Swapped thermal paste from Arctic MX-4 to Thermalright TFX on my main rig last week

I always used MX-4 because it was cheap and available at Micro Center near Detroit. A buddy doing custom loops kept pushing me to try TFX so I finally gave in. My 5800X dropped 5 degrees under load after I applied it. Has anyone else seen big differences switching paste brands on hot chips like these?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephf105d ago

Wait, hold up. You're telling me you dropped FIVE degrees just from switching to TFX on a 5800X? That's wild. I've been using MX-4 for years and always figured the difference between pastes was like 1-2 degrees max, mostly just marketing hype. Now I'm wondering if I've been leaving performance on the table this whole time with my old 5900X. Maybe I gotta cave and try some of that fancy Thermalright stuff next time I'm at Micro Center, even if it costs a few bucks more.

jamesblack5d ago

@josephf10 yeah man I was surprised too. I had the same mindset as you for years, MX-4 was always good enough and I figured the rest was just hype. But TFX on my 5800X was legit a 4-5c drop under full load in Cinebench. I think the main reason it works so well is that the 5800X runs hot and the TFX handles the higher temps better than MX-4 does. It's a pain to spread though, super thick stuff. I ended up using the pea method and just letting the pressure do the work. Worth the extra few bucks at Micro Center for sure.