Home » Thermal Paste »
In life, there are a lot of small things that can affect and create huge problems. In a computer sense, one example of these is the thermal paste. You might ask why and how a thermal paste creates a large problem. Well, if not applied correctly, they can cause you problems. We are talking about high system temperatures, sudden turn-off, and in the worst-case scenario, a dead computer.
You can avoid all of these problems when you invest in a great thermal paste. Luckily, we are going to compare two thermal pastes that have high performance. Both thermal pastes are known to computer enthusiasts – the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut and Arctic Silver 5.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut vs Arctic Silver 5 – Similarities
Let’s review the specifics in a side by side chart.
| Name |
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut |
Arctic Silver 5 |
| Image |  |
 |
| Composition | Aluminum | 99.9% Pure Silver |
| Electrically Conductive | No | No |
| Thermal Conductivity | 12.5 W/mK | 8.9 W/mK |
| Viscosity | 120 – 170 Pas | Not determined |
| Density | 3.7 g/cu-cm | 4.05 g/cu-cm |
| Requires Curing | No | Yes |
| Net Weight | 5.55 grams | 3.5 / 12 grams |
| Price | Check Price on Amazon | Check Price on Amazon |
Electrically Conductive
If you glanced at the comparison chart, there is only one property that they have in common. Both the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut and Arctic Silver 4 are composed of materials that are not electrically conductive. Therefore, they will not put your computer at risk of shorting out unlike thermal pastes such as liquid metal. Aside from this property, the Kryonaut and the AS-5 do not share anything in common.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut vs Arctic Silver 5 – Differences
Material and Composition
The thermal conductance and performance of a thermal paste can be roughly estimated through the composition of its materials.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Thermal Grizzly does not list the composition of the Kryonaut on its website. I dug up the safety sheet of the Kryonaut, however. In that safety sheet, I found out that the main component of the Kryonaut is Aluminum. Although aluminum is a great heat conductor, it is also a great electricity conductor that raises some eyebrows. But Thermal Grizzly says that it has no electrical conductivity.
Arctic Silver 5
On the other hand, Arctic Silver used 99.9% pure silver with the AS-5. Arctic Silver says that these silver particles are in three different shapes to maximize particle-to-particle contact. And as a result, it has great thermal conductivity. Like the Kryonaut, the use of silver also raises some eyebrows because it is considered the best electrical conductor. Likewise, Arctic Silver says that the AS_5 is not electrically conductive and safe to use. However, Arctic Silver also warns its user that the AS-5 is still slightly capacitive. Thus, it will cause you unnecessary problems if not kept away from electrical traces, pins, and lids. With that said, the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut takes this round.
The Winner Is- Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Also read: Arctic Silver 5 vs ARCTIC MX-4
Thermal Performance
Thermal performance is paramount of all thermal paste specifications. Moreover, this is the main reason you are buying one. Let’s verify if both can decrease your system temperatures.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
The real-life performance of thermal pastes can be seen from benchmarks conducted by tech enthusiasts. If you used correctly, the temperatures you are going to see here can also be the temperature you are going to get. The Kryonaut has been one of the fan favorites due to its unmatched thermal performance. Among all popular thermal compounds in the market, the Kryonaut ranks number one in terms of thermal performance. After a torture test on the GPU, the Kryonaut recorded only 62.4 degrees Celsius. While on a CPU torture test, it scored only 35.8 degrees Celsius.
Arctic Silver 5
In contrast, the Arctic Silver 5 has a temperature reading in CPU and GPU of 37.7 and 69.5 degrees Celsius, respectively. Comparing them side-by-side, the Kryonaut blew the AS-5 out of the water. In normal cases, most thermal pastes perform similarly with a plus or minus of around 2 degrees. But we are talking about a whopping 7-degree temperature difference here. This is exactly why I will take the