The best thermal paste for a laptop. The main requirements for any thermal paste. Middle price segment

In order for the processor, motherboard or video card to heat up less, work for a long time and stably, it is necessary to change the thermal paste from time to time. Initially, it is already applied to new components, but over time it dries out and requires replacement. In this article we will look at the main characteristics and tell you which thermal paste is good for the processor.

Thermal paste consists of a various mixture of metals, oil oxides and other components, which help it fulfill its main task - to provide better heat transfer. Replacement of thermal paste is required on average a year after purchasing a laptop or previous application. The assortment in stores is large, and to choose correct option, you need to pay attention to certain characteristics.

Thermal film or thermal paste

Nowadays, processors on laptops are increasingly covered with thermal film, but this technology is not yet ideal and is inferior in efficiency to thermal paste. The film has a greater thickness, due to which thermal conductivity decreases. In the future, films should become thinner, but this will not provide the same effect as thermal paste. Therefore, it does not make sense to use it for a processor or video card yet.

Toxicity

Nowadays there are a large number of counterfeits, where the paste contains toxic substances that harm not only the laptop, but also your health. Therefore, purchase goods only from trusted stores with certificates. The composition should not contain elements that cause chemical damage to parts and corrosion.

Thermal conductivity

This is what you should pay attention to first. This characteristic reflects the paste's ability to transfer heat from the hottest parts to the less heated ones. Thermal conductivity is indicated on the packaging and indicated in W/m*K. If you are using a laptop for office tasks, surfing the Internet and watching movies, then a conductivity of 2 W/m*K will be sufficient. IN gaming laptops- at least twice as high.

As for thermal resistance, then this indicator should be as low as possible. Low resistance allows for better heat dissipation and cooling of important laptop components. In most cases, high thermal conductivity means minimum value thermal resistance, but it is better to double-check everything and ask the seller again before purchasing.

Viscosity

Many people determine viscosity by touch - thermal paste should look like toothpaste or thick cream. Most manufacturers do not indicate viscosity, but you should still pay attention to this parameter; values ​​can vary from 180 to 400 Pa*s. You should not buy too thin or, on the contrary, very thick paste. From this it may turn out that it will either spread, or the too thick mass will not be evenly and thinly applied to the entire surface of the component.

Today, the possibilities of computer technology are almost limitless. People have learned to use these devices to the maximum. Besides, computer technology entered into a person’s life so much that in any modern house There is a desktop PC or laptop. With their help, people receive information, transfer data among themselves, work, study, travel virtually, etc. In fact, computers are a separate world that contains many interesting things. However, like everyone else electronic devices, computer equipment also needs repair and maintenance. At the same time, these types of devices are too picky in terms of “attention”. If proper care of these devices is not carried out, then problems with their direct use may soon arise. Among the procedures that are necessary actions in the process of maintaining proper technical condition computer, you can include applying thermal paste to the processor. Naturally, there is a problem in choosing this substance, since many people do not understand its types and characteristic features. Therefore, later in the article we will explain how to correctly and competently choose thermal paste for your computer.

What is thermal paste and what is it used for?

As mentioned earlier, the presence of a computer in an ordinary house or apartment today will not surprise anyone. Stranger is the situation when there is no such device in the living room at all. Despite this, the purpose of thermal paste remains a mystery to many people even today. In fact, no one understands what this substance is. Thermal paste is a special substance used to establish thermal conductivity between the processor and the computer cooling system itself. But this substance is used not only in the design of the computer “brain”, but also in a number of other functional elements of the entire system. For example, thermal paste is often used to adjust the cooling of bridges, video adapters, various resistors, etc. Direct application of the presented substance is carried out approximately once a year, during complete cleaning computer. To select it correctly, you need to understand its technical purpose, as well as know some selection criteria.

Main selection rules

Today, experts have identified many rules according to which you need to know exactly how to choose thermal paste; it is worth noting that many ignorant users do not at all distinguish between one or another type of this substance. For them, thermal paste is a single substance, the “grades” of which do not exist. Such a vision is deeply misleading. This is obvious from the fact that depending on the composition of the thermal paste, its color may even change. In addition, the composition of the substance quite strongly influences its thermal conductivity, ductility, thermal resistance, etc. To determine the highest quality type of product, you need to pay attention to these parameters, which have their own characteristics.

