Noctua NT-H1 Pro Grade Thermal Compound Review

Packaging


Noctua’s NT-H1 came to us in retail packaging which is done somewhat differently from what we have seen since it does not secure the tube very well. It simply consists of a piece of carton with a product description on it which is protected by a loose-fitting plastic cover. The back of the package shows a short description (in seven different languages) of Noctua NT-H1, some caution marks, product specifications and a UPC code.

Basically, the tube is put on a cardboard backing and the plastic is molded/folded around it. Unfortunately, getting into one of these packages is VERY easy since it is not even secured with staples. It would be wise of Noctua to use any other method to secure the contents of this package from theft in a retail-store environment.


The Noctua NT-H1 tube is a syringe filled with 1.4ml of TIM, which is supposedly enough for 15 applications of TIM. When we first received the tube, we thought it showed a striking resemblance with another thermal compound out on the market, but that goes only for the tube itself and not what's inside.

Here is a little explanation on the meaning of NT-H1: The ‘N’ stands for Noctua, the ‘T’ for thermal compound, ‘H’ for hybrid as this thermal compound is considered a "hybrid" of sorts and the last part ‘1’ refers to this being the first (of perhaps many) thermal compounds from Noctua.


Usage Characteristics

After having used many different thermal compounds, I have come to realize that every manufacturer requests their compound to be applied in a certain way. In the case of the Noctua NT-H1, Noctua provides you with the usage instructions on the packaging which give you a detailed description of how to use your new thermal compound.

Here are the 4 detailed steps from Noctua:

1. Clean off any residual traces of thermal paste on the CPU.
2. Press a small drop (4-5mm diameter) of NT-H1 onto the center of the Heatspreader.
3. Put the heatsink onto the CPU; turn it back and forth a few times in order to spread the paste.
4. Fasten the heatsink

Noctua’s NT-H1 is a very thick (4800 cP) and dry fluid but it comes out of the tube quite easily and its consistency makes it not hard but also not quite easy to spread out over your CPU/GPU. It is actually one of those middle-of-the-road performers when it comes to spreading it onto a CPU. What we did notice is that the fluid dries rather quickly and when we reapplied our thermal paste over and over again for our testing, at the end of the runs the paste would almost look like the dried up salt lakes in Utah.

As Noctua already states on their packaging; Due to the huge pressure of modern heatsinks, the thermal compound will spread out easily and equally over your CPU. When you take your heatsink off and look at the base of the cooler, you will see that the paste worked the way it was supposed to; the thermal compound is basically squeezed to the outside edges of your chip, from underneath the base, due to the pressure.

Cleaning up Noctua NT-H1 when you are changing your heatsink or processor is a breeze. Compared to MX-2 and OCZ Freeze this stuff becomes almost bone-dry, but I actually found it a lot easier to clean my equipment that way. This dryness does not affect temperatures; it only makes the cleaning part a lot more pleasurable.


As new developments arise every time you look around, it seems as if nowadays it is normal for a thermal paste NOT to be electrically conductive so it won't cause you any shorts if you happen to spill some onto places where it should not be. Interestingly, there is very little information regarding if the NT-H1 is or isn't electrically conductive. So, we spoke to Noctua regarding their new thermal paste to get some additional information. We were informed that the new hybrid paste does contain tiny tiny metal particles; however, according to them, the percentage of metal particles is FAR to low to conduct any electricity.


As much as we tried measuring the electrical conductivity ourselves, our electrical equipment did not show any significant results which would lead us to refute Noctua's claim.. In addition to all this information, the NT-H1 does not need a curing or settling time, which is great because now we do not have to wait anymore before we see our temperatures dropping by significant amounts.