Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound 3.5g Tube

I have systems that still run cool on this nearly 20 years later.For the sake of perhaps 1 degree c, I'm not going to change to something that may need reapping every few years.Silver is the way to go as far as I'm concerned, and as5 does a good job.

It is genuine and functions well. Easy to apply although like all paste it is a bit messy. There is usually enough in the tube to reapply if needed.

I bought this as I am the owner of a Sony Vaio "F" series, with the Intel i7 processor. These models are prone to serious cooling or rather, lack of issues. The fan is constantly spinning at high rpm's. I decided to strip it down and clean the fan, and re-apply the thermal paste to both the CPU and GPU. Searching YouTube I found a video explaining the disassembly process. Once you have it disassembled give it a good blow out with the Air can. Then remove the fan and the attached copper piping, I was amazed looking at both the CPU and GPU which were absolutely covered in crusty old thermal paste, some parts on the top had no paste and down the sides was a mountain of crusty old paste spilling out on to both the processors!!!! Obviously who ever had applied this had no idea at all, Sony really should look into this as it really was bad, and I think this could be a major reason why Sony have had so many complaints about hot "F" series laptops. If you are planning on doing your machine you will need the following. A can of compressed air, cotton balls and cotton buds, Isopropyl alcohol, available at a pharmacy, a credit card or something similar, a very small flat head screwdriver. Starting with the copper pipe part, of the CPU and GPU apply plenty of alcohol to the copper pipe and rub away to break up the old paste I used cotton buds to gradually shift it, then move to the CPU and GPU, be careful here, and go easy again using cotton buds and lots of alcohol I cleaned the tops with care and for more stubborn areas around the sides I soaked liberally with alcohol and carefully picked away the hardest bits with a tiny flat bladed screwdriver. This took me over 30 mins just be patient as you go along, once you are finished, blow again with the air can to remove any minute debris.Take your Arctic Silver and apply a tiny amount to the GPU, approx. that of a very small grain of rice and apply to the top of the GPU, I used a cotton bud compressed tight to apply it evenly,, then get the credit card and smooth until very fine, then do the CPU with it being larger just apply a little more than the GPU, again smooth and apply, you do not need lots, just a thin coat! Allow to dry slightly for about 20 mins then clean up any excess around the CPU and GPU. Finally reassemble. Once I rebooted my temperatures had fallen from around 70c to an unbelievable 45c, and the fan is almost silent, good news is it can take 200 hours to bed in! so I expect the temps to drop even more. In summary a worthwhile investment worth every penny, and lots left should I need to do it again.

Re-seating a cpu heatsink. what can I say? Lost my venerable tube of AS3 and this was a nice speedy replacement. Computer hasn't caught fire and exploded so far so good!

Despite building various computers and working on others, this the first time I have reviewed thermal paste.I have always believed that when it comes to certain PC components, there is no point in buying cheap as you will always end up having to replace it sooner; thermal paste is one of them.If you don't know, thermal paste is used to create a thermally fused bridge between a chip such as a CPU with a heat sink; this is done to ensure as much heat can be dissipated from the chip as quickly as possible. Why? Because we don't want anything to overheat and potentially cause permanent damage.Packaging: This came in a clear resealable bag. The tube itself is a spring loaded syringe that feels strong.Ease of use:I recommend sacrificing a small amount to start with as it is nearly always slightly watery compared to the rest of the tube. Firstly, you MUST wipe off any old thermal paste from the heat sink and chip that you wish to apply this too. I recommend using 99% rubbing alcohol and cotton buds to work off any residue.Once clean, apply a small line to the chip and very carefully put the heat sink down evenly so not to smear the paste. Tighten in a cross motion, that is, tighten screws as opposite pairs so that the load is even across the heat sink. Doing this will help spread the line of thermal paste in an even manner. Many people think you need to cover the chip entirely, you do not, don't forget, the heat sink is in contact with the chip anyway and the paste only serves as a very fine bridge between the two.Performance:I have used this on so any PCs and have only ever seen decreases in temperature. Notable examples include repairing an old Xbox 360 using different screws for the heat sink and replacing the paste with this stuff. The Xbox no longer overheats and still works now.This specific order was used for an old Acer Aspire Revo Nettop. In order to upgrade the hard drive I had to remvoe the heat sink. Because th eheat sink was coming off, I needed to replace the thermal paste. Running Kodi before showed idle CPU temps of 70-75 degrees. Since replacing, I haven't seen it go over 71 and idles at around 63. It seems to be often the case that factory used thermal paste just isn't as good quality as the dearer ones such as this.Value: Considering I still have at least 3g left, I'd say that I will get another three big uses out of this tube, and at £5.99 delivered next day, this is great value.Pros:- Spring loaded syringe- Thick compound- Excellent qualityCons:- Paste separates in storage (but all seem to do that)If you are looking for a thermal paste, buy this, you will not be disappointed.