Late to the party but honestly, if you want the absolute best performance for an i9 without the headache of re-pasting constantly, you have to try Kingpin Cooling KPx Thermal Compound 3g. I have been using this stuff for ages on my high-end rigs and it is legendary for a reason. It handles those crazy heat spikes from modern CPUs like an absolute champ and doesn't pump out or dry up nearly as fast as some of the other popular brands. Another awesome option if you can get it by Friday is Arctic MX-6 4g. It is way cheaper than the boutique stuff but performance-wise it is basically neck and neck with anything else on the market. Honestly, don't waste your money on those tiny 1g tubes either, just grab a 4g or 8g syringe so you have some extra for when you eventually do your next cooler upgrade or swap. Pro tip: make sure you clean the IHS surface with some high-percentage isopropyl alcohol before applying. It makes a massive difference! Just get a pea-sized dot right in the center and let the mounting pressure of the cooler do the work for you. You are gonna love the temps, just keep it simple and dont stress!

Honestly, just go with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g and dont overthink it. It performs great on my i9 setup, super happy with the temps. If youre worried about the drying out issue, keep an eye on your idle temps once a year. It works well and is definitely worth the hype, even if people complain about the longevity. Just make sure to apply it thin!

@Reply #1 - good point! Honestly tho, I had issues with Kryonaut drying out way too fast on my i9. It was super annoying to re-paste every six months. I switched over to Noctua NT-H2 3.5g and it has been way more stable for me. If you want something that basically lasts forever, check out Arctic MX-6 4g instead. Just watch your application pressure, dont overdo it.

Regarding what #3 said about how the KPx stuff handles heat spikes, I definitely get why people swear by that, but honestly I am just too nervous to try the really thick industrial compounds on my main build. I had a bad experience years ago where I think I messed up the mounting pressure and ended up with some pretty scary thermal throttling, so now I just stick to the stuff that is known for being super easy to spread. My current setup has been running rock solid for over a year now with one of the standard tubes I grabbed from the shop down the street. I have no complaints at all about the stability, honestly. It keeps my temps consistent even when I am doing long rendering sessions, and I really value that peace of mind more than shaving off another degree or two. If it keeps the system happy and I dont have to worry about the PC shutting down in the middle of a project, then I am satisfied. Better to play it safe when you are dealing with such an expensive chip, right?