Thermal conductivity

Thermal conductivity and thermal resistance indicators are quite important characteristics. It is very easy to analyze these parameters for yourself by choosing the best option. When choosing thermal paste, you need to pay attention to those substances in which the first indicator is the highest and the second is the lowest. Substance with best ratio These parameters can be safely purchased. It is also necessary to analyze its plasticity. This parameter characterizes the difficulty of applying a substance to metal parts. It should be noted that highly plastic thermal paste will be easily applied in a thick layer. At the same time, air pockets will not form in it, which will allow the computer elements to touch as tightly as possible.

Resistance to temperature changes

An important role in choosing a suitable composition is played by its resistance to temperature changes. Indeed, during the actual operation of the computer, moments arise when the device is overheated, followed by sudden cooling. In this case, the thermal paste must maintain its structure and under no circumstances dry out. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the substance will be greatly reduced. Thus, you can purchase it only after a detailed analysis of all the parameters presented above. At the same time, as practice shows, high price indicates good quality substances. Therefore, when choosing it, you can safely purchase expensive thermal paste. By the way, on modern market There are many brands that are characterized by high quality manufactured products.

Rating of the best thermal pastes for computers

Personal computers, which almost every person owns today, are equipped with the most powerful systems cooling. However, if thermal paste is not used, then the cooling power will essentially not make any difference. Because functional elements will still have a fairly high temperature. IN in this case The effect of thermal conductivity plays a role; the higher this indicator, the more heat will transfer to the cooling system from the processor or other part. Thus, for personal computers it is necessary to choose compositions with a high thermal conductivity. Such companies as Zalman and Cooler Master. They just have quite a lot of models, and we will help you with our rating of the most best models thermal paste, where each model deserves to be in your PC and this is the Top 3.

1. Zalman ZM – STG2 and Koolance
2. Titan Silver Grease
3. Cooler Master IC-Essential E2

The presented substances are most suitable for use in personal computer systems. Also in Lately many competent technicians specializing in the field computer devices use a substance such as Titan Silver Grease. The characteristics of this thermal paste have high performance in absolutely all parameters, which makes it possible to use it also in laptops.

Rating of the best thermal pastes for laptops

The specifics of laptop operation are somewhat different from the information processing process in personal computers. In addition, the first devices consume many times more energy because they have a built-in battery. Consequently, overheating in laptops occurs more often than in PCs. Thus, in order to prevent failure of various elements of this fastidious device, it is necessary to use thermal paste the following types, namely: Aero 700 and Arctic Cooling. The presented substances have the highest indicators of those parameters that are simply necessary, taking into account increased productivity laptops. These substances will provide best level heat transfer, and will also protect some structural elements from the negative effects of high temperatures. Well, this is all good, but we will also give you advice on which thermal paste model is better to choose, we have made a rating of the best thermal pastes for your laptop, in our Top there are only high-quality and inexpensive models, and here they are.

The most best thermal pastes for laptops

The question in the title of the article is very relevant - most people do not see the difference in the quality of thermal paste for a laptop and do not understand why overpay for imported ones quality materials. Let's try to figure out what's what: which thermal paste is best for a laptop and what you should pay attention to when choosing it.

The article may be of interest to laptop owners who want to choose high-quality thermal paste for their home laptop and also for beginners computer technicians who clean their laptops from dust and replace thermal paste for money and want to do it conscientiously.

Almost any computer workshop knows which thermal paste is the best for a laptop. The question is not even about a specific brand of thermal paste, although there are favorites. After all, the difference in cost different brands from different manufacturers thermal paste sometimes reaches a frightening value - several dozen times.
This is why some laptop repair shops skimp on materials and thereby worsen the quality of service - the laptop continues to heat up above normal values ​​and eventually fails.

Imported Arctic Cooling – MX-4 (Thermal Compound Arctic Cooling MX-4)

The manufacturer of Arctic Cooling MX-4 thermal paste is Arctic.ac.

If you order directly from the manufacturer at a retail price, then a delivery cost of 6.3 EUR will be added to the basic order amount for 1 tube of 4.0 (8.99 EUR) (For Russia, Belarus, Ukraine). A package of 20 grams (20.0) will cost 19.99 EUR + 6.3 EUR (delivery).

You can order Arctic Cooling MX-4 thermal paste either directly from the manufacturer or at trading platforms like Aliexpress.com. Also, no one has canceled local online stores with delivery to the apartment or pickup.

The advantage of a retail order from Aliexpress.com will be free delivery throughout the CIS and a price in USD. Availability free shipping must be clarified on the seller's page.

Prices for Arctic Cooling thermal paste – MX-4 in Aliexpress.com stores

The above thermal pastes for laptops are indeed widely available, but few people understand the real difference. Apart from the price, everything is obvious here.

