Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra vs. Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut

Description and results

Coollaboratory is well known among the hardware enthusiasts, mainly thanks to its liquid metals. The model with higher thermal conductivity, Liquid Ultra, is commonly preferred with high power consumption chips since their default compounds are usually of lower quality. To find out whether CLU still pays off, we put it to the ring with an opponent from the Thermal Grizzly workshop, and with Core i5-7600K as the referee.

Data about thermal conductivity of Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra (CLU) are missing in the official data sheet. Some sources mention very optimistic 90 W/mk, but most of them point out to “only” 38.4 W/mk, which sounds a bit more realistic. Thermal Grizzly plays with hands revealed, Conductonaut has 73 W/mk on paper. The price (around 9 euros) and the amount are similar in both cases, about 1 g/0.15 ml.

Thermal Grizzly has a more practical applicator. The cotton stick is more comfortable and safer to use – it is simply easier to create a smooth thin layer with it. Also, it does not splash the liquid metal particles all around as much as the Coollaboratory bristles.

Results

Tests were based on the same procedures as Operation Kaby Lake: 24 ways to cool the chip. For a better orientation in the charts, we’d like to remind you that CLU + MX-2 represent the mode where CLU is used on the chip, and Arctic MX-2 is used between heatspreaders of the processor and the cooler.

Well, results show that Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut (TGC) is more efficient and it managed to maintain lower temperatures (-4 – -4.5 °C) of our overclocked processor (approx. 110 W). Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra is therefore a worse choice for the same price.


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Test of 27 thermal compounds, part 2

The second round will be especially interesting for people who want to find the best solution for a standard use. The winner is a big surprise. Gelid, Noctua, Phobya, Reeven, SilentiumPC, Thermal Grizzly or Zalman? We can give away that it is not an expected favourite this time. We enjoyed a nice competition in the middle category, where it takes a lot to keep making a difference. We also tested OEM paste from Scythe as a bonus. Read more “Test of 27 thermal compounds, part 2” »

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Test of 27 thermal compounds, part 1

Thermal pastes can significantly affect the cooling performance, so we have compared several models that represent the current offer. Is the legendary Arctic MX-2 still a good choice? Or is it more reasonable to try newer Cooler Master and Cryorig? There is also a copper Coollaboratory to consider. Well, we have prepared some recommendations, but few warnings too because there are several products that you should rather avoid. Read more “Test of 27 thermal compounds, part 1” »

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Comments (3) Add comment

  1. Thank you for this article. It’s excellent and along with your Thermal Compounds test, is rarely covered in the PC world. I’m a huge fan of CLU but has always been difficult as hell to put on. I really questioned if it had any beneficial effect but it looks like Grizzly makes a better LM. I’ll buy a tube as soon as I can find one!

  2. Can you test with Coollaboratory Liquid Pro too? I saw the information on their website said Thermal conductivity is 80 w/mk is higher than Thermal Grizzly Conductounaut

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