Arctic Silver test

I helped a friend build a computer today. He bought a tube of Arctic Silver
III and had a lot left over .. gave it to me. A month ago or so I bought and
installed a Zalmans 7000 cu. I didn't have any heat issues, just wanted to
quiet things down. I love it .. it's on my P4 2.4 gig. and runs nice and
cool at the slowest fan speed. I took it off, cleaned all of the Zalmans
compound off and used the Arctic Silver, fired it back up and have
absolutely zero difference in temp. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on the
stuff. I guess it might be better on some heat sinks, but the bottom of
Zalmans is almost a mirror finish from the get go. This wasn't a
scientifically controlled experiment and haven't tried the two at different
loads ... just idling with a couple or three programs open. Just thought I'd
toss it out there.

"Forrest" wrote in message ...
I helped a friend build a computer today. He bought a tube of Arctic Silver
III and had a lot left over .. gave it to me. A month ago or so I bought and
installed a Zalmans 7000 cu. I didn't have any heat issues, just wanted to
quiet things down. I love it .. it's on my P4 2.4 gig. and runs nice and
cool at the slowest fan speed. I took it off, cleaned all of the Zalmans
compound off and used the Arctic Silver, fired it back up and have
absolutely zero difference in temp. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on the
stuff. I guess it might be better on some heat sinks, but the bottom of
Zalmans is almost a mirror finish from the get go. This wasn't a
scientifically controlled experiment and haven't tried the two at different
loads ... just idling with a couple or three programs open. Just thought I'd
toss it out there.

You won't see any difference at idle, but under load it might be
a slightly different story.. 2C or 3C difference.

Not enough to worry about though..

RickW

Agreed. Same result here.

"Forrest" wrote in message
...
I helped a friend build a computer today. He bought a tube of Arctic
Silver
III and had a lot left over .. gave it to me. A month ago or so I bought
and
installed a Zalmans 7000 cu. I didn't have any heat issues, just wanted to
quiet things down. I love it .. it's on my P4 2.4 gig. and runs nice and
cool at the slowest fan speed. I took it off, cleaned all of the Zalmans
compound off and used the Arctic Silver, fired it back up and have
absolutely zero difference in temp. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on the
stuff. I guess it might be better on some heat sinks, but the bottom of
Zalmans is almost a mirror finish from the get go. This wasn't a
scientifically controlled experiment and haven't tried the two at
different
loads ... just idling with a couple or three programs open. Just thought
I'd
toss it out there.

No, Arctic Silver in all its guises does not 'phase change'. Besides being
not significantly better at heat transport than Radio Shack Zinc Oxide in
silicone grease, it can be electrically conductive and is expensive. Arctic
Silver is the digital succesor to 'snake oil'. Even butter has competitive
comparison except for butter's unfortunate tendency to attract ants and to
cause the CPU to land with the buttered side down when dropped.

Phil Weldon,




"Spajky" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 17:26:25 -0700, "Forrest"
wrote:

I helped a friend build a computer today. He bought a tube of Arctic
Silver
III and had a lot left over .. gave it to me. ....

used the Arctic Silver, fired it back up and have
absolutely zero difference in temp. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on the
stuff.

AS paste needs time to "phase change" & melt to IHS & HS in-between;
usually takes 200 h or so @ HIGHER temps, but this can be speeded up
(see my site!). that you can see deifferences @ full load where is
important! But do not expect too much, 2-3°C max! than the ordinary
white paste! Helps for OC-ers but for others not much!

-- Regards, SPAJKY
- http://freeweb.siol.net/jerman55/HP/Spajky.htm
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
...
No, Arctic Silver in all its guises does not 'phase change'. Besides
being
not significantly better at heat transport than Radio Shack Zinc Oxide in
silicone grease, it can be electrically conductive and is expensive.
Arctic
Silver is the digital succesor to 'snake oil'. Even butter has
competitive
comparison except for butter's unfortunate tendency to attract ants and to
cause the CPU to land with the buttered side down when dropped.

Phil Weldon,


From www.arcticsilver.com .....

Important Reminder:
Due to the unique shape and sizes of the silver particles in Arctic Silver
3, it will take a up to 200 hours to achieve maximum particle to particle
thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum
conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on the
heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) The CPU's temperature
will drop as much as 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period.
This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer."

Might just be marketing blurb but I'm sure there must be something behind
it.

--
Sparky





"Spajky" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 17:26:25 -0700, "Forrest"
wrote:

I helped a friend build a computer today. He bought a tube of Arctic
Silver
III and had a lot left over .. gave it to me. ....

used the Arctic Silver, fired it back up and have
absolutely zero difference in temp. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on the
stuff.

AS paste needs time to "phase change" & melt to IHS & HS in-between;
usually takes 200 h or so @ HIGHER temps, but this can be speeded up
(see my site!). that you can see deifferences @ full load where is
important! But do not expect too much, 2-3°C max! than the ordinary
white paste! Helps for OC-ers but for others not much!

