Thermal Paste Comparison
Reviewed by Jason Jacobs on 08.13.2003

Peltier/Water Cooled: 110Watt peltier, custom sterling silver coldplate, Maze 3, 1/2 inch tubing and barbs, heatercore + 120mm Sunon Fan, Rio 180 Pump, Innovatek Reservoir.

Ambient Temp: 26.6C or 80F

The addition of a peltier brought some interesting results. It's obvious that several of these compounds were not meant to be used in low-temperature settings. The Nanotherm PCM+ was not intended to be used with a peltier element, so it was not included in this test. In this round, the silicone compound fares even better than the silver grease, which had hardened, and fell off the surfaces during cleanup. The Shin Etsu G751 is obviously not intended for cold temperatures as well as it did not produce temperatures better than either the AS3 or Nanotherm Silver XTC. The surprise this round was the results of the Nanotherm Silver XTC, which returned better results than the AS3.

With the use of a peltier, ambient temperature is no longer as important as it is with regular water-cooling, or especially with a just a heatsink and fan combination. Temperatures rely more upon the proper contact between the peltier, coldplate, core, and waterblock. If each of these surfaces is in complete contact with its neighbor, the benefits will be maximized. It is in this scenario that the choice of thermal compound becomes very important, as there are so many interfaces that make contact. Each side of the peltier uses thermal paste as well as the contact from the cold plate to the processor core.