Thermal Paste Comparison - Comparison page 2
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Manufacturers: | Arctic Silver, OCZ |
| Product: | AS3, AS Ceramique, OCZ Ultra II |
Reviewed By: | Poiuy223 |
Edited By: | Mack "SPeeD" |
Thermal Paste Comparison
Arctic Silver Ceramique:
Arctic Silver Ceramique is the newest addition to the Arctic Silver family. With a lower consumer price than the AS3, AS Ceramique looks to be more attractive than anything else. At first glance I thought it was just an upgraded version of the Arctic Silver Alumina, but after careful observation, this is a brand new product in its own class.
Here is the detailed specifications of Arctic Silver Ceramique:
"The high-density, ceramic-based thermal compound specifically designed for modern high-power CPUs and high-performance heatsinks or water-cooling solutions.
Arctic Silver Ceramiuqe features:
Made with micronized aluminum oxide, boron nitride and zinc oxide.
Ceramique uses a high-density layered composite of five unique shapes of thermally conductive aluminum oxide, boron nitride and zinc oxide sub-micron particles to maximize particle-to-particle contact area and thermal transfer. This exclusive combination provides performance exceeding most metal based compounds.
Average particle size: 0.38 microns <0.000015 inch
Controlled triple phase viscosity.
Ceramique does not contain any silicone. The suspension fluid is a proprietary mixture of advanced polysynthetic oils that provide superior performance and long-term stability. During the system's initial use, the heat from the CPU lowers the viscosity of the compound to enhance the filling of the microscopic valleys and ensure a minimum bond line between the heatsink and the CPU core. Then the compound thickens slightly over the next 100 to 300 hours of use to its final consistency designed for long-term stability.
Excellent Stability.
Ceramique is engineered to not separate, run, migrate, or bleed.
Electrical Insulator.
Ceramique does not contain any metal or other electrically conductive materials. It is a pure electrical insulator, neither electrically conductive nor capacitive.
Wide Temperature Limits.
Peak: -40°C to >180°C
Long-Term: -40°C to >140°C
Industry Leading Performance.
2 to 10 degrees centigrade lower CPU full load core temperatures than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads."
It is certainly nice to know that Arctic Ceramique is not conductive at all. This makes it safe to spread it on video card GPUs and Northbridge chips.
Spreading the Paste
Ceramique comes out of the syringe in a thick goo (in a consistency similar to melted marshmallow). As it sits for a little while, it begins to melt and becomes easier to spread. Letting it sit for approximately 10 min really helps when applying the paste. It's like spreading melted butter over bread. I really enjoyed working with the AS Ceramique. It's better than I expected it to be.
OCZ Ultra
OCZ has had its ups and downs with their reputation due to many memory mishaps. Now that things are finally starting to look good for OCZ, they have increased their selection of overclocking gear. All OCZ products are aimed for high end overclocking enthusiasts. The OCZ Ultra II thermal compound is made of premium silver.
Here is a quick description of OCZ Ultra II:
"OCZ Ultra 2 is a high-quality polysynthetic thermal compound designed to provide maximum thermal transfer between the CPU surface and the heatsink. OCZ Ultra 2 uses a blend of polysynthetic oils that ensure that the compound will not solidify or lose its thermal transfer properties over time. Ultra 2 thermal compound is not electrically conductive, meaning that it is completely safe for use on any surface that requires maximum thermal transfer."
Here is the quick rundown of the specifications:
Thermal paste 3 gram syringe
Thermal conductivity: 8.0 W/mK
Thermal resistance: >0.06 C-in/W
Made with 99.9% pure micronized silver
Not electrically conductive
It is good to know that the Ultra II is not electrically conductive. This makes it safe to spread over video card GPUs and Northbridge chips. It would be dangerous to spread conductive paste over video cards GPUs and Northbridge chips because if even just a tad amount touches electrical bridges, shortage will occur. This has happened to me before. I was lucky my video card didn't end up cooked.
Spreading the Paste
OCZ Ultra II is thick but not creamy. I had a harder time trying to spread the paste evenly across the CPU. It felt a bit "flaky". As you can see from the picture, it does not apply as easy as Arctic Silver.
Next: Testing and Results page 3 >>
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