Artic Silver worth it?

So it's the battle of the Processor or PSU. I honestly don't think it's my PSU, I ordered a 950 watt that has over a 100 amps on the 12v.


What I noticed is that when I was installing Call of Duty MW, I saw my temps for once on a true load. I noticed my temps were at 98c, now my CPU is sitting at 48c.


What Heatsink should I get that is quiet? Does Artic Silver truly work?

 

I've been happy with Artic Silver, so I would recommend it. Just be careful on which variation you get. Some are more conductive than others and need more attention applying.

Not knowing which type of processor you have (and case clearance) it's really hard to tell you which Heatsink/Fan would be good for your application. If you have one of the following CPUs:
All Intel Celeron (Socket 775)
All Intel Pentium 4 (Socket 775)
All Intel Pentium D
All Intel Core 2 Duo
Core 2 Extreme Quad

I would recommend this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Very easy to install and works great. Just read the reviews and make sure you have enough clearance in your case.

 

Thank you

 

I always use Arctic Silver. As for the cooler, the one Mickey linked to looks pretty good. I am fond of this one: http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/thermalright-ultra-120-extreme-cpu-cooler-p-16580.html You can mount one or two 120mm fans on it.

98°C is HOT!

 

Artic silver is conductive too much can Kill, Hard too remove
I use only Artic Ceramic, non conductive, last longer, cleanes easier, better IMO:major
Lapping your HS will also yeild improvement

 

ALL heatsinks are just hunks of aluminum or copper. NONE make any noise! They may have a fan attached however, that may be very noisy.

Compared to what? Even the cheap generic thermal pads that come with many heat sinks work. And unless you are overclocking, most work just fine - assuming a good case with good front to back air flow. However, you can usually see 3 - 5°C drop by using a high quality TIM instead of the pad.

No, not really - at least that is not the danger. It is capacitive, not conductive - well it conducts heat, but the manner in which the silver is encapsulated makes it a poor electrical conductor - it will not short a circuit running at >2V potentials - as nearly all CPUs do.

But understand, for this to be a problem, you would have to glob it on, getting it all over the place - something you don't do with any TIM. You have a greater risk of damaging the CPU or socket by mishandling, or poor ESD precautions than you do from damage with any properly applied TIM.

ASUS is correct and it can be difficult to remove - although so can any TIM that's been cured on there for some time - but careful use of 93% isopropyl alcohol or acetone works fine.

If you lap your HS, you should lap the opposing mating surface too, the CPU die. And if done right, you don't need TIM. But, we're talking precision micro-resurfacing, using precision lapping tools in the hands of qualified, precision machinists. Some enthusiast have been successful lapping at home - but many have failed, with costly results - or they end up using TIM after lapping anyway, defeating the purpose.

The important thing to remember is to use a properly applied, thin, but complete layer of TIM. If heat is a problem, attempting to fix it by applying a different TIM is only treating the symptom, not the cause.

And for the record, I find it hard to believe your CPU is running at 98°C. I suspect that is 98°F (36.6°C), or an incorrect sensor reading.

 

Yes 98C is way too high, my CPU's max temp is 63C. Once I re-apply'd the degrading thermal compound in a nice thin layer I got it back to 40C.

I don't know how it happend maybe because my I let my friend apply the compound last time (he put way too much on). I simply used the standard AKASA thermal compound that came with the HS&F.

Artic Silver 5 is really good stuff if you apply it correctly, I used it with my old stock HS&F & saw very low temps with it, around 32C from 46C with standard AMD compound.

:major2-Bit-Geek:major