While not quite as important as having a high quality heatsink, thermal paste plays a very important role in keeping your CPU (or video card) running cool. A few weeks ago, we looked into the proper techniques for applying thermal paste. In this article, we will be using what we learned to properly test a number of popular thermal pastes.
The best technique to apply thermal paste is something that is often debated, and as a whole the internet has not decided on a standard technique. There are many varying techniques that are recommended, so in this article we will best test a variety of techniques to see which performs the best.
Even before launch of the Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs in April 2012, it was discovered that the CPUs were running a bit hotter than expected. The TIM paste was proven to be the culprit by the Japanese site PC Watch when they reported that by replacing the TIM paste they saw a load temperature drop of 8-11 *C at stock clock speeds, and an amazing 15-20*C drop in load temperatures when overclocked to 4.6 GHz.
We decided that it was time to do our own testing to see if anything has changed in recent months. The result was some very interesting data that caught us a bit by surprise.
It stands to reason that the hotter the ambient air, the hotter a computer will run and the faster the system fans will spin to try to keep the individual components running cool. While this in itself is common sense, exactly how much hotter components run as the ambient temperature increases is not common knowledge. This information is very useful for us at Puget Systems to use when configuring a customer’s computer, but is also useful to determine if reporting thermal testing results as “degrees above ambient” (as many hardware reviewers do) is actually accurate. To find out the exact ratio, we took a common system configuration and tested it across a range of ambient temperature levels.
The Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU cooler is a medium-sized cooler designed for mid to low range CPUs. This cooler is very similar to the Scythe Kantana 3 CPU cooler currently in our product line, so the main question is: which CPU cooler is better?
Puget Systems has used many variations of the Antec TriCool 120mm fan over the years – including the red, blue and green LED versions in our colored case fan kits – due to their excellent noise to airflow ratio. However, Antec has recently discontinued the green LED version of the Antec Tricool, so we needed to find a good replacement fan for our green LED kits. In our search for a replacement, we found that the Cooler Master SickleFlow fan fits all of our requirements as a replacement fan to the long-lived green Antec TriCool.
Along with the standard air cooler, Intel has decided to partner with Asetek to launch a closed-loop liquid cooler – the RTS2011LC – for their new 2011 socket. With the rise in popularity of these closed-loop liquid cooling solutions, the real question is how this liquid cooler fares in relation to similar products already on the market.
Fan grills are a component in a computer that is often underestimated in terms of their contribution to both system noise and airflow. Most often, grills are chosen based on aesthetics with only a small thought towards performance. In this article, we will be examining nine different grills to determine the effects of grill design on both noise and airflow.
Adequate cooling is always a concern when using high-end hardware. In this article we will examine the cooling advantages a side fan can give to an otherwise normal system.
The GX-7 is Gelid’s latest addition to their heatsink line and is in their Gamer line of coolers. In this article we will be reviewing the performance and noise levels in comparison to to the Gelid Rev. 2 Tranquillo.
Puget Systems builds custom workstations, servers and storage solutions tailored for your work.
We provide:
Extensive performance testing
making you more productive and giving better value for your money
Reliable computers
with fewer crashes means more time working & less time waiting
Support that understands
your complex workflows and can get you back up & running ASAP
A proven track record
as shown by our case studies and customer testimonials
