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Arctic Silver 3 Review
Pros and Cons
The good thing about using the stock stuff is that you don't have to apply it - it's ready to go and the distribution of TIM is fairly even and requires very little thought. However, if you plan to remove it, it's a bitch. This is usually the case with all stock goop, but the Intel Frag Tape was surprisingly easy to remove, so I see a hint of quality in this, which is great for a stock application, and unusual for the goop supplied with a stock Intel heatsink.
The goop that is supplied as standard with many heat-sinks is exactly the same compound as the DSE stuff. Once baked on (which is already half-done after an hour under the pump) the white goop is a real chore to remove. The other thing is that this type of TIM is thick and gluggy and is generally an interesting task to work into a smooth thin coating over a CPU/chipset. The only good thing I can say is that if price is a concern and nothing else, then this goop is for you - coz it's cheap!
It seems that there have been minor improvements to AS again as it is now easier to spread and also easier to remove than the previous AS, it may be minor but I did notice the difference, especially in removal, it seems to clean up easier, or at least quicker. The only bad thing anyone could argue against Arctic Silver would be that it is a little on the expensive side (what's expensive when its for a computer!?). Other points mentioned are that its not the easiest to get a controlled amount out of the "syringe," and maybe also that you have to be careful not to go applying it across pins on your processor - being silver based (conductive for those who don't understand). Either way, both AS2 and AS3 display the same good or bad properties, even the bad points are only minor niggles.
Conclusion
Surprisingly enough, the included frag tape on the Intel stock cooler done a better job than my near-perfect application of the DSE, but anyway, I have 150g of TIM from DSE for the same price as 3g of AS3 - man that was a mistake buying that much from DSE (have had it for over 2 years)!
The main thing worth looking at here is how long it took for each test to reach its maximum temperature. How much longer it took for the AS3 test to heat up, can half be put down to the performance of the AS3 and also might be towards a slightly better application of the goop.
I will also have to elaborate on these results as they are unable to show the truth as far as max temperatures are concerned. As we used the latest version of Motherboard Monitor to determine CPU temperatures, we all know that most motherboard sensors change up a degree when the temp seems to waiver from say 40.9 to 41.2 (or is it 40.4 to 40.5?). This is the case in these tests. The max temperatures reached by the AS3 and DSE TIMs were solid readings; once they hit that temp they never altered. However the Frag tape swapped back and forth between 41 and 42 constantly suggesting an actual temperature somewhere between those values. The AS2 was sitting mostly on 40 but would change up to 41 for approximately 25% of the time.
It is safe to say though, that if you have a choice between AS2 or AS3, it can't hurt to get 3, as it will be better for you anyway - if you can't get AS3, I wouldn't be too stressed either if you are thinking of replacing your current goop with something from DSE, don't bother - your stock stuff is probably caked on anyhow. If you want the best of the best - get AS3
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