermal paste | 1 | Arctic Cooling MX-4 | 9.7 / 10 | 590 |
| 2 | Thermalright Chill Factor III | 9.5 / 10 | 400 | |
| 3 | DEEPCOOL Z9 | 9.3 / 10 | 460 | |
| 4 | ZALMAN ZM-STG2 | 9.2 / 10 | 410 | |
| The best thermal paste of the average price category | 1 | GELID GC-Extreme | 9.6 / 10 | 770 |
| 2 | Glacialtech IceTherm II | 9.4 / 10 | 535 | |
| Best premium thermal grease | 1 | Coollaboratory Liquid PRO | 9.8 / 10 | 1 000 |
The best inexpensive thermal paste
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This thermal grease comes in two types of packaging. The easiest way to find a miniature syringe on the store shelves is 4 grams of the mixture. Packing with a large 20-gram syringe is less common. The second option will appeal to employees of service centers and shops that regularly assemble computers. This thermal interface has an almost perfect consistency. The mixture is not too liquid, but not very viscous. Thermal grease loses its properties if the chipset warms up to + 160 ° C. But thermal conductivity has an impressive parameter - 8.5 W / mK.
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 9.7 / 10
Rating
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Thermalright Chill Factor III
400 (for 4 grams)
Excellent budget universal thermal grease. The manufacturer does not disclose its composition, but judging by the record low thermal resistance with relatively modest thermal conductivity, Thermalright really managed to find a successful recipe for an inexpensive thermal interface. An additional advantage of the third "cold factor" is its low viscosity, so that the paste does not necessarily spread over the entire contact surface - just one drop in the middle of the lid. CF3 does not contain silicone oil and therefore dries slower than many competitors. However, the manufacturer recommends updating the paste every year, the benefit is that even alcohol is not needed to remove the old layer.
Main advantages:
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 9.5 / 10
Rating
Reviews
One of the best thermal grease on the market in terms of price — quality. Thanks to its consistency, it is beautifully applied in a thin layer and is suitable for laptops. |
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460
Under the DEEPCOOL brand computer fans and coolers are produced. And their use is often impossible without applying thermal paste. Sometimes it can be found bundled with the purchase. But most often, the thermal interface must be purchased separately. A distinctive feature of DEEPCOOL Z9 is the ability to perform its functions even if the chipset has warmed up to ultra-extreme temperatures. Declared to support warming up to a temperature of + 200 ° C! It is a pity that the thermal conductivity is not at a height - this parameter reaches only 4 W / mK.This suggests that when overclocking a processor or video card, more fans will be required.
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 9.3 / 10
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410
Many people know the brand ZALMAN for excellent coolers designed to cool the processor. It produces this company and thermal paste, without which it is impossible to do when assembling or thoroughly cleaning the computer. ZALMAN ZM-STG2 is slightly more expensive than other thermal greases of this class. But it copes with its function well. Reviews show that after replacing the thermal paste on ZALMAN ZM-STG2, the temperature drops by one and a half to two dozen degrees! This allows you to use this thermal interface, even for a small overclocking! But you should not get carried away - in fact, this model has average characteristics. In particular, the consistency of the thermal paste changes already at a temperature of + 150 ° C. Of course, for most users, the processor or video card never warms up so much. But overclockers may have such a situation, they are recommended to purchase an even more stable thermal paste. Delivery ZALMAN ZM-STG2 is carried out in a syringe, the volume of which is 3.5 grams.
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 9.2 / 10
Rating
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The best thermal paste of the average price category
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GELID GC-Extreme
770 (for 3.5 grams)
The third generation of thermal interfaces from Gelid Solutions demonstrates significantly increased efficiency and is characterized by a record thermal conductivity for non-metallic compounds. The manufacturer offers its product in syringes for 1 and 3.5 grams, as well as in more capacious jars, and a special paddle is included in the package of any packing. Its presence is fully justified, since the viscosity of the thermal paste is quite high. Before applying GC-Extreme is recommended to heat to a temperature of 40-45 ° C, for example, in a cup with warm water.
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 9.6 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The potential of the paste is best revealed on very hot processors and video cards. In this case, it even overtakes the MX-4 and, although it costs a bit more, it fully justifies its price. |
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The first advantage of thermal paste is packaging. The thermopaste syringe is in a box, which is much easier to open than a plastic blister. Everything is in order with Glacialtech IceTherm II and with technical characteristics. Thermal conductivity reaches 8.1 W / mK. This makes the CPU cooling as fast as possible, even if only one fan is connected to the cooler. Thermal paste is among the best, but it is definitely not the best because it has several light "sores". The manufacturer guarantees the preservation of properties only at a processor temperature of up to + 100 ° C. You understand that the possibility of extreme overclocking or use paired with a video card immediately disappears. One and a half grams in the syringe is enough for just one application. But this is justified - after a couple of days after opening, the consistency of the thermal paste changes, becoming very thick. Therefore, the manufacturer recommends using the entire thermal grease at a time.
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 9.4 / 10
Rating
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Best premium thermal grease
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Coollaboratory Liquid PRO
1 000 (per 1 gram)
Traditional thermal greases based on oxides of zinc, aluminum and other substances with high thermal conductivity have already reached their efficiency ceiling, so the German company has focused its efforts on finding new solutions.One of them was proposed in the form of a complex low-temperature alloy of nearly a dozen metals, which under normal conditions was in a liquid state. The thermal interface looks and mobility like droplets of mercury and has an order of magnitude higher thermal conductivity than the best pastes of the classical type. The real benefit from the use of this innovative material can only be gained by fans of overclocking processors or video accelerators, for which the difference of one or two degrees is crucial. Unfortunately, this liquid metal conducts electricity well and is aggressive towards unprotected aluminum. In addition, the contact surface must be thoroughly degreased before applying the composition.
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 9.8 / 10
Rating
Reviews
Thermal grease is the best - but not for everyone. It makes sense to use it only during extreme overclocking, and especially when scalping processors. In the latter case, the delta temperature is about 20 degrees. |
What is the best thermal grease?
Ordinary users who are not keen on extreme overclocking of their systems are quite sufficient even for low-cost thermal grease to significantly reduce the heating of processors or video cards. In any case, they will be more effective than those that are offered regularly. Unless it is necessary to update the thermal interface more often, as inexpensive pastes lose their abilities faster.
We advise enthusiasts of computer overclocking to look at materials like "liquid metal". If they are not stopped by the use of such a thermal interface, they will get a good bonus that helps in achieving record-breaking performance.
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Updated: 25.02.2018
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