Thermal paste. You either think about it a lot, or you just slap some on your CPU and call it a day. Good news to anyone in the former group: Arctic has just launched a new paste, and some suggest it's one of the best.
Arctic's MX-7 is a non-conductive and highly viscous paste. A higher viscosity than MX-6 but not as viscous as MX-4. I'll stop saying viscous now. The company suggests it can lower CPU temperatures by as much as a couple of degrees versus MX-6 in its own testing, though we have a third-party test to take a look at in a moment.
MX-7 is already available to purchase in a variety of sizes. I'd normally round prices, but since we're talking pennies between some of these sizes, here they are in full:
Why you'd buy anything other than 8 grams with these sorts of prices is beyond me. Grab some isopropyl and a big tube, and you're sorted for cleaning and reapplication for years to come.
Arctic recommends a cross pattern for applying MX-7. Who am I to go against the company that makes the paste—nah, I'm still going to do a big line down the middle. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Generally, though, so long as you get plenty of paste on the IHS and cover the heat-generating silicon beneath, you'll be okay.
As for performance, Igor's Lab reports excellent results for MX-7 in testing. Igor takes thermal paste testing very seriously, using laser analysis to test the composition of the paste and specialised equipment for thermal resistance. Having spoken to Igor about his thermal paste testing in the past, I'm willing to take his word on what's good and what's not. MX-7 sure looks pretty darn good, landing second place overall in Igor's database with an average CPU temperature of 64.86 °C.
First place is Halnziye's HY-P17, which is a very affordable paste and best sourced from Aliexpress. You have to be careful with how you apply it for the best results, however.
I invested in a 45-gram tube of MX-4 over a year ago, and I'm only halfway through it. I'd better get through it all before I buy any new paste—oops, finger slipped, ordered some MX-7. Let's see if it's as good as they say it is, then.
