Quote Originally Posted by SiGfever View Post
I totally agree, we are just testing our mounts and not the TIM. Without a controlled and constant pressure on the IHS we are just "taking a wack at it". And then because each chip can be so different in the IHS and the soldering there of that also invalidated the testing to a degree. just my thoughts.
Pressure and contact are both inextricably linked to TIM performance as well as being able to measure any result. So for me, the manufacturer to be able to provide guidance to those that can not observe a result is pretty valuable. People are constantly trying to add refinement to their equipment, so it's a benefit if you know what directions to focus energies rather than wasting energy on those things that have minimal impact.

Any one test is anecdotal with the current state of the art, reviews of paste (and cooling hardware) are for lack of a better word "squishy". Most buyers of products know this intuitively and read several reviews and consult the forums to see other user results and mentally average on their own to get a picture of performance. The whacks at it are pretty effective in the broader scope of averaging and trouble shooting.