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| Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound |
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| Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov | |
| Wednesday, 13 June 2007 | |
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A good thermal compound is just as important as a good heatsink. Originally sold as pre-applied pads, TIMs (Thermal Interface Materials) serve to fill in any space between a processor core and a corresponding heatsink. Ideally a thermal compound isn't necessary: its only purpose is to fill in microscopic gaps between the two surfaces. The more you lap (polish) a heatsink, the less compound you'll need. Granted, no heatsinks are perfect and even the most reflective ones still require some form of interface material.
From a technical standpoint I can't find a better way to summarize what Arctic Silver says about their product, so I'll just paste the info from their AS5 page: Contains 99.9% pure silver: Arctic Silver 5 uses three unique shapes and sizes of pure silver particles to maximize particle-to-particle contact area and thermal transfer. High-Density: Arctic Silver 5 contains over 88% thermally Conductive filler by weight. In addition to micronized silver, Arctic Silver 5 also contains sub-micron zinc oxide, aluminum oxide and boron nitride particles. These thermally-enhanced ceramic particles improve the compound's performance and long-term stability. Controlled Triple-Phase Viscosity: Arctic Silver 5 does not contain any silicone. The suspension fluid is a proprietary mixture of advanced polysynthetic oils that work together to provide three distinctive functional phases. As it comes from the tube, Arctic Silver 5's consistency is engineered for easy application. During the CPU's initial use, the compound thins out to enhance the filling of the microscopic valleys and ensure the best physical contact between the heatsink and the CPU core. Then the compound thickens slightly over the next 50 to 200 hours of use to its final consistency designed for long-term stability. (This should not be confused with conventional phase change pads that are pre-attached to many heatsinks. Those pads melt each time they get hot then re-solidify when they cool. The viscosity changes that Arctic Silver 5 goes through are much more subtle and ultimately much more effective.) Not Electrically Conductive: Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity. (While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.) Absolute Stability: Arctic Silver 5 will not separate, run, migrate, or bleed. Thermal Conductance: >350,000W/m2 °C (0.001 inch layer) Thermal Resistance: <0.0045°C-in2/Watt (0.001 inch layer) Average Particle Size: <0.49 microns <0.000020 inch Extended Temperature Limits: Peak: –50°C to >180°C Long-Term: –50°C to 130°C Performance: 3 to 12 degrees centigrade lower CPU full load core temperatures than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads when measured with a calibrated thermal diode imbedded in the CPU core. Coverage Area: Arctic Silver 5 is sold in 3.5 gram and 12 gram tubes. The 3.5 gram tube contains enough compound to cover at least 15 to 25 small CPU cores, or 6 to 10 large CPU cores, or 2 to 5 heat plates. At a layer 0.003" thick, the 3.5 gram tube will cover approximately 16 square inches. |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 15 June 2007 ) |