What is the fundamental difference between KPT-8 and Arctic Cooling – MX-4

The fact is that cheap pasta loses to expensive ones in all the above parameters. And naturally, it is not very desirable to use it in devices with compact system cooling, not to mention laptops with a tendency to overheat without high load. Such laptops usually have powerful multi-core processor(i5, i7 and others), high-performance video cards - cooling works at the limit of what is possible almost all the time.

Thermal conductivity

Thermal conductivity is the ability of substances (materials) to transfer heat from more heated parts to less heated parts. There is a coefficient of thermal conductivity in the form of the ratio of the amount of energy conducted to the area of ​​the material and the time it took for this.

Thermal conductivity is one of the most important parameters any thermal interface for a laptop or computer. The higher it is, the better quality thermal paste and higher price.

• Arctic Cooling–MX-4 — 8.5 W/(m K)
• KPT-8 — 0.7 W/(m K)

Wear resistance

• Wear resistance is the ability of a material to resist loss of efficiency during operation.

  The fact is that any thermal paste during the operation of a laptop experiences destructive effects in the form of temperature changes. High wear resistance allows the material to retain its beneficial features(ductility, thermal conductivity) during large quantity heating-cooling cycles. Cheap thermal pastes, like KPT-8, have low wear resistance - this paste quickly breaks down. KPT-8 already during a short period of operation liquefies and then becomes greasy stain on the surface of the processor chip. Then the thermal paste dries completely - only white crystalline powder, similar to toothpaste, remains.

  Some would-be practitioners, knowing this feature of CBT, try to compensate for it big amount. As one such master said: “You can never have too much thermal paste!”

  This is an erroneous statement: there should be very little paste on the surface of the chip. The height of the thermal paste layer on the chip crystal should be 0.4 - 0.6 mm. The layer should be uniform over all surfaces and without gaps. A uniform thin layer over the entire surface of the crystal guarantees maximum efficiency laptop cooling system and its long service life.

  It is also important to properly secure the radiator of the cooling system - you need to clamp the cooler according to the marks so as not to distort the surface of the heat sink.

Consistency and plasticity

• Consistency is important for correct application thermal paste on the surface of the chip. Plasticity allows the material to take the desired shape and at the same time not spread over the surface after some time and under the influence of high temperature. KPT-8 is easy to apply and smear, but due to high temperature it simply flows around the surface, revealing its component composition: polymer, zinc oxide and aerosil.

Therefore in powerful laptops at self-disassembly and cleaning, use only reliable thermal interfaces such as Arctic Cooling - MX-4 (there are others, and even slightly better ones). For cooling system problems, contact only trusted computer services.

Laptop thermal paste - popular consumables. Both desktop and laptop computers require periodic replacement of the heat-conducting layer that protects the processor from overheating. Average term The service life of the paste depends on the frequency of use of the device, and, as a rule, does not exceed a year: during this time, the paste usually either becomes clogged with dust or dries out. Fortunately, the procedure for replacing thermal paste is not very difficult. If you can disassemble and reassemble a computer, and then it still works, you can definitely handle replacing the paste.

Replacement frequency

You can determine that your laptop needs to replace the thermal paste based on the following signs:

The principle of operation of thermal paste

Using thermal paste for a laptop processor allows you to avoid overheating and subsequent repairs to the chipset itself, motherboard or video card. Although sometimes the same parts can overheat due to dust accumulated on them - in this case, not only replacing the paste, but also cleaning the laptop computer will help solve the problem. Thermal paste, also called a thermal interface, is connecting link between the heat exchanger and the processor, increasing their efficiency. The purpose of the material is to fill gaps and irregularities between the radiator and top part chipset, which guarantees normal work laptop cooling systems.

Fig.2. Correct distribution of thermal paste over the surface.

During operation of the device, air gaps appear between the contacting surfaces of the processor housing and the radiator. The reason for this is the slight roughness of the contacting parts. And the air gap, even if it is small in size, negatively affects heat removal from the heating chipset. The reduction in thermal conductivity can reach 15–20 percent. After applying thermal paste, uneven surfaces are filled, and heat transfer from the processor increases. The high thermal conductivity of the material contributes to the rapid cooling of the chipset.

Selecting a thermal interface

In order to restore normal speed The performance of a laptop that has decreased as a result of excessive overheating of the processor is not enough to simply change the thermal paste. It is also important to do this on time and choose the right material. There are now quite a few types of pastes on the market, differing in most characteristics, including cost. For the right choice You should pay attention to the following parameters:

• thermal conductivity, measured in W/(m*deg). The larger this value, the better protection protects the material from overheating. Optimal options Pastes with thermal conductivity of 8.5 and above are considered;
• wear resistance, which is not measured in numbers, but can be determined by the description of the material and user reviews of it;
• consistency, that is, shape and thickness, on which the ease of use of the paste depends.

Advice: When choosing thermal paste, it is better to avoid outdated brands, even the most common and relatively inexpensive ones. Paste is an important element of long-lasting stable operation computer, and this is clearly not something you should skimp on. Also, do not take discounted or damaged tubes. But you shouldn’t overpay - we don’t recommend buying packages “in reserve”, since the paste as a whole quickly dries out and becomes unusable. As for large packages, they are intended for service centers, where thermal protection is one of the main consumables. To upgrade your work machine, a large pea-sized ball in a disposable package will be enough.

The packaging of many thermal pastes contains information indicating the presence of microparticles of ceramics, silver and carbon in their composition. Despite the fact that this data is a marketing ploy by manufacturers, the point of using such additives is to increase the thermal conductivity of the system. Getting between the surfaces of the radiator and the chipset, silver particles help increase heat transfer and cool the processor.

Main stages of paste replacement

The main steps for replacing thermal conductive paste on a laptop are:

• disassembling the device according to instructions that can be downloaded from the Internet;
• removing the cooling system;
• cleaning the radiator and processor from remnants of old material;
• applying new paste;
• laptop assembly.

Having disassembled laptop, on the base of the cooler and processor radiator you can see thermal paste that has white, yellow or grey colour. It should be removed using wet wipes, cotton swabs or even a wooden ruler, depending on the degree of drying of the material. The paste is removed from both the chipset and the cooling system, since a new thermal insulator will be applied to the same surfaces.

If the paste has dried too much, a wiping cloth can be dampened isopropyl alcohol, increasing cleaning efficiency. Careful removal of the material is mandatory, since the surfaces of the radiator and chipset have a microrelief on which particles of the thermal insulator can be retained. If you leave dried out old thermal paste, heat transfer may be impaired, even if you choose and apply new one correctly.

Advice! Don't forget to degrease the surface

After the heatsink and processor are cleaned from the thermal interface, you need to let them dry. Now you should degrease the surface, and then you can apply new material. And the first stage of application is to place a drop of paste in the center of the chipset surface. The correct amount is determined by eye - just one light press on the plunger of the syringe in which the material is located.

The reason the paste is applied to the CPU rather than the heatsink cooler is because the surface area of ​​the latter is too large. Excess thermal paste on the protruding parts of the cooling system may not only not help increase heat transfer, but also damage the laptop, causing contacts to short out. motherboard. Whereas excess material on the surface of the chipset is quite noticeable and can be easily removed before it causes harm.

To properly distribute the paste over the surface, it is best to use plastic card. Can also be used:

• a brush that is included with some thermal pastes;
• special spatula;
• SIM card from the phone;
• latex gloves.

The paste layer should be distributed evenly and in a layer approximately 1 mm thick. Additionally, a simple sheet of paper will help to even out the thermal paste.

The process of applying the material ends with installing the cooling system in place and connecting the cooler. You can check the effectiveness of the replacement and correct assembly after rebooting the laptop and entering the BIOS. The temperature of the device’s processor after several minutes of operation should not exceed 40 degrees. If this condition is not met, the system may have been assembled incorrectly, or the problem is not only dried out paste, but also faulty fan.

Results

The paste should be replaced often enough to ensure that the processor does not overheat and the speed of the laptop does not decrease. It is difficult to determine the exact period for applying thermal paste to the processor, and they are guided mainly by too high temperature devices. How to monitor the temperature of the processor in the device, read our material about programs for measuring computer temperature and the corresponding step by step guide.

It is best to carefully monitor parameters such as the temperature of the processor in a laptop using the appropriate widgets throughout the entire period of use, otherwise one day you will have to face the need for more serious repairs laptop computer.

Test participants

Glacial Stars Ice Therm I

Characteristics:
Thermal Conductivity W/(mK)-4.5
Operation Temperature - -30-180C
Color Light-Gray.
Net weight:1.5g
Cost (including per gram): 200 rub. (133.33 rub.)

Glacial Stars Ice Therm II

Characteristics:
Thermal Conductivity W/(mK)- 8.1
Operation Temperature- -40-100C
Color Light-Gray.
Net weight:1.5g
Cost (including per gram): 250 rub. (166.66 rub.)
The set includes a spatula for applying the thermal interface.

Arctic Silver Ceramique 2

Characteristics:
Average Particle Size:
<0.36 micron <0.000014 inch (70 particles lined up in a row equal 1/1000th of an inch.)

Temperature Limits:
Peak: –150°C to >185°C
Long-Term: –150°C to 130°C

Coverage Area:
2.7-gram syringe. (Approximately 1cc)
Cost (including per gram): 190 rub. (70.37 rub.)

DEEPCOOL Z3

Characteristics:
Thermal Conductivity W/(mK)>1.134
Operation Temperature: -50-300C
Thermal Imperdance:<0.201
Dielectric Constant A>5.1
Viscosity: 73
Color: Silver
Net weight: 1.5g

Ingredients.
-Silicone Compounds 50%
-Carbon Compounds 20%
-Metal Oxide Compounds 30%
Cost (including per gram): 90 rub. (60 rub.)
The kit includes a cardboard card with a glossy surface for applying thermal paste.
I added this thermal interface to the test at the request of Stepnoi. But I tested only this one earlier at a room temperature of 22C, and all other participants were tested at a temperature one degree higher.

Arctic Cooling MX-2 4g.

Characteristics:

Viscosity (poise)-850
Density (g/cm³)-3.96
Net weight: 4g
Cost (including per gram): 270 rub. (90 rub.)

Arctic Cooling MX-2 8g.

Characteristics:
Thermal Conductivity W/(mK)-5.6
Viscosity (poise)-850
Density (g/cm³)-3.96
Net weight: 4g
Cost (including per gram): 190 rub. (23.75 rub.)
I included this thermal paste in testing because... many people doubt its authenticity at such an attractive price per gram.

Test time

Test bench:

Case: SILVERSTONE TEMJIN TJ11B-W,
MP: ASUS LGA2011 Rampage IV Extreme X79 8xDDR3-2400 5xPCI-E3.0 8ch BT 4xSATA 4xSATA3 RAID 8xUSB3 eSATA BT E-ATX,
CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz (TB up to 3.9GHz) 10Mb 4xDDR3-1866 TDP-130w LGA2011 BOX,
Video card: PCI-E GigaByte GeForce GTX 670 2048MB 256bit GDDR5 DVI HDMI DisplayPort,
Memory: DDR3 4096MBx4 PC17000 2133MHz Kingston HyperX Intel XMP CL11-11-10-30,
PSU: Chieftec 850W, 4x8pinPCI-E 8xSATA CabMan Active PFC 14cm fan,
Hard: SATA-3 2Tb Seagate 7200 SV35 Cache 64MB,
Fans: ZALMAN ZM-F3BL 120*120*25 1800rpm, DEEPCOOL Wind Blade 120x120x25, 1300RPM.
Cooler: Prolimatech Armageddon
The processor operated at a frequency of 4375Mhz.

The test was carried out with using OCCT 4.3.1 and lasted for 30 minutes.
The room temperature in the room was constant and was at 23C.

Glacial Stars Ice Therm I

Glacial Stars Ice Therm II

Arctic Silver Ceramique 2

DEEPCOOL Z3

Arctic Cooling MX-2 4g.

Arctic Cooling MX-2 8g.

Summary table of the results obtained

Core 1

Core 2

Core 3

Summarizing:
As a result of testing, the Arctic Cooling MX-2 in an 8 gram package became the winner; it was able not only to refute the rumor of an alleged fake, but in some tests it surprisingly turned out to be a couple of degrees better than its 4 gram version. In general, from all my tests, I found a clear leader: Arctic Cooling MX-2; it not only applies perfectly, but also has high efficiency, beating it by a couple of degrees or even more depending on the core, and has amazing stability.
Second place can be given to Glacial Stars Ice Therm I and Arctic Silver Ceramique 2; they are approximately equal in efficiency; in third place is DEEPCOOL Z3.
The main disappointment was the thermal paste Glacial Stars Ice Therm II; not only is it not cheap, but it also has a terrible consistency reminiscent of clay, which is very difficult to spread with a credit card; it instantly hardens and sticks to it, as a result of which the consumption is increased and one package is enough for you to use once, and In terms of efficiency and ease of application, it is slightly inferior to the product of its own brand, Glacial Stars Ice Therm I. As a result, I can assure everyone that the high thermal conductivity of the paste does not mean its leadership and effectiveness.