Hi everyone, you are on HowFixit, in this video,
I'm going to test which thermal paste is best for a PC CPU, GPU graphics card,
or laptop. In addition, I'll show you the testing conditions and how to apply thermal paste.
I chose the most popular thermal pastes on the market; you will see the complete list in
the test results. I also added liquid metal to compare its effectiveness with thermal pastes.
I have divided this video into three parts for your convenience. Using
these time codes, you can go to test your device.
I use only new components for the test bench to exclude the possibility of errors due to wear of
electrolytic capacitors, integrated circuits, and other passive electronic components.
My configuration for the test bench: Processor Intel Core i9-10850k
Asus ROG Strix Z490-i Gaming Motherboard DDR4 RAM Corsair Dominator Platinum
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-1000W AIO Liquid Cooler NZXT Kraken x63 280mm
Liquid cooler is best for the most accurate temperature test
results. An air cooling system can be inaccurate due to varying fan speed,
heatsink mounting type, or low-efficient heat dissipation.
How much thermal paste should apply to the CPU. It is usually a pea-sized dot. If you're not sure
how much thermal paste to squeeze out of the tube, it's best to apply a little extra. When
you install and fix the cooler, under the pressure of the heatsink, the excess thermal paste will be
squeezed over the edges of the CPU surface. Much worse if you squeeze out too little thermal paste.
How to apply thermal paste. I spread the thermal paste evenly over the entire CPU surface;
this is the best way to apply thermal paste. But this method may not always be convenient,
for example, Arctic MX-6 thermal paste has a viscous structure and the manufacturer
recommends applying the paste using the dot method. If instructions are attached
to the thermal paste — you can follow these rules, if not — apply the paste, as I do.
My test stand is assembled without a case, so hot air does not accumulate around the cooling system,
this gives better ventilation and guarantees the same conditions for each individual test.
Thanks to the thermostat and air conditioning system, the room temperature is maintained at
the same level, and the testing conditions are the same for all thermal pastes.
I use the AIDA64 program for the CPU stress test and the HWiNFO program for temperature monitoring.
In the bios settings, the CPU supply voltage is fixed at 1.2489v for stable operation in
the stress test. And the power mode is set to best performance In the windows settings.
Before getting a performance rating for the thermal paste,
I preheat the system with a stress test for up to
40 minutes and then run three 20-minute stress tests to get average temperatures.
Thermal paste and liquid metal test results on PC CPU
The number one of the best conductivity performance is liquid metal.
The highest thermal conductivity has Noctua NT-H1 and Arctic MX-6 thermal paste. I left
links to all thermal pastes in the description. But, if you look closely, the temperature
results of all thermal pastes differ by a hundredths degree Celsius.. The difference
between the best thermal paste and the worst is no more than 3 degrees Celsius.
Why such insignificant results between thermal pastes - This is because all
the top thermal paste manufacturers have already learned how to make an effective
composition for their products, so the difference between them is insignificant.
What thermal paste to choose for a CPU - You can choose any of these
thermal pastes and be sure they will do the job well.
Why such a price difference between these thermal pastes - The price difference is due to the
expiration date, namely, everything comes down to the dry time of the thermal paste. Over prolonged
periods of time, big heat dries paste out and what matters is, how long the paste remains
wet. For example, GD900 thermal paste is the cheapest on the list, it is more liquid and loses
its heat-conducting properties quite quickly, effective service life up to 1 year. The Arctic
MX-6 paste is thicker and has a long-term effective service life more than 3 years.
You can try liquid metal if your computer is working under heavy loads or you decide
to overclock the CPU and every degree is important, but the application of liquid
metal is different from thermal paste, so I have a separate video about liquid metal,
I left the link in the description. Well, now it's time to test the graphics card.
The Best Thermal Paste for GPU
I'm going to test the thermal paste and liquid metal on Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card
with a stock cooling system and a fixed fan speed. The method of applying thermal paste to the GPU
depends on the type of paste, Noctua NT-H1 I spread evenly over the entire
surface of the chip, but this method may not be applicable to every paste,
for example, the Arctic MX-6 is more viscous and the manufacturer recommends applying the
paste using the dot method. If instructions are attached to the thermal paste — you can follow
the recommendations, if not — spread the paste evenly over the chip chip.
