Stock Thermal Paste vs. Arctic Cooling MX-2

One of the concerns with any cooling solution is that the included thermal paste may not perform as well as retail thermal pastes. With this in mind, HC will attempt to provide comparisons between included thermal paste and a quality retail thermal paste for our air cooling reviews. In this instance Arctic Cooling MX-2 was used as a comparison and contrast between it and the “stock” TIM.



In the case of the Silentator, a difference of approximately 2*c was found between the factory stock compound and MX-2. While the differences are minor, they are still significant enough not to be discarded as a statistical anomaly due to slight temperature and/or humidity difference during testing conditions.

If one is so inclined, removing the pre-applied TIM and using an aftermarket thermal compound can help slightly increase the effectiveness of this CPU cooler. Not everyone has the aptitude or willingness to do this, and in the end it is safe to say that the factory applied TIM is a decent choice, not a great choice but still decent. However, this minor additional time and expense does make sense and will pay dividends if you are looking for as low a temperature as possible or even a slightly higher overclock.