Alternatives for Thermal paste

cpu cooling thermal-paste

11,282

Solution 1

You'll usually get better than nothing performance for every greasy thing you can place and some people say that water works fine too. The main problem is that most of the unusual greases will evaporate over time and behave badly when they dry. So if you really need something which is not thermal paste, get some grease designed for high temperature operation which will not dry out quickly. Oh and it needs to be stable enough not to corrode CPU heatspreader or heatsink.

And don't forget to use thin layer! There needs to be just enough to cover the processor and heatsink surface.

Solution 2

I wouldn't recommend anything but thermal paste, you need something non conductive. And just to be on the safe side I would use Thermal Paste.

I currently have used Arctic Cooling MX-2 and Arctic Silver 5.

Solution 3

I don't know where you heard that. Grease is to reduce friction, which may cause less heat to be created, but there is no significate friction where the processor meets the fan so there is none being created that way anyway. It is not designed to dissipate heat.

BUY THERMAL PASTE.

Solution 4

JB Weld works very well, but is permanent.

Source

View more solutions

11,282

Aducci

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Aducci over 1 year

I would like to know if anyone has had success using an alternative substance for thermal paste. (I heard wheel bearing grease was good)

I do appreciate the warnings, but I am not worried about the hardware and it will be fun to test.
- hicklypups almost 13 years
  
  No kidding Shinrai.
- Supercereal almost 13 years
  
  I know this is a dupe I just have to find it...
- Supercereal almost 13 years
  
  Okay so not and exact dupe but close enough... superuser.com/questions/102145/…
- Aducci almost 13 years
  
  @Xantec - That's what I will have to do. I thought I could get some knowledgeable insight here.
- user3660103 almost 13 years
  
  What's with all the closevotes here and none on the toothpaste question? I mean, the toothpaste question is just asking for one specific thing while this one is much more general in scope.
- UNK almost 13 years
  
  @AndrejaKo; That is a specific query with a reasonable answer. This is a general question with no one answer, and no good answers other than "Just use thermal paste".
- slhck almost 13 years
  
  Agreed with @Phoshi. Also, here's a dupe anyway: Alternative to thermal grease
hicklypups almost 13 years

I assume you mean electrically "non conductive". The whole point is that it is conductive...for heat. Silver-based thermal pastes will conduct electricity to some degree, so it is important that they not accidentally come in contact with electrical components.
uxout almost 13 years

Arctic Silver 5 claims that isn't conductive, but is it slightly capacitative, so you still have to be careful with it.
uxout almost 13 years

If you can't see through it, you put too much.
uxout almost 13 years

Really? Any source? I'm not doubting you, this notion just fascinates me...JB Weld is pretty hardcore for this sort of thing.
Moab almost 13 years

It was back in the late 90's I read an internet article on using different unorthodox materials as substitutes for thermal paste, at the time JB weld worked as well or better than the best pastes of that era, no I never saved the link or page, wish I did. I still use the old white silicone based thermal paste on older processors, works great and is inexpensive and still easy to find, just did my old Dell D600 with a 1.8 ghz mobile processor, runs as cool as it did before the remount of the heatsink.
Moab almost 13 years

This may have been it, not sure...overclockers.com/better-than-thermal-grease
mckenzm about 7 years

Works for transistors and SCR's.