The test bench was assembled without a case, so warm air doesn't accumulate around the
graphics card. Thanks to the thermostat and air conditioning system, the room temperature
is maintained at the same level, and the testing conditions are the same for all thermal pastes.
I use the FurMark for a constant load on the GPU and the HWiNFO temperature monitoring program.
The duration of the burn-in test is up to 20 minutes.
Thermal paste and liquid metal test result on GPU Graphics Card
Liquid metal did not show significant results compared to thermal pastes.
According to the test results, the best thermal paste for graphics cards is Thermalright TF8 and
Arctic MX-6. These two pastes have a viscous compound, giving better thermal conductivity
for the GPU. However, the rest of the thermal pastes are inferior by only one degree Celsius.
So, we can conclude that all these thermal pastes did an excellent job of heat transfer for the GPU,
but do not forget the drying time of the thermal paste. Over prolonged periods,
high heat dries the paste out; what matters is how long the paste remains wet. In this case,
viscous thermal pastes are better suited for long-term use at high temperatures.
The Best Thermal Paste for a Laptop
I'm going to test the thermal paste and liquid metal on Dell G7 7790 laptop based
on an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660Ti GPU.
In the process, I will answer some popular questions about
thermal paste applications on a laptop.
How to remove thermal paste from the CPU surface if it is dry and
hard to wipe off. Use a cotton swab and 90% isopropyl alcohol or higher.
How much thermal paste should apply to the CPU. - Usually it's a small drop for
a laptop CPU. If you're not sure how much thermal paste to squeeze out of the tube,
it's best to apply a little extra. When you install and fix the cooler system,
under the pressure of the heatsink, the excess thermal paste will be squeezed over the edges
of the CPU and GPU surface. Much worse if you squeeze out too little thermal paste.
How to apply thermal paste. - Thermal paste is designed to minimize microscopic
air gaps and irregularities between the surface of the CPU and the heatsink. So,
in my opinion, the best way to apply the thermal paste for a laptop CPU is
to evenly spread the thermal paste over the entire surface of the processor chip.
I use the AIDA64 program for the CPU and GPU laptop stress test and the HWiNFO program for
temperature monitoring. And the power mode is set to "best performance" In the windows settings.
Before getting a performance rating for the thermal paste,
I preheat the system with a stress test for up to
40 minutes and then run three 20-minute stress tests to get average temperatures.
Thermal paste and liquid metal test results on a laptop
Liquid metal showed the best thermal conductivity result for a laptop.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut has the highest thermal conductivity of all pastes. In the description,
I left links to all the thermal pastes. If you look closely, the difference between
the best and worst thermal paste is no more than three degrees Celsius.
Why such a small difference between thermal pastes - This is because all the top manufacturers of
thermal pastes have enough experience to make an effective composition for their product,
so the difference between them is insignificant.
What thermal paste to choose for a laptop - You
can choose any of these thermal pastes and be sure they will do the job well.
Why such a price difference between these thermal pastes - Thermal paste, like any other product,
has an expiration date and drying time, from which it loses its heat-conducting properties.
Over prolonged periods, high heat dries out the paste; what matters is how long the paste remains
wet. For example, GD900 thermal paste is the cheapest on the list; it is more liquid and loses
its heat-conducting properties quite quickly, effective service life up to 1 year. For example,
Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste is thicker, and the period of effective operation is up to 3 years.
However, when you take apart a laptop to clean the cooling system from dust, you will most likely
have to remove the heatsink, and therefore, you will need to apply a new thermal paste.
If you clean your laptop from dust once a year,
then the drying time of the thermal paste is not critical for you.
Liquid metal for a laptop - It has the best properties of effective thermal conductivity.
You should try liquid metal if you use a laptop for heavy loads that fry your
processor. However, the method of applying liquid metal differs from thermal paste,
all about I'll explain it in a separate video - I left the link in the description.
And in conclusion, if your gaming laptop overheats after replacing thermal paste,
I recommend watching the video about how to fix laptop overheating. I show you all
the steps to eliminate system overheating, CPU undervolting,
and other effective ways to lower the temperature. You were on HowFixit, and see you next time.