[HardOCP] Thermal Paste Shootout - Q209

[lkiller123]

completely wrong way to measure this. they just looked at how intel suggests coolers should be qualified (qualify == keeps the system stable != scientific measurement)

only one application per thermal paste? or did i miss something?

a $60 multimeter to measure temperature? wtflol. that meter has an accuracy of +-1°C

"Ambient temperature will be kept at 25C for the duration of the tests and measured with a MicroTemp EXP non-contact infrared thermometer." - that meter has something like +-2° accuracy...

total that's +-3°C .. as a result those charts are pretty worthless since all pastes are within 3°C of each other.

great review. pick 6 pastes, roll dice, less work. if you have no idea how to review something, stay away from it.

Well, for you, how are you going to review it? Measure the temperature using "Realtemp"? Don't criticize something that you can't do..

[zanzabar]

Well, for you, how are you going to review it? Measure the temperature using "Realtemp"? Don't criticize something that you can't do..

do u know who w1zzard is, he makes ati tray tools. and all that i have to do to get that test proper is the proper thermal probes/DMM and a climate controlled room + alot of time.

[BDW88]

do u know who w1zzard is, he makes ati tray tools. and all that i have to do to get that test proper is the proper thermal probes/DMM and a climate controlled room + alot of time.

He's also the guy who did the EVGA Precision app..

[mep916]

He's also the guy who did the EVGA Precision app..

No, AFAIK, EVGA received help from the creator of Rivatuner for the Precision app. Wizzard is still the man, though, and for someone to flame him here at XS is unfortunate, to say the least.

[lee143]

Well, for you, how are you going to review it? Measure the temperature using "Realtemp"? Don't criticize something that you can't do..

The stupidity of this post just made me laugh

[Retro]

The stupidity of this post just made me laugh

Yep, me too

[W1zzard]

Well, for you, how are you going to review it? Measure the temperature using "Realtemp"? Don't criticize something that you can't do..

i cant tell you how i would do it, otherwise i would have done such reviews. and yes i can criticize even if i have no better suggestion.

let's see.
- get a thermometer that measures down to 0.1°C accuracy (not resolution) at least. better is 0.01°C. yes that will be expensive.
- get a proper controllable environment. temperature kept within 0.1°C - solutions exist for that but pricey again. or get a good probe and normalize the temps (not that good)
- have one cpu to measure tcase with a probe (like hardocp did)
- use realtemp on a different cpu, calibrate it using proper equipment (no not an IR thermometer)
- alternatively figure out a way to hook up a thermometer to the on-die diode inside the cpu. possible, i've done it for athlon64
- ensure that the ihs' are evenly flat on both cpus
- test dual core, quad core, i7 cpus (could be 3 reviews)
- use at least 2 heatsinks to qualify if there is a difference
- ensure to always use the same mounting pressure (spring mounting is good for that)
- ensure proper cleaning of the heatsink base, maybe sand it down for every measurement so you have no residue from other pastes?
- repeat application, measurement and cure in 3 to 5 times
- devise a method how to apply the same thickness/spread of thermal paste every single time
- possibly look at several different batches of the same paste.

expect to spend at least a few thousand $ for equipment and several hundred hours to get everything figured out and get results.

one question for you to think about: what is the cpu temperature? its case? where on the case? on the die? where on the die? the package maybe? but where? which thermal gradients exist between those three?
is it better to favour low temperatures or better overclocking potential in thermal pastes? maybe add some oc tests.

[lkiller123]

No, AFAIK, EVGA received help from the creator of Rivatuner for the Precision app. Wizzard is still the man, though, and for someone to flame him here at XS is unfortunate, to say the least.

I didn't mean to flame him, I was just baffled by the way he was criticizing [H]ardOCP.. I respect his knowledge and contribution to the enthusiasts, but hey, everyone can make mistakes and not everything is perfect. I agree with W1zzard that the review contains errors and it is inaccurate, still, [H]OCP is a great thing

i cant tell you how i would do it, otherwise i would have done such reviews. and yes i can criticize even if i have no better suggestion.

let's see.
- get a thermometer that measures down to 0.1°C accuracy (not resolution) at least. better is 0.01°C. yes that will be expensive.
- get a proper controllable environment. temperature kept within 0.1°C - solutions exist for that but pricey again. or get a good probe and normalize the temps (not that good)
- have one cpu to measure tcase with a probe (like hardocp did)
- use realtemp on a different cpu, calibrate it using proper equipment (no not an IR thermometer)
- alternatively figure out a way to hook up a thermometer to the on-die diode inside the cpu. possible, i've done it for athlon64
- ensure that the ihs' are evenly flat on both cpus
- test dual core, quad core, i7 cpus (could be 3 reviews)
- use at least 2 heatsinks to qualify if there is a difference
- ensure to always use the same mounting pressure (spring mounting is good for that)
- ensure proper cleaning of the heatsink base, maybe sand it down for every measurement so you have no residue from other pastes?
- repeat application, measurement and cure in 3 to 5 times
- devise a method how to apply the same thickness/spread of thermal paste every single time
- possibly look at several different batches of the same paste.

expect to spend at least a few thousand $ for equipment and several hundred hours to get everything figured out and get results.

one question for you to think about: what is the cpu temperature? its case? where on the case? on the die? where on the die? the package maybe? but where? which thermal gradients exist between those three?
is it better to favour low temperatures or better overclocking potential in thermal pastes? maybe add some oc tests.

Yes, that's the way, and maybe you can test it a few more times to ensure the average temperature is correct. But consider that the OCP is a company, it has a limited budget and a limited amount time. I am sure that anyone can think of that idea if they have loads of money and time to spend on. I respect you, and I did not mean to flame you in the first place.

[W1zzard]

But consider that the OCP is a company, it has a limited budget and a limited amount time. I am sure that anyone can think of that idea if they have loads of money and time to spend on.

then they should review something different that they can do with their skills, time and money budget.

what would you say if i reviewed a vga card and each other card in the comparison group was tested at a different cpu frequency?

[gr8golf]

I didn't mean to flame him, I was just baffled by the way he was criticizing [H]ardOCP.. I respect his knowledge and contribution to the enthusiasts, but hey, everyone can make mistakes and not everything is perfect. I agree with W1zzard that the review contains errors and it is inaccurate, still, [H]OCP is a great thing

Since you are insisting on such, please provide a quantified, scientific explanation of how [H]OCP is a great thing. Your explanation should certainly detail how they are able to post so f'n much advertising on their site and remain *objective*.