Alphacool Eisfrost Xtreme Liquid Metal Thermal Paste 1g (12879)

The Alphacool Eisfrost Xtreme is a liquid metal thermal compound for the contact between a CPU or GPU and its cooler, 1g in the pack. It is for copper and nickel-plated copper surfaces and must never go on aluminum. The full list of metals is under Safety instructions.

Properties

Type

Liquid metal thermal paste

Amount

1g

Thermal conductivity

40W/mK

Melting temperature

-19.3 °C

Not for

Aluminum surfaces

Why the paste matters

Users do everything they can to ensure they get the best air or liquid cooler that they can afford, while one topic seems to be forgotten about: thermal paste. Alphacool calls it an issue that many users underestimate. The paste is the connecting link between the heat source and the cooler, and it ensures a clean contact between the two. Alphacool therefore calls a good thermal paste essential if you want to help your high-end cooler work at its true potential. That is especially true when you are water cooling your system.

Liquid metal against conventional paste

Alphacool describes the Eisfrost Xtreme as a high-performance liquid metal thermal paste. Conventional thermal pastes usually use silicone as a base, often mixed with silver or similar metals to increase the cooling capacity. Nevertheless, Alphacool says, the cooling capacity of a liquid metal paste is many times higher. This is because the thermal conductivity of conventional pastes is many times lower. Thus the heat from the processor or graphics card is transferred to the cooler much faster and more effectively, according to Alphacool.

Overclocking and quiet builds

Alphacool says the difference is especially noticeable during overclocking: the higher the heat dissipation, the more the performance of the liquid metal becomes noticeable. In connection with a good air cooler, or even better a liquid cooler, it claims results several degrees Celsius better than with a conventional thermal paste. That claim comes without test conditions. In Alphacool's words, this converts into the chance to achieve a higher overclock, enabling you to squeeze out those extra Mhz from your CPU or the GPU. Alternatively, lower temperatures mean you can of course cool more quietly. So Alphacool sees the paste not only as something for overclockers, but also for silent build lovers.

Applying it

Alphacool says applying the paste is much easier than you think. First, thoroughly pre-clean the heatspreader of the CPU or GPU as well as the cooler. This is best done with a lint free cloth or towel, or with a piece of kitchen roll or toilet paper. Afterwards, do the basic cleaning with the enclosed cleaning cloth. After cleaning you should avoid touching the heatspreader with your fingers, because the natural grease in your skin can make an application quite difficult.

Now apply a small drop of the liquid metal, smaller than a pea, in the middle of the CPU or GPU. In the pack there are two special cotton sticks (swabs), and this makes it easy to spread the paste. Ensure you are patient and take your time here. Due to its high surface tension, liquid metal can only be spread slowly.

Safety Instructions

• Liquid metal is conductive. It is necessary to make sure that it does not get onto any electronic components, to avoid a short circuit.
• It may only be used on the following metals: copper, gold, silver, lead and zinc. The list also includes the nickel-plated copper used by most coolers.
• Under no circumstances should it be used on aluminum surfaces, as liquid metal chemically reacts with aluminum and can damage it.
• The liquid metal may only be applied on a flat surface, again due to the high surface tension, to prevent it from flowing away quickly.
• It contains neither mercury nor toxic heavy metals such as lead. That makes it non-toxic, non-flammable and non-explosive, and it does not form vapors.

Technical Data

In the box

• 1x Alphacool Eisfrost Xtreme Liquid Metal Thermal Paste 1g

Alphacool's data sheet is a PDF.