Thermal Compound Comparison

Companies: ArcticSilver, OCZ, GC Electronics, Silmore
Products: Various Thermal Compounds
Street Price: Varies, Generally Around $10
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2001
Reviewed By: Jason Rabel

Silmore Silicone Compound:

This packet of silicone compound is what is included with most heat sinks on the market today. This stuff is very runny, it's almost like trying to apply water, however if you use just a bit and spread it around it will work like it's supposed to. What can you expect for something that is free?

Type 44 Heat Sink Compound:

Many people don't know about GC Electronic's Type 44 Heat Sink Compound. It is a synthetic ester based (versus traditional silicone based) compound which is supposed to be more efficient. They claim it transfer 46% more efficiently than the best silicone products and 63% better than most olefin products. It meets Western Electric specifications KS21343 (whatever that means), and exceeds military performance MIL-C-47113-B (still means squat to me). This compound is not electrically conductive, will not bleed, and will not dry / harden / evaporate. It has an operating range from -40C to 200C. You can purchase this compound in various sizes, however the 1/2 fl. oz. was the smallest size I could find (which is a lot), it cost around $12 USD. The consistency was a little bit runnier than the Arctic Silver brands, but it was still firm enough to where it didn't bleed on its own.

Type Z9 Silicone Heat Sink Compound:

I know I already had a silicone compound in this comparison, but I decided to purchase a "quality" silicone compound to see if it made any difference. This too is the GC Electronics brand and I bought a 1 fl. oz. tube of it which cost about $10 USD, however it does comes in smaller and larger sizes. It has an operating range from -40C to 400C. The consistency of this compound was very similar to the Type 44 compound.

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