Noctua's New NT-H2 Thermal Compound
by Gavin Bonshor on January 29, 2019 1:00 PM EST
Noctua has today unveiled its new NT-H2 thermal compound as well a new cleaning solution with the NA-SCW1 cleaning wipes. The NT-H2 looks to improve upon the already existing NT-H1 thermal paste with a new chemical structure and zerocuring time.
The new Noctua NT-H2 thermal compound builds upon the previous success of the NT-H1 material with a new blend of metal oxide microparticles for an improved and lower thermal resistance. The lower bond-line thickness with conventional mounting pressures allows for less air cavity concentration which should provide better thermal conductivity between the heatsink plate and the heat spreader. As with the Noctua NT-H1 compound, the new NT-H2 doesn't require a curing period and Noctua state that an application of NT-H2 can be used effectively for up to 5 years on a CPU.
The Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste was tested in a 50-paste round-up I did back in 2017
Noctua, as per their own in-house testing, determined that the NT-H2 operates up to 2°c lower than NT-H1. The NT-H2 is also non-corroding and non-conductive so there's no risk of short-circuiting components and is suitable to use with all types of heatsinks including copper, aluminium and nickel plated.
Noctua has released the NT-H2 thermal paste in two different packages; a standard 3.5 g and larger 10 g tube. Packaged with the smaller NT-H2 3.5 g paste is three new NA-CW1 cleaning wipes while the larger NT-H2 10 g will come with ten. The new Noctua NA-SCW1 cleaning wipes are designed to clean CPUs, GPUs and the contact surfaces of heatsinks. Each individual wipe is moistened with a custom detergent mixture for enhanced cleaning capability, but Noctua hasn't highlighted which materials have been used. Noctua's NA-CW cleaning wipes are available seperately in packs of 20.
On the back of the NT-H2 announcement, Noctua has revealed that it will be launching its NT-H1 thermal compound in a new 10 g package which is set to retail for 14.90 USD/EUR; the existing NT-H1 3.5 g costs 7.90 USD/EUR. There is currently no indication whether or not the new NT-H1 10 g package will include the cleaning wipes.
The new NT-H2 3.5 g will cost 12.90 USD/EUR with the 10 g package will cost 24.90 USD/EUR, while the NA-SCW1 20 pack of cleaning wipes will retail for 7.90 USD/EUR. All of these are set to hit Amazon channels within the next few days, while the stock is set to filter through to partners and retailers shortly.
Source: Noctua
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sonny73n - Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - link
You’d better off using none of those. I have the Arctic MX-4 (replaced the 2-years old Arctic Silver 5) in one of my rig and it’s been 7 years since. No change of idle temp or load temp. This old i5-2500k OCed to 4.5Ghz has been serving me well.Diji1 - Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - link
No he'd be better off using the Noctua products since Artic products have not been high performers since forever.PeachNCream - Friday, February 1, 2019 - link
I like MX-4 as a good middle ground sort of thermal compound. It does what sonny73n is saying by lasting many years. It also has the right viscosity balance that makes application easy, but limits movement after application. It isn't electrically conductive so a bit of compound applied someplace where it shouldn't isn't going to cause a problem and it cleans up easily. The price per quantity is very good too and balances out its lower than liquid metal TIM performance. However, given that the person in question already has Noctua paste on-hand, it makes sense to just use what is available and not worry about it.mode_13h - Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - link
> Noctua hasn't highlighted which materials have been used.Shouldn't there be a Material Safety Data Sheet, or some EU-equivalent?
Did they say anything about the suitability of their wipes for 3rd party compounds?
I've typically used rubbing alcohol and paper towels, for coarse removal. Then, I use a 2-stage cleaning/prep system from Arctic Silver (probably just mineral spirits and rubbing alcohol) + lint-free cotton cloth.
5-years is the minimum I would consider. I have 3 PCs I'm still using beyond that point (though I'm getting ready to replace one). One big reason I've stuck with Arctic Cooling's MX-4 is its longevity.
Hxx - Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - link
1% improvement for 100% price hike. awesome