Thermal Paste Comparison - Testing and Results page 3
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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
Test System:
Intel Pentium 4 2.4c
Albatron PX865PE
2x 256mb Crucial PC3200
From left to right: AS3, OCZ Ultra II, and AS Ceramique
Testing Procedure
All three systems were tested at the same time. Temperatures were recorded after 24 hours, 48 hours, and the suggested burn in time of 50 hours. All three systems were placed next to each other in a room with no fans and no airflow (I had just moved out of my apartment). The systems were left running Folding@home the entire time. I found no need to record the idle temperatures as the true potential of the thermal paste kicks in when heat is generated the most. Since there was no air conditioning on, ambient temperature maintained at 26°C throughout the entire testing process.
Results
From the results, you can see that OCZ Ultra and Arctic Silver Ceramique required needed at least 24 hours for the temperatures to drop. One thing to note that both new products are better than the commonly used AS3. This should be the results that you should see. I am glad to see that newer products and revisions are really giving better results. The difference in temperature can not be ignored; it is a good 2°C drop!. OCZ Ultra II and the AS Ceramique seem to be going neck and neck for the crown. And for all you Fahrenheit freaks out there (me included) here is the conversion.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that these two new products--OCZ Ultra II and Arctic Silver Ceramique are both the best thermal pastes in their class. Not only that, these small tubes of goop don't cost all that much. A small tube of Arctic Silver Ceramique only costs $3.95 while AS3 costs $7.95, both readily available over at Sidewindercomputers.com. OCZ Ultra II can be found for $5.99 over at Newegg.com (bear in mind the amount of paste included with each however). While both the Ceramique and OCZ Ultra II are both cheap, I would have to recommend AS Ceramique as the top thermal paste for everyone's CPU. This does not mean to overlook the OCZ Ultra II. Give some faith to OCZ, they're beginning to make some excellent quality products.
We would like to thank OCZ Technology for the small tube of OCZ Ultra II for our reviewing purposes.
Editor's Note: While we fully stand by our reviewers results here, please take into account various differences when using 3 different motherboards, 3 different CPU's and 3 different HSF's. While the parts are identical in nature, minute differences are simply unavoidable (voltage regulators, ambient temperature differences, etc.). So in the end, I think both the OCZ Ultra II and AS Ceramique are both great products. I suspect the OCZ Ultra II will stand the test of time, simply due to it's ingredients, so if you plan on keeping a system together long-term, it should be the way to go. If you're always pulling stuff apart, changing HSF's, CPU's, etc, the Ceramique may be a better choice due to it's easy of application and removal. Ultimately, we think both products are worth your $$. Enjoy!
Want to discuss our findings? Just want to hang out and talk shmack? Head to the OCAddiction Forums and get it on.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
