Arctic Silver 5 AS5-3.5G Thermal Paste,Black, Grey

Most Helpful Review

"TL;DR: AS5 is no longer the "best," but Noctua NT-H1 now is considered the "best." However, the top several pastes nowadays all perform within about 1-2C of each other AT BEST, whereas 14 years ago AS5 was a SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE between itself and the "second best" pastes. In todays world, the top several pastes are all basically identical, and even pre-applied pastes on coolers/AIOs perform within that 1-2C as well (all except the Intel stock cooler: replace that stuff ASAP). Only stuff that is SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER today is liquid metal, which is a completely different beast from normal thermal "pastes," and has unique problems associated with its application. For all other stuff though? Don't concern yourself TOO MUCH with the specific brand of paste, but rather: the RIGHT APPLICATION, and the RIGHT COOLER.I have been building computers for around 15+ years now. When I first started, Arctic Silver 5 was THE PASTE TO BUY! If you bought anything else, you were either getting something second rate (at best), OR, you were spending a HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY for something WAY higher quality. If I remember correctly, compared to stock pastes, or pastes that came pre-applied on coolers, the AS5 would, generally speaking, decrease temps by about 3-5C, which is a somewhat significant temperature drop for nothing more than applying a new paste. Today, most pre-applied pastes aren't that bad (or, at least, on aftermarket coolers or even some Ryzen box coolers), so you don't get such a significant drop from pastes today. BUT! at the time, AS5, was the only real option for builders. If you wanted the best paste without breaking the bank? If you wanted the best "bang for your buck" paste? If you wanted something you KNEW was quality and worth it? You bought a tube of Arctic Silver 5.Back then, people would even buy AS5 to replace the paste on OTHER electronics: people would use it on Xbox 360s (they red ringed because of overheating issues, so people who were inclined to do so would take their 360 apart, replace the paste with AS5, and watch the temps drop. You could toss it on ANY ELECTRONIC that had a heatsink with thermal paste, and again, usually see a drop in temps of about 3-5C (again it depended on what the electronic was that you were putting the AS5 on).However, in TODAYS world of pastes? Not only are most pastes within a mere 1C of each other, but, if you do want that "best of the best" thermal compound, it is NO LONGER Arctic Silver 5. There are BETTER ALTERNATIVES. As I previously mentioned, most pre-applied pastes nowadays are not that terrible: I've used pre-applied pastes from Cooler Master AIOs and not noticed anything more than a 1-3C drop. If you're getting a bigger drop, you either had some REAL GARBAGE on there before, or, you simply applied it better.Again though, there are BETTER OPTIONS in todays world. What I use now is Noctua NT-H1, which is generally considered to be the "best" nowadays (short of using LIQUID METAL, which, although it conducts heat wayyyy better than almost every thermal paste, has a HUGE AMOUNT OF DRAWBACKS). Again though, the BEST TODAY is no longer as big of a difference as the best of yesteryear. Swapping the pre-applied paste on a Cooler Master AIO (as I mentioned), for example, provided me with a difference of MAYBE 1-2C?Basically, in short: in today's world, there are not only better pastes, but those better pastes don't make AS BIG OF A DIFFERENCE anymore. Pre-applied compounds used by companies are VASTLY SUPERIOR to the pre-applied compounds that they USED to use, and using a "high-end quality" thermal paste today does not give you the huge difference that using the "high-end quality" pastes did back 10-15 years, ago, such as AS5. As long as you aren't using the absolute cheapest bottom of the barrel thermal pastesIf you want proof, go find a video benchmarking different pastes and see what I'm talking about: the difference between the top 10 pastes is, USUALLY maybeeee 1-2C. Sure, the BOTTOM OF THE LIST, CHEAPEST BULK PASTE that's absolute garbage? You'll notice a difference using a quality paste from THAT, but, if you are using anything in the top 5, you won't notice a difference between them.Arctic Silver 5, however, no longer cracks that top 5: the company that makes AS5 has made some newer pastes that are better, and, again, what I use now, what is considered the "BEST," is Noctua NT-H1. Get some of that: it about the same price as this stuff, and, usually, the tube is a bit bigger and has a better applicator. Stick with that until a newer paste comes out that usurps it as the best. Or, go crazy and use liquid metal. But, if you choose to go liquid metal? BE CAREFUL if this is the route you're going to take: most of these 'regular' pastes like Noctua NT-H1? If they get on other components, they aren't very electrically conductive, just thermally, but liquid metal is INSANELY ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE, and even a drop on the CPU socket"