-- Regards, SPAJKY
- http://freeweb.siol.net/jerman55/HP/Spajky.htm
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

I've seen CPU's that had the paste stuff on it after a 1 1/2 years .. it
kind of dries out. I don't mind spending a few dollars more to get AS3 ...
we are talking about a very expensive CPU's. AMD's run hotter than a P4 and
once again I don't mind spending a few dollars more since I'm not spending
100's more on an Intel CPU.
You can do whatever you want . I also don't put the cheapest oil and oil
filters in my car either ... I look at it the same way.

"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
...
Yeah, sounds like a marketing blurb since to suggest a 200 hour delay for
proper operation sounds like the last defense of a scoundrel; that is to
wrap one's self in one's flag. In fact, it IS a marketing blurb
( http://www.arcticsilver.com ). This page also indicates that the two
hundred hour wait is not a phase change but a change that increases long
term stability. On the same page the manufacturer floats the suspect
claim
"Negligible electrical conductivity.
(Arctic Silver 3 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity. It is
only
electrically conductive in a thin layer under extreme compression. While
much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic
Silver 3 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. The
compound is slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it
bridged two close-proximity electrical paths.) In other words the
conductivity is only a problem for the conditions in which most CPU's
operate.

Phil Weldon,



"Sparky" wrote in message
...
"Phil Weldon" wrote in message
...
No, Arctic Silver in all its guises does not 'phase change'. Besides
being
not significantly better at heat transport than Radio Shack Zinc Oxide
in
silicone grease, it can be electrically conductive and is expensive.
Arctic
Silver is the digital succesor to 'snake oil'. Even butter has
competitive
comparison except for butter's unfortunate tendency to attract ants
and
to
cause the CPU to land with the buttered side down when dropped.

Phil Weldon,


From www.arcticsilver.com .....

Important Reminder:
Due to the unique shape and sizes of the silver particles in Arctic
Silver
3, it will take a up to 200 hours to achieve maximum particle to
particle
thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach
maximum
conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on
the
heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) The CPU's temperature
will drop as much as 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period.
This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer."

Might just be marketing blurb but I'm sure there must be something
behind
it.

--
Sparky





"Spajky" wrote in message
news On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 17:26:25 -0700, "Forrest"
wrote:

I helped a friend build a computer today. He bought a tube of
Arctic
Silver
III and had a lot left over .. gave it to me. ....

used the Arctic Silver, fired it back up and have
absolutely zero difference in temp. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on
the
stuff.

AS paste needs time to "phase change" & melt to IHS & HS in-between;
usually takes 200 h or so @ HIGHER temps, but this can be speeded up
(see my site!). that you can see deifferences @ full load where is
important! But do not expect too much, 2-3°C max! than the ordinary
white paste! Helps for OC-ers but for others not much!

-- Regards, SPAJKY
- http://freeweb.siol.net/jerman55/HP/Spajky.htm
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

Arctic Silver thank you.

Phil Weldon,

"Wookie" wrote in message
news:9w0Qa.43902$OZ2.7262@rwcrnsc54...
I've seen CPU's that had the paste stuff on it after a 1 1/2 years .. it
kind of dries out. I don't mind spending a few dollars more to get AS3
....
we are talking about a very expensive CPU's. AMD's run hotter than a P4
and ........

I don't think you ar wrong, just that Arctic Silver is over hyped. Next
time you are in an experimenting mood, try butter. Just don't leave it on
too long; it will eventually get rancid and Pentiums since the Pentium 60/66
MHz units won;t get hot enough to toast.

Phil Weldon,


"Spajky" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 21:08:33 +0100, "Sparky"
wrote:

From www.arcticsilver.com .....

Important Reminder:
Due to the unique shape and sizes of the silver particles in Arctic
Silver
3, it will take a up to 200 hours to achieve maximum particle to particle
thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU interface to reach maximum
conductivity. (This period will be longer in a system without a fan on
the
heatsink or with a low speed fan on the heatsink.) The CPU's temperature
will drop as much as 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period.
This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer."

Might just be marketing blurb but I'm sure there must be something behind
it.

yes it actually may be just a marketing blurb.. BUT :
I was running my lapped CPU/HS/slotket combo in my setup @ same temp
conditions with a good (!) thermal paste & than using an AS-II one
(got it for free small ammount from my friend) & there was a temp drop
of only 1 (one) °C after few hours full load regarding that non-AS
paste. BUT :

than I took the combo out & actually bake it in the pancake pot on a
stove few times during a day @ 100°C for 15min or so ...
(regarding contrary what the AS site says).. when I repeated a test
there was another 2-3°C drop on temps! Worked for me!

But could be also that the thermal pad under my Tuallie IHS between
that & the core melted better (for sure that happened also!). But all
together worked like a charm. But maybe I am wrong ...

-- Regards, SPAJKY
- http://freeweb.siol.net/jerman55/HP/Spajky.htm
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

I bought a server tower with 9 fans [7x100mm(3 intake, 2 exhaust, 2 PSU),
1x80mm(CPU), 1x40mm (video)]. Squashed it all. Stock heatsink from
intel. Idle: 30degC. Max (UT2003, SplinterCell, Hitman2, Postal2,
RainbowSix3, etc...): 49degC. A bit louder than my Mid tower with only
2x100mm, 1x80mm(CPU), 1x40mm(video). But, not much.

As for heatsink grease, if you have good airflow (unobstructed/and lots of
room), the differences are minimal between different types. The most
important function of h/s grease is to make sure that every surface has
some sort of contact with the heatsink. Varying degrees of heat
resistance and thermal conductivity will not give noticeable differences
due to the small (but important) role that it's actually performing. The
most important factor, IMO, is the heatsink and dissapation of heat via
either fans or other means. h/s grease can only account for so much of
the total picture. Please note, that this is a subjective observation
based on my own experience with said stuff.

Lots of intake (bottom front). Lots of exhaust (top rear). And, of
course, a good heatsink with a very good fan. Not rocket science, that's
for sure.

-
Phil Weldon stood up, at show-n-tell, and said:

I don't think you ar wrong, just that Arctic Silver is over hyped.
Next time you are in an experimenting mood, try butter. Just don't
leave it on too long; it will eventually get rancid and Pentiums
since the Pentium 60/66 MHz units won;t get hot enough to toast.

Phil Weldon,


"Spajky" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 21:08:33 +0100, "Sparky"
wrote:

From www.arcticsilver.com .....

Important Reminder:
Due to the unique shape and sizes of the silver particles in Arctic
Silver 3, it will take a up to 200 hours to achieve maximum
particle to particle thermal conduction and for the heatsink to CPU
interface to reach maximum conductivity. (This period will be
longer in a system without a fan on the heatsink or with a low
speed fan on the heatsink.) The CPU's temperature will drop as much
as 2C to 5C over this "break-in" period.
This break-in will occur during the normal use of the computer."

Might just be marketing blurb but I'm sure there must be something
behind it.

yes it actually may be just a marketing blurb.. BUT :
I was running my lapped CPU/HS/slotket combo in my setup @ same temp
conditions with a good (!) thermal paste & than using an AS-II one
(got it for free small ammount from my friend) & there was a temp
drop
of only 1 (one) °C after few hours full load regarding that non-AS
paste. BUT :

than I took the combo out & actually bake it in the pancake pot on a
stove few times during a day @ 100°C for 15min or so ...
(regarding contrary what the AS site says).. when I repeated a test
there was another 2-3°C drop on temps! Worked for me!

But could be also that the thermal pad under my Tuallie IHS between
that & the core melted better (for sure that happened also!). But all
together worked like a charm. But maybe I am wrong ...

-- Regards, SPAJKY
- http://freeweb.siol.net/jerman55/HP/Spajky.htm
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

--
Strontium

"Shortcuts are self-defeating. Mean. If you cannot do it,
clean, you'll never reach your reward..." - 311

ROFL. Ok, you caught me off guard with the 'buttered side down' comment.
I'll have to agree with the 'snake oil' analogy. My own thoughts remind
me of the antenna booster stickers (cell phones). So many suckers...so
much money. Who was it that said "Hey, there's money to be had"? Disney.
hehehe

-
Phil Weldon stood up, at show-n-tell, and said:

No, Arctic Silver in all its guises does not 'phase change'. Besides
being not significantly better at heat transport than Radio Shack
Zinc Oxide in silicone grease, it can be electrically conductive and
is expensive. Arctic Silver is the digital succesor to 'snake oil'.
Even butter has competitive comparison except for butter's
unfortunate tendency to attract ants and to cause the CPU to land
with the buttered side down when dropped.

Phil Weldon,




"Spajky" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 17:26:25 -0700, "Forrest"
wrote:

I helped a friend build a computer today. He bought a tube of
Arctic Silver III and had a lot left over .. gave it to me. ....

used the Arctic Silver, fired it back up and have
absolutely zero difference in temp. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on
the stuff.

AS paste needs time to "phase change" & melt to IHS & HS in-between;
usually takes 200 h or so @ HIGHER temps, but this can be speeded up
(see my site!). that you can see deifferences @ full load where is
important! But do not expect too much, 2-3°C max! than the ordinary
white paste! Helps for OC-ers but for others not much!

-- Regards, SPAJKY
- http://freeweb.siol.net/jerman55/HP/Spajky.htm
Celly-III OC-ed,"Tualatin on BX-Slot1-MoBo!"
E-mail AntiSpam: remove ##

--
Strontium

"Shortcuts are self-defeating. Mean. If you cannot do it,
clean, you'll never reach your reward..." - 311