Innovation Cooling Diamond 7 Thermal Compound

[Nate P.]

IC Diamond 7 Carat Thermal Compound maximizes thermal heat transfer between the CPU core and heatsink by taking advantage of diamond's superior thermal conductivity.
Purified synthetic diamond has a thermal conductivity of 2,000-2,500 W/mK compared to 406-429 W/mK for pure silver.

Diamond's five times better thermal conductivity compared to silver makes it a superior heat transfer material for cooling high performance CPUs and is electrically non-conductive and non-capacitive.
Key Features

* Each tube of IC Diamond Thermal grease contains 7 carats of micronized diamond with diamond particle loadings @ 94% by weight. Material loading above 90% is recommended as the best combination of rheological and thermal properties to minimize interface pump out due to thermal cycling.
* Superior bulk conductivity
* Excellent thermal impedance
* Tight particle distributions
* < 40 &#181; maximum particle diameter
* Silicone free
* Lower viscosity
* Greater stability
* Non capacitive or electrically conductive

The thermal spread was pretty good with my old AS5.



Pea sized dollop. Maybe a little excessive?



Temperature results (at 60F/15C ambient):

AS5:
* Idle: 17C
* Load: 30C

IC Diamond 7:
* Idle: 16C
* Load: 28C

A few degrees better than AS5! I think I'll stick with ICD7 from now on, and the fact that it's non-conductive just is icing on the cake.

[[XC] gomeler]

I had some of this shipped to me for testing, it works pretty well with sub-zero applications also. The only issue is the solvent used in the mixture will evaporate off in the tube, I let them sit for about a month and each one had solidified.

[Nate P.]

I had some of this shipped to me for testing, it works pretty well with sub-zero applications also. The only issue is the solvent used in the mixture will evaporate off in the tube, I let them sit for about a month and each one had solidified.

How does it evaporate when it's in the tube?

[[XC] gomeler]

How does it evaporate when it's in the tube?

Damn good question, if you want I can break out a hammer and a camera and smash one for you I figured "it's sealed up with a plug on one end and a plunger on the other" but I was wrong. I don't specifically know the shelf life, but unlike my Ceramique, this stuff was unusable after 1 month. Great compound otherwise, while I could get it out of the tube.

[Cupcake]

I guess they should sell it in .3g tubes or something

Got any that isnt solidified that I can use

By the way.... AS5 is non conductive also

[Nate P.]

By the way.... AS5 is non conductive also

I didn't know that... what about all the silver?

[Nate P.]

Here's a message I received from an Innovation Cooling representative regarding the drying out of the paste:

When we first released the paste last summer it included a solvent to help thin it out. you were supposed to let it airdry after application for 10 min before you mounted the sink.

Our Chinese packager at the time ignored our cautions about material conflicts with the solvent and used the wrong kind of plastic. probably trying to save a penny

consequently with the chemical interaction the compound started drying out in the field.

When we found out we immediately pulled all the paste from the shelves. in the states it was not too bad maybe 20 or 30 in circulation.

in Europe and Asia it was a pretty big deal as it cost us about $50,000 to fix things, we have only had a partial compensation from our packager to date and it does not look good on getting a full return.

The new formulation has no solvent as insurance because we were burned on that we elected not to use it anymore in case we got slipped another batch of chemically incompatible syringes again.

So apparently the newer batches of paste no longer have the drying out problem.

[TheGoat Eater]

I didn't know that... what about all the silver?

sarcasm judging from the " " as it is definitely conductive

[Cupcake]

no it is NOT conductive

NOT SARCASM


srsly its not

it uses 99&#37; pure silver but as in the silver is 99% pure not that the tube contains 99% silver

[TMonte]

So where can the ICD compound be purchased? This is the stuff Joe @ overclockers.com had some involvement in, right?

[TheGoat Eater]

no it is NOT conductive

NOT SARCASM


srsly its not

it uses 99% pure silver but as in the silver is 99% pure not that the tube contains 99% silver

my understanding that it (AS5) was conductive while Artic Ceramique was not

[[XC] gomeler]

my understanding that it (AS5) was conductive while Artic Ceramique was not

I was under the same impression. I personally use Ceramique for it's sub-zero properties but I always thought AS5 was conductive.. someone whip out a DMM and test the resistance across a few samples.

[Cupcake]

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.

-The Manufacturer

there ya go

and I would test it out but I only use ceramique

[cdu cnp]

Not Electrically Conductive:
Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)

[emu002]

Whats the min/max temp range for this stuff?

[[XC] NetburstXE]

Thanks Nate. I'll have to get some of that next time I upgrade my computer.

[TheKarmakazi]

Has anyone acutally used it on a sub zero application? How were the results?

[Nate P.]

So where can the ICD compound be purchased?

At Petra's.

[aoch88]

I think thermal compound these days would +/- bring you 2-3C max difference. AS5, TX2, MX2 and with this ICD, it's not really that much of a deal.

[[XC] gomeler]

Especially with subzero. I used it on a single-stage and I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference in overclocking, if any at all. When you go below zero, you aren't fighting for those 5 degrees or what not from contact, you either have good contact or you don't. -40C vs -35C is the same damn thing from a CPU's perspective

[Nate P.]

I think thermal compound these days would +/- bring you 2-3C max difference. AS5, TX2, MX2 and with this ICD, it's not really that much of a deal.

True, but unfortunately we are enthusiasts and we can't let that 2-3C go. Especially when all it takes is a new thermal paste.

[cabbspapp]

True, but unfortunately we are enthusiasts and we can't let that 2-3C go. Especially when all it takes is a new thermal paste.

Exactly.

[rintamarotta]

this ICD7 is damn good thermal compound, but i still prefer for Coollaboratory Liquid MetalPad since for me it have worked best so far 3'c less than with icd7 in load

[jettasin00]

Waiting for mine to come in and see how it does.

[irev210]

this ICD7 is damn good thermal compound, but i still prefer for Coollaboratory Liquid MetalPad since for me it have worked best so far 3'c less than with icd7 in load

metalpad is awesome if you can get it to work right.


After a long burn-in at 80C, the temps are AMAZING (best by far)


Ive had some problems with drip though, the liquid metal starts to slide down when set vertical in a tower. End result is when you take off the heatsink there is a big clump of liquid metal at the bottom.

For me, good for benching, bad for customers.