How to apply thermal paste on Ryzen 7000? Noctua is clear on this

With the new generation of AMD processors (Ryzen 7000), the shape of the heatspreader (IHS) is changing after an extremely long time. It is also significantly different compared to Intel processors, and this again creates room for debate on what the most sensible technique for applying thermal paste should look like. One suggestion has already appeared, in the manual for the Noctua NT-H1 and NT-H2 pastes. Read more “How to apply thermal paste on Ryzen 7000? Noctua is clear on this” »

Commentary: Is adding a spatula to the Noctua NT-H1 useful?

Noctua has quietly, almost secretly, added a new package of NT-H1 thermal paste with the additional designation SW. These are the initials of the English words spatula and wipes. It is with this accessory that the NT-H1 SW pack is supplemented. And in particular, the addition of the spatula raises the question of whether Noctua has revised the recommended technique in applying thermal paste. Read more “Commentary: Is adding a spatula to the Noctua NT-H1 useful?” »

A matter of (dis)honesty: expensive NZXT paste with only 6.3 W/mk?

NZXT has released its first thermal paste and looking at its parameters opens the topic of what quality the manufacturers present us on paper. However, NXZT is probably not pretentious, on the contrary, the paper thermal conductivity of their thermal paste is surprisingly low considering the price. Is this the reality, are other manufacturers (with two to three times higher thermal conductivity values) misleading or is NZXT thermal paste uncompetitive? Read more “A matter of (dis)honesty: expensive NZXT paste with only 6.3 W/mk?” »

Beware, some Arctic MX-5 thermal pastes may dry out faster

Less than a year into the MX-5’s existence, the first publicly known flaw is associated with this thermal paste for which it may achieve lower thermal conductivity than expected. This is due to the compound that makes up the paste not holding together properly, and the thermally conductive interface will harden before application, in the tube. Arctic has supposedly already withdrawn these batches from circulation, but one needs to be cautious. Read more “Beware, some Arctic MX-5 thermal pastes may dry out faster” »

Enough TF thermal paste for now, Thermalright introduced the CFX

Until now, Thermalright’s current thermal pastes have been from the TF series. The latest paste (CFX) no longer carries this label. This might be because it no longer fits into the current pyramid due to its properties. The new CFX thermal paste is among the top of the company’s range in terms of parameters, but we believe that you may pay less for it per unit of “ability to dissipate heat” than is usual with Thermalright. Read more “Enough TF thermal paste for now, Thermalright introduced the CFX” »

Low price, high thermal conductivity – SPC Pactum PT-4

A new thermal paste has been introduced – Pactum PT-4. Its specifications are admirable, considering the lower price range. The thermal conductivity is more than double that of the previous Pactum PT-2. At least on paper. It could finally be a real competition for the Arctic MX-5. Particularly the application of the PT-4 should be comfortable for its low viscosity. Read more “Low price, high thermal conductivity – SPC Pactum PT-4” »

Arctic kept his word, the MX-5 is on sale. We know the specs

As of March 15, various size tubes of the new MX-5 thermal paste are in stock on Amazon. Arctic thus managed to start the sale on the day they announced in January, when no specifications were yet known. These are already quite detailed and include commonly unspecified specs of electrical insulation. However, something feels fishy here as the basic information about thermal conductivity is missing for some reason. Read more “Arctic kept his word, the MX-5 is on sale. We know the specs” »

After 10 years, a new Arctic paste from the MX series is here – 5

There is no more popular series of thermal pastes than MX from Arctic, which was released in the early phase of the company under the old name Arctic Cooling. Two years ago, Arctic boasted a statistical report on 10,000,000 sold pieces of MX-2 and MX-4 (in total) and now, without prior news, there has been a notice of the upcoming release of MX-5. The exact date is already known and you won’t have to wait long. Read more “After 10 years, a new Arctic paste from the MX series is here – 5” »

The goddess of thermal pastes has a name: Noctua NT-H2

The initial skepticism about the NT-H2 subsided very quickly. We have exposed this thermal paste to various tests and it gives excellent results across the whole spectrum of them. The original NT-H1, which Noctua will continue to offer as a cheaper option, served well as a reference point for comparison. The new NT-H2 already belongs to the high-end as it should. See for yourselves in a detailed review. Read more “The goddess of thermal pastes has a name: Noctua NT-H2” »