SUMMARY: Arctic Silver has long held the crown as being the best Thermal Interface Material on the market. For most enthusiasts out there, it is considered the "Industry Standard" when it comes to TIM. But there's a new kid on the block who thinks that they can take on the Champ. Come join Mike "Darthtanion" Wright as he takes a look at Evergreen Technologies' TherMagic TIM. Can this new goop stand toe to toe with the best there is? Come on in and let's find out!
Since TherMagic is going against the Giant of the industry, it’s important to see why they think they have a claim at the title match. After all, there have been a number of others who have tried this same task with varying degrees of success. Let’s see what the new kid on the block has to offer.
Most Thermal Interface Material (TIM) that is designed for high-end use contains some sort of a highly conductive material. In the case of Arctic Silver, this obviously consists of Silver. Other common ingredients include Boron Nitride and Aluminum. While the Evergreen White Papers don’t specifically state what their conductive material is, it stands to reason that it will fall into this same realm of base material. After all, this is the only way to bring forth a competitive product.
But what sets TherMagic apart from the others is the filler material. Their claim is that it consists of a viscous silicone oil. What this means to you is that there will be far fewer air pockets between the core and the heatsink because TherMagic compresses better and seals the gaps more efficiently. So as long as the actual thermally conductive material is worth anything, this should create a better interface and better heat dissipation. We’ll have to see about that in a bit.
Another item of note is the fact that TherMagic compresses to a thinner layer than Arctic Silver, or any other common TIM for that matter. This will be helpful because there will be less interference occurring between the core and the business end of your heatsink. After all, even with a highly conductive material, you still want as much heat as possible to transfer directly to the HSF.
Application
Application of TherMagic is like any other quality TIM. You place a small amount on the processor core and then use a credit card or similar item to spread it into a thin, smooth coating. From there, all that needs to be done is to add in the HSF to the mix and you’re ready for action.
There are two things that bear noting. First off, the TherMagic goop is thicker than Arctic Silver. While it isn’t difficult to apply, it just needed to be noted that the consistency isn’t what you’ll be used to when you spread it onto the core. Secondly, you should not use this TIM if you are still using an uncoated aluminum sink. That’s right, those still using the old, faithful GlobalWin FOP/WBK line of coolers need not apply here. While it is not a strict taboo, there is a chance that a reaction will occur between the bare aluminum and the materials in TherMagic. You have been warned!
Oh, if you happen to be rather new at all this system building stuff, then you’ll be pleased to know that the Evergreen website has an all-out step-by-step application instruction that can easily be printed out for your use while performing this task. It begins with making sure you have everything you need, to cleaning the processor, to applying the TIM, and finally to installing the heatsink. Very nice touch.
