Cooling Efficiency Analysis

Before we start with the full analysis we need to outline what we used to get to these figures. So first of all we didn't use the stock Intel CPU cooler but went for the Rosewill full copper version to achieve a better result. After having applied the thermal compound we installed the Rosewill CPU cooler and let the system run for some hours. Well, meaning our Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 processor which we overclocked to 2.8GHz. The first hours we just ran some normal applications, which we consider as a normal operation and usage. After that we started to stress the CPU to a maximum which was accomplished by using decryption software, namely RC5-72/OGRp2 Distributed Client. This will stress the CPU and keep it running at full load while the program is running. After some hours we noticed that the temperature would become stable and that is what we used as reference to compare the performance and efficiency of the thermal compound.

Rosewill Thermal Compound

As always we need to set a reference and that is exactly the purpose of using the standard thermal paste that came with the Rosewill CPU cooler. This paste comes in a plain simple syringe with no extra indication on it. So for our reference results we applied this thermal paste and let the system run for some hours to the idle temperature, and afterwards started the stress program until the temperature was stable. Both these results we put in the table and will be used to compare the other compounds against, but we will also compare the results against each other. In the end it would be only normal that these more special thermal compounds would deliver better thermal results as the reference paste supplied by Rosewill.

Rosewill Standard	Room Temp	CPU Temp
Idle Operation	23.2°C	38.4°C
Full Load Operation	23.2°C	47.2°C

Akasa Thermal Compound

Let's start with the first contenders which are both thermal compounds from Akasa, namely the Pro-Grade 460 and Pro-Grade+ 5022. Both of these are the latest compounds released by Akasa and are considered as high grade thermal paste. We applied both of these thermal compounds, ran the system for several hours at idle and full load operation until the temperature of the Core 2 Duo E6300 processor reached a stable value. Looking back at the reference results we can clearly see the difference with the Akasa Pro-Grade+ 5022 taking the lead and doing quite a lot better as the Rosewill thermal paste. Both of the Akasa high grade compound deliver excellent cooling results.

Akasa Pro-Grade 460	Room Temp	CPU Temp
Idle Operation	23.2°C	36.3°C
Full Load Operation	23.2°C	44.7°C
Akasa Pro-Grade+ 5022	Room Temp	CPU Temp
Idle Operation	23.2°C	35.8°C
Full Load Operation	23.2°C	43.9°C

Arctic Silver Thermal Compound

Moving up the next contender we find the Arctic Silver 5 compound from Arctic Silver. With Arctic Silver we bring one of the well known names into the picture. Again we cleaned up all the previous thermal paste and applied the Arctic Silver 5 as outlined by the guide available on their website. Once again we ran the same applications and put down the results in both operation modes until the temperature came to a stable level. Also the Arctic Silver 5 is better than the reference compound but trailing behind the Akasa Pro-Grade compounds. Nonetheless both Akasa Pro-Grade thermal pastes are newer than the Arctic Silver 5, so that would only sound natural that these would outperform it.

Arctic Silver 5	Room Temp	CPU Temp
Idle Operation	23.2°C	37.1°C
Full Load Operation	23.2°C	45.4°C

Arctic Cooling Thermal Compound

And last but not least we come to the brand that we wanted to show off the most. In fact Arctic Cooling supplied us with their current MX-1 thermal compound and the new MX-2 thermal compound. This way we can look at both and see the difference and evolution that has been made by Arctic Cooling. Again after cleaning the previous paste, we applied the Arctic Cooling compound and ran our system according to the previous outlined operation. First we notice that the MX-1 compound is better than the reference paste, but not really up for the competition with the Akasa nor Arctic Silver although it comes close. Once the MX-2 compound is used that changes all, the MX-2 high performance compound does better than the Akasa Pro-Grade and comes out on top.

Arctic Cooling MX-1	Room Temp	CPU Temp
Idle Operation	23.2°C	37.2°C
Full Load Operation	23.2°C	44.5°C
Arctic Cooling MX-2	Room Temp	CPU Temp
Idle Operation	23.2°C	35.5°C
Full Load Operation	23.2°C	43.4°C

With our comparison we can clearly see that the new thermal compounds do make quite a difference on the thermal efficiency of cooling a high performance processor. The thermal compound from Arctic Cooling does come out as the one to beat with outstanding cooling results. With the MX-2 thermal compound we see that Arctic Cooling has made quite some progression. This also shows that the thermal compound used does make a difference, although it might seem a minor one in the end it is all about that. If you can lower the temperature more, even though it is just a tiny bit it might just be enough to get a more stable system and to experience a better system as a whole.