What is the best thermal paste for AMD and Intel CPUs?

Question

So Ive been building PCs since like the early 2000s and usually I just grab whatever tube of MX-4 is sitting in my drawer and call it a day. It always worked fine for my older builds but man these new chips are a different beast entirely. I just put together a new workstation for myself with a Ryzen 7950X because I do a ton of 4K rendering and I also have a 13900K build on the bench for a local client here in Phoenix. The heat coming off these things is actually insane. Even with a high-end 360mm AIO the temps are hitting 95C instantly under load and I feel like my old paste just isnt transferring heat fast enough or maybe its just drying out too quick because of the high temps.

I noticed some weirdness with the mounting pressure on the LGA1700 socket too which makes me think I need something with a specific viscosity so it doesnt just squeeze out the sides over time. I keep hearing about the pump-out effect on these newer high-wattage CPUs and I really dont want to have to open these cases up again in six months to repaste them. I looked at liquid metal but honestly it makes me nervous especially for a client build where I cant guarantee they wont move the PC around or whatever. Plus the risk of shorting something out just isnt worth the 2-3 degree difference for me.

I have about 50 bucks set aside just for a couple tubes of the good stuff since I need to finish these by Friday. Is there a specific go-to now that handles the high heat density of the small chiplets on AMD or the massive heat of the Intel chips better? What is the best thermal paste for AMD and Intel CPUs these days that actually stays stable long-term?

pwsnxgtpus · Accepted Answer

To add to the point above, you might want to consider Arctic MX-6 4g Thermal Paste because it has a much higher viscosity than the old MX-4. Its specifically designed to combat that pump-out effect on those uneven LGA1700 surfaces. Be careful with the application tho, it is quite thick. Quick question, are you using a contact frame for that Intel build or just the stock ILM? That really impacts the pressure issues you mentioned.

RaymondviP · Answer

I totally agree about the pump-out issues, its a real headache with these new chips. Using Thermalright TFX 14.3 W/mk Thermal Paste for client builds works great because the high viscosity prevents it from migrating.

try warming the tube in warm water first

Honeywell PTM7950 Phase Change Pad is another solid alternative No complaints here, it works well for keeping those temps stable long-term without any mess.

RaymondviP · Answer

Caught this a bit late but i've been through the same transition lately. Been doing this since the late 90s and its crazy how we went from basic white goop to needing high-tech materials just to keep from throttling. I had a similar scare with a 13900K last year where my usual paste just gave up after a few weeks of heavy rendering. Since you're looking to stay under 50 bucks and need stability, these have worked for me:

Noctua NT-H2 3.5g Thermal Paste is a massive step up from their original formula. It handles the high heat density of those tiny Ryzen chiplets much better than MX-4. Its affordable and you get a decent amount in the tube.

Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme 3.5g Thermal Paste is probably the most cost-effective way to fight pump-out. Its thick as hell which makes it a pain to spread but it stays put. I use this on GPUs too for that reason.

Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut 1.5ml Thermal Grease is often overlooked because everyone buys Kryonaut. Kryonaut actually degrades faster if you're constantly hitting 80C+. Hydronaut was designed specifically for water cooling and high-load scenarios so it stays stable longer. I've found that pre-spreading the paste with a spatula rather than just doing a dot helps ensure full coverage on those big Intel heatspreaders. It takes an extra minute but it's better than having to open the case back up in a month.