Thermal Compound Roundup – March 2011

Introduction

Following up our Thermal Compound Roundup – February 2011 review, we are adding another five thermal compounds to our roundup, for a grand total of 10 different models from Cooler Master, Coolink, Deepcool, Evercool, Gelid, Noctua, Prolimatech, Spire, Thermalright, and Zalman. In this review we will see if certain products are better than others and, also, if the thermal grease curing time is a reality or pure myth.

For a better understanding on how the thermal compound (a.k.a. thermal grease or thermal paste) works and how to correctly apply it, please read our How to Correctly Apply Thermal Grease tutorial. The most important thing that you have to have in mind is that it is a mistake to think that the more thermal grease you apply, the better. The thermal compound is a worse heat conductor than copper and aluminum (the metals usually found on cooler bases). So, if you apply more thermal compound than necessary it will actually lower the cooling performance instead of improving it.

In Figure 1, you can see the five new thermal compounds we are adding to our roundup.

Figure 1: The new thermal compounds included in this roundup

Let’s get a closer look at the new contenders in the next pages.