Artic Silver 3 versus 5

In article <20061016135100.860$x7@newsreader.com>, ©®©@®.©®© wrote:

> Is their a noticable difference in the two? Just wondering if anyone has
> an opinion, TIA.

There are some opinions here. Someone copied the specs for AS3 and
AS5 into this thread as well. AS5 has slightly lower thermal
resistance (about 10% better). The tradeoff these guys report,
is AS5 is harder to remove later - pulling on heatsink pulls
the processor out of the socket. Best to warm the assembly
before trying to take it apart, if you use AS5.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=551884

Paul
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

Yes, but does the slightly lower thermal resistance actually matter?

In actual tests, the difference in CPU temp. between ANY thermal
compounds tested (including the "white" compounds made of silicon or
zinc) was just not significant ... only about 2 or 3 degees separated
the very best from the very worst. Dont' forget, the layer of thermal
compound that you end up with is very thin .... about the thickness of a
couple sheets of paper. With a layer that thin, even fairly great
differences in thermal conductivity don't really matter all that much to
the final result (CPU temperature).


Paul wrote:
> In article <20061016135100.860$x7@newsreader.com>, ©®©@®.©®© wrote:
>
>
>>Is their a noticable difference in the two? Just wondering if anyone has
>>an opinion, TIA.
>
>
> There are some opinions here. Someone copied the specs for AS3 and
> AS5 into this thread as well. AS5 has slightly lower thermal
> resistance (about 10% better). The tradeoff these guys report,
> is AS5 is harder to remove later - pulling on heatsink pulls
> the processor out of the socket. Best to warm the assembly
> before trying to take it apart, if you use AS5.
>
> http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=551884
>
> Paul
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

> AS5 is harder to remove later - pulling on heatsink pulls
> the processor out of the socket.

Yup...that's happened to me before.....luckily I managed to not break any of
the pins in the process.
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 21:25:49 -0400, nospam.TakeThisOut@needed.com (Paul) wrote:

>In article <20061016135100.860$x7@newsreader.com>, ©®©@®.©®© wrote:
>
>> Is their a noticable difference in the two? Just wondering if anyone has
>> an opinion, TIA.
>
>There are some opinions here. Someone copied the specs for AS3 and
>AS5 into this thread as well. AS5 has slightly lower thermal
>resistance (about 10% better). The tradeoff these guys report,
>is AS5 is harder to remove later - pulling on heatsink pulls
>the processor out of the socket. Best to warm the assembly
>before trying to take it apart, if you use AS5.
>
>http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=551884
>
> Paul

Oddly enough the last time I changed heatsinks using the plain white
goop stuff, the cpu stuck to the amd heatsink and pulled the cpu out
of socket. Luckily all still works. First time that ever happened.
May not be Artic Silver's fault. Agree on heating the assembly up
first before removing.
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

On Tue, 17 Oct 2006 10:27:05 -0400, Barry Watzman
<WatzmanNOSPAM.RemoveThis@neo.rr.com> wrote:

>Yes, but does the slightly lower thermal resistance actually matter?
>
>In actual tests, the difference in CPU temp. between ANY thermal
>compounds tested (including the "white" compounds made of silicon or
>zinc) was just not significant ... only about 2 or 3 degees separated
>the very best from the very worst.

I saw one website test that suggested those improvements are mostly
at idle temps rather than Max Load temps. The max load temps were
mostly all the same +\- 1C which is just measurement accuracy.

I'm not too worried about my idle temps.
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

On 16 Oct 2006 17:50:18 GMT, ©®©@®.©®© wrote:

>Is their a noticable difference in the two? Just wondering if anyone has
>an opinion, TIA.
>
>--
>.

Artic Silver is the thermal equivalent of snake-oil. It works but
really no better than a high-quality thermal grease. For effective
heat-transfer, any such compound must be applied very thinly, enough
to JUST fill any voids between the device being cooled and the
heatsink, the object being to have as much of the heatsink and device
as possible in DIRECT contact with the grease/paste just filling all
remaining air-spaces and no more. If significant grease/paste oozes
out the sides after the heat-sink is clamped down, the compound has
been wrongly applied. There should be just a visible trace of ooze all
around the junction-area between the device and heatsink.
Those who rant over the virtues of Artic Silver have probably always
applied too much thermal paste.

John Lewis
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

john.dsl RemoveThis @verizon.net (John Lewis) wrote:
> On 16 Oct 2006 17:50:18 GMT, ©®©@®.©®© wrote:
>
> >Is their a noticable difference in the two? Just wondering if anyone has
> >an opinion, TIA.
> >
> >--
> >.
>
> Artic Silver is the thermal equivalent of snake-oil. It works but
> really no better than a high-quality thermal grease. For effective
> heat-transfer, any such compound must be applied very thinly, enough
> to JUST fill any voids between the device being cooled and the
> heatsink, the object being to have as much of the heatsink and device
> as possible in DIRECT contact with the grease/paste just filling all
> remaining air-spaces and no more. If significant grease/paste oozes
> out the sides after the heat-sink is clamped down, the compound has
> been wrongly applied. There should be just a visible trace of ooze all
> around the junction-area between the device and heatsink.
> Those who rant over the virtues of Artic Silver have probably always
> applied too much thermal paste.
>
> John Lewis

Some claim the correct way to apply is to put a grain of rice size dab
on the center of the heatsink and when you clamp it down it will spread
and cover the die and all will be cool. Not so. I have tested their way
and the compound does not spread enough to cover the entire die area. All
you need is to cover the complete die area with compound no thicker than
cellophane.

--
..
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

©®©@®.©®© wrote:
> john.dsl.TakeThisOut@verizon.net (John Lewis) wrote:
>> On 16 Oct 2006 17:50:18 GMT, ©®©@®.©®© wrote:
>>
>>> Is their a noticable difference in the two? Just wondering if anyone has
>>> an opinion, TIA.
>>>
>>> --
>>> .
>> Artic Silver is the thermal equivalent of snake-oil. It works but
>> really no better than a high-quality thermal grease. For effective
>> heat-transfer, any such compound must be applied very thinly, enough
>> to JUST fill any voids between the device being cooled and the
>> heatsink, the object being to have as much of the heatsink and device
>> as possible in DIRECT contact with the grease/paste just filling all
>> remaining air-spaces and no more. If significant grease/paste oozes
>> out the sides after the heat-sink is clamped down, the compound has
>> been wrongly applied. There should be just a visible trace of ooze all
>> around the junction-area between the device and heatsink.
>> Those who rant over the virtues of Artic Silver have probably always
>> applied too much thermal paste.
>>
>> John Lewis
>
> Some claim the correct way to apply is to put a grain of rice size dab
> on the center of the heatsink and when you clamp it down it will spread
> and cover the die and all will be cool. Not so. I have tested their way
> and the compound does not spread enough to cover the entire die area. All
> you need is to cover the complete die area with compound no thicker than
> cellophane.
>
I bought Antec Silver 5 (thinking I was buying Artic Silver 5, though it
is probably similar stuff). Their instructions also mentioned a rice
grain size. But they also instructed using a clean razor blade at a
steep angle to spread the stuff evenly over the top of the CPU with a
thin layer.
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5 

Steve Jenkins <no_limits916.RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
> ©®©@®.©®© wrote:
> > john.dsl.RemoveThis@verizon.net (John Lewis) wrote:
> >> On 16 Oct 2006 17:50:18 GMT, ©®©@®.©®© wrote:
> >>
> >>> Is their a noticable difference in the two? Just wondering if anyone
> >>> has an opinion, TIA.
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> .
> >> Artic Silver is the thermal equivalent of snake-oil. It works but
> >> really no better than a high-quality thermal grease. For effective
> >> heat-transfer, any such compound must be applied very thinly, enough
> >> to JUST fill any voids between the device being cooled and the
> >> heatsink, the object being to have as much of the heatsink and device
> >> as possible in DIRECT contact with the grease/paste just filling all
> >> remaining air-spaces and no more. If significant grease/paste oozes
> >> out the sides after the heat-sink is clamped down, the compound has
> >> been wrongly applied. There should be just a visible trace of ooze all
> >> around the junction-area between the device and heatsink.
> >> Those who rant over the virtues of Artic Silver have probably always
> >> applied too much thermal paste.
> >>
> >> John Lewis
> >
> > Some claim the correct way to apply is to put a grain of rice size dab
> > on the center of the heatsink and when you clamp it down it will spread
> > and cover the die and all will be cool. Not so. I have tested their way
> > and the compound does not spread enough to cover the entire die area.
> > All you need is to cover the complete die area with compound no thicker
> > than cellophane.
> >
> I bought Antec Silver 5 (thinking I was buying Artic Silver 5, though it
> is probably similar stuff). Their instructions also mentioned a rice
> grain size. But they also instructed using a clean razor blade at a
> steep angle to spread the stuff evenly over the top of the CPU with a
> thin layer.


The Artic Silver 5 website states the "grain of rice" and has pictures
of the dies of many cpu showing how to apply. I checked my compound and
it is real Artic Silver 5.

--
..
 >> Stay informed about: Artic Silver 3 versus 5