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Arctic Silver

by pheenix

sponsored by HighSpeed PC

Every overclocker or cooling freak knows how important proper cooling is in your system.  According to Intel, the  P3 CPU's (FC-PGA at least) has a thermal limit of 80C (176F or so).  If you allow your CPU to run anywhere near this limit, you should be taken out and given a proper beating.  With an Alpha PEP66 and Sunon fan (27cfm or so I think), and using a little cheap silicon based compound, I'm getting about 90 to 100F (depending on if my vid card cranks up the ambient temp).  I'd prefer to keep it around 80 to 90F (at worst, 10F over ambient).  Of course the video card (when doing 3d stuff) will increase overall temp slightly regardless..........

    I came across HighSpeed PC which offers an interesting product called Artic Silver.  AS (for short) is a great thermal compound which is rather unique.  To my knowledge, it is the only thermal compound in which the primary ingredient is a precious metal....you guessed it..Silver!  Silver offers great thermal properties (4.65 to 5.15 W/m*K depending on the version and particular batch) and relatively low electrical conductivity.  Since silver is a precious metal ($5 to $6 per ounce depending on market conditions), it is a little pricey when compared to $1 per tube for a silicone based compound.  But the extra thermal protection makes the price of $13.95 for a .23oz tube makes it a worthwile expense.  Isnt your $300 CPU worth a few extra $$ for better thermal protection?

    $13.95 for .23oz may seem like a lot for just a little compound, but bear in mind that it does have a relatively high silver content,  and when using on a p3 cpu (in my case, FC-PGA), only a very tiny amount was needed.  .23oz will definitely go a long way.  Since this compound does have a metallic base (silver), technically it is electrically conductive (realistically, only under the right conditions).  Just to be on the safe side, dont get it on anything you dont want it to be on.  I put a generous, yet small amount on the cpu core.  If you're replacing a different type of compound, remove it completely before applying the AS.

        I decided to test AS under somewhat harsh conditions.  I was running the rc5 client in the background (to ensure 100% cpu utilization), and ran some 3d apps to heat up my Voodoo3 card.  After a couple of hours before Arctic Silver, and After.....here are the results (the temp on the right is after the Arctic Silver application:

    Even after a few hours of CounterStrike, there was still a 5C temp decrease.  So as you can see, Arctic Silver is quite superior when compared to a cheaper silicone based thermal compound.  When they say 2C to 7C temp decrease over other thermal compounds...they're not kidding....I peaked around 9C, but average around 5C cooler.  This product definitely lives up to its promise.  I wonder how it would hold up against a copper based compound?

    Pros:

        Easy to apply syringe

        On a P3, 1 tube goes a looooong way (I don't own an Athlon so I cant tell how long it will last there)

        Great thermal properties (79% to 82% pure  silver content, 4.65 to 5.15 W/m*K depending on the version and particular   batch.)

    Cons:

        I could say the price, but it's benefits certainly outweigh the cost....

    You could also use this stuff on any chip you want to cool.  Your chipset, video cpu, video ram, or anything else you have, or want to have heatsinked would certainly benefit from this excellent product.  Head on over to HighSpeedPC and order some today!!