Artic Cooling MX-2 Vs. Artic Silver-5 - Which is Better?

[nirvana_1911]

I'm looking for the opinions of those who have first hand experience with both the Arctic Cooling MX-2 and Artic Silver-5 thermal compound.
I wanted to know which one actually performs better.

Some of the reviews are showing that the MX-2 performs a couple of degrees cooler than the Silver-5.

I'll be using it for chipsets that will be water chilled, but not sub-zero, more than likely ambient.

Thanks.

[systemviper]

I have used all of them and I like Arctic Silver Céramique.

I can't say from a temp standpoint, except that they all are very good,
I have had my best results and I like the consistency of the AS Céramique the best!

Features:


High-Density ceramic content:
Céramique 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.


Controlled Triple-Phase Viscosity:
Céramique 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. (This should not be confused with conventional phase change pads that are pre-attached to many heatsinks. Those pads melt each time they get hot then re-solidify when they cool. The viscosity changes that Céramique goes through are much more subtle and ultimately much more effective.)



Excellent Stability:
Céramique is engineered to not separate, run, migrate, or bleed.



Electrical Insulator:
Céramique does not contain any metal or other electrically conductive materials. It is a pure electrical insulator, neither electrically conductive nor capacitive.



Performance:
2 to 10 degrees centigrade lower CPU full load core temperatures than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads when measured with a calibrated thermal diode imbedded in the CPU core.



Easy Clean Up:
Céramique can easily be cleaned from CPUs and heatsinks with isopropyl alcohol or any of the cleaners listed in the product instructions.



Innovative Dispenser:
The 2.5-gram Céramique is the first product available in our proprietary thermal compound syringe. Our new syringe is more compact, easier to handle and dispenses a higher percentage of its content than standard industrial or medical syringes. The amount of compound remaining in the syringe is easy to determine as the rear of the plunger is perfectly flush with the flange when the syringe is empty.



Compliancy:
RoHS Compliant.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Specifications:


Thermal Resistance:
<0.007&#176;C-in2/Watt (0.001 inch layer)

Thermal Conductance:
>200,000W/m2.&#176;C (0.001 inch layer)

Average Particle Size:
<0.38 microns <0.000015 inch
( 67 particles lined up in a row equal 1/1000th of an inch. )

Temperature limits:
Peak: –150&#176;C to >180&#176;C Long-Term: –150&#176;C to 125&#176;C

Coverage Area:
2.5-gram syringes. (About 1cc)
At a layer 0.003" thick, one tube will cover approximately 20 square inches.

22-gram syringes. (About 8cc)
At a layer 0.003" thick, one tube will cover approximately 160 square inches.

[Nate P.]

MX-2 hands down. AS5 has seen it's day, but it's getting old now.

[disruptfam]

mx2 no doubt

[Emerica]

Between these two MX2 is definitely the best. You might want to look into ICD7 though.

[Movieman]

Slightly OT but try some Diamond 7..
New and we're testing it.
Beat's the crap out of AS5 and thats been my TIM for years.
http://www.petrastechshop.com/icdi7cathco.html
My results:
Q6600@3600
Air cooled, 68-70F room
100% load
AS5: 49-48-48-47
D7: 45-45-45-44
That's after 6 days but was showing me that within 1c from the time I fired it up..Nice stuff!

[SiGfever]

MX-2 is some mighty good stuff.

[[XC] NetburstXE]

Go for the MX-2. Some of the best thermal paste there is.

[systemviper]

I even have to agree MX-2 gets better reviews by a few degrees, but I used MX-2 and went back to C&#233;ramique. I just like it better. I guess it's one of those hard headed things.

I'll take a look at that Diamond 7, it looks interesting.

[DavidNJ]

I believe you will find MX-2 and AS5 a dead heat after they cured. However, in a good water cooling setup, AS5 can take a LONG time to cure. Just not enough heat.

The current leader is Coollabortories Liquid Metal Pro, which only works on copper or the nickel plated copper and is a pain to remove.

[SiGfever]

I believe you will find MX-2 and AS5 a dead heat after they cured. However, in a good water cooling setup, AS5 can take a LONG time to cure. Just not enough heat.

The current leader is Coollabortories Liquid Metal Pro, which only works on copper or the nickel plated copper and is a pain to remove.

In my testing MX-2 outperforms AS5 even after a week cure time. LMP is better than anything that I have used but the problems associated with the TIM stopped me from using it, too much work to remove.

[MpG]

Managed to get an extra degree going from AS5 to ASCeram a few months ago. Just recently went from the ASCeram to MX-2 - managed 2 more degrees. Admittedy, it took me several tries to get that improvement, since waterblocks can be finickity, but the improvement was definitely there. AS5 is good stuff, but at this point we've invented better.

[septim]

isn't it no cure time for mx2? after a week curing for as5, mx2 still outperformed it by a few...

[DavidNJ]

AS5 can take much longer than a week if the temperatures never get out of the 40s. I am using MX-2 on water now. And Ceramique for testing.

A common problem is too much TIM. Ceramique is 1/3 worse than AS5 according the AS website.

[Janno]

also, mx-2 is dirt cheap compared to the as5, go for it

[MikeB12]

another vote for mx2... all of my quads are using the same tube. just buy a tube, it lasts a long time...

probably the best thing I like about it is you can oc right after assembly, no cure time.. definitely a good value for $7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186020

[The0men]

I went to the effort of finding this for ya, seen it just the other day...

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...=thermal+paste

Here you will find some results, and lots of discussion afterwards. While in the end it's hard to be conclusive on something that varies so little, It may help you.