That being said, as long as you are buying from a trusted brand, it should be enough for at least a one-time use. So, unless you’re going to use it for more than one unit, it shouldn’t be a pressing issue. However, there is a catch to it. These wipes have very strong and unpleasant smell that doesn’t go away instantly. ARCTIC is not adding or mixing any artificial flavor for the fragrance to alter this smell. Each wipe is 115x115mm. Artic's Silver series is extremely popular among enthusiasts. The Silver series has also been around for quite some time now and the company has managed to keep it relevant in the space by adding newer, better variants to match the current standards. The Arctic Silver 5 is currently one of the most popular thermal paste solutions on the market. It's a high-density polysynthetic silver compound that's known to be very effective in a variety of builds. It contains micronized silver and several other thermally conductive ceramic particles to offer a high level of performance and stability.

We tested each thermal paste with a low-tension air cooler mount, high-tension air cooler mount, and a high-tension AIO liquid cooler mount. Each application was given a 1-hour burn-in using Prime95 with ten load and cooling cycles over the course of the hour; six minutes each with a ten-second cool-down between. Each testing load session was then executed for a one-hour load period, again using Prime95.We'll go into our breakdown of how we test these thermal pastes below, but the key takeaway here is that a single thermal compound can perform differently based upon several variables, such as what type of cooler and mount you use. To cover all the bases, we've tested every thermal paste with three variables: Are you looking for the best thermal paste to use on your CPU or GPU, but aren’t sure which one to go for? If that’s why you’re here, you’re in for a treat because we’ve personally tested over 20 of the most popular pastes used by both enthusiasts and builders to come up with our top 5 best thermal pastes. Well, the ARCTIC MX-6 lowers the temperature by 1°C over the Noctua NT-H1. I would hardly declare it as a winner.

In addition to that, users get three to 2 degrees Celcius lower CPU full load core temperatures. That’s more than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads. That’s the case when measured with a calibrated thermal diode embedded in the CPU core.

How we picked the best thermal paste

The above picture shows a thermal paste. This paste is not easy to spread in my opinion unlike MX-5 or even Noctua NT-H1. You may have heard of thermal pads being used by many as a replacement for thermal paste. That's entirely normal because thermal pads are also highly efficient. Thermal pads are primarily used on M.2 SSD modules. As such the heatsink or the motherboard shroud covering the M.2 SSD module holds thermal pads to dissipate the heat produced by the modules. It works the same way as thermal paste, except these are solid pads as opposed to pasting or liquid solutions. We think the Thermal Grizzly's Carbonaut is one of the best options on the market. This can be used on both processors and GPUs too. The application of thermal pads involves placing the pad on top of the CPU IHS, thereby filling the gap between the IHS and the heatsink. However, most pastes make it to the shelf and don’t last as long after that. The fact is thermal pastes don’t age well, so it’s best to apply it fast before it gets worse. Frequently Asked Questions 1. What Is a Thermal Paste? What’s more, it’s designed to last for eight years. Your CPU will probably need changing before it wears out. It’s not as capable for multiple CPUs, but it will complete two processors and still have leftovers. Along with its better performance, it’s relatively inexpensive and reliable. Thermal Paste: Mini Buying Guide

MX Cleaner is a 100% biodegradable wipe to clean the surface of CPU and other chips for easy and complete removal of the thermal paste and its residue. Each wipe is provided in a separate sealed container to ensure a longer shelf life.

Product Details

PC was powered off for a minimum of 30 minutes after a stress test run. This would allow the completion of the thermal cycle with hot and cold runs giving the thermal paste some time to reach its near-optimal condition. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal conductivity is one of the key reasons why it’s in demand. It’s a good choice for users who want to paste it to multiple devices. A thermal paste is a thermally conductive substance sold in fluid form and applied between a CPU and its cooler. When used, it ensures there’s no gap or space between the processor and its cooler. Unlike its Silver 5 counterpart, it doesn’t need curing for long hours for optimal performance. The Silver 5 requires up to 200 hours, thus it can represent a higher commitment than you might like.

The wipe is made of 100% Limonene extracted from citrus essential oil. This would mean that these wipes don’t have alcohol or benzenes as this substance is used in industrial applications for cleaning as it is effective and gentle on metals and alloys. Whether you opt for the MX4 thermal paste or some other brand and model, there are certain features to watch out for. To that extent, here are a couple to ease your search for the best paste. Small differences in temperatures jostle the chart a bit, but overall the more budget-friendly compounds show much more promising performance value due to relatively close load ranges. We see a trend that most good and great thermal compounds perform very similarly, but might be worlds apart in price per gram. The Arctic MX-4 thermal compound paste has enough quality to keep you going for about eight years. As such, it presents a standard. That’s why any thermal paste shouldn’t be installed regularly.

Ideally, we would have wanted to do 3 tests as a minimum for a single thermal paste and show the average of these three runs. I am recovering from a total hip replacement surgery and slowly resuming the testing hence only one test result is used A graphics card with a much higher heat load or the HEDT/EPYC CPUs with large surface areas are better candidates for thermal paste testing. As a result, heat is dissipated through their connection. An MX-4 thermal paste and the Silver 5 reviewed here are good examples of quality pastes. Conclusion When it’s older than the recommended period of use, the paste will begin to degrade. As a result, it’s always best to buy such products from proven businesses that guarantee value. These two thermal options are from a verified source, and our review helps you choose between the two. 1. Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Cooling Compound Paste 3.5g Heatsink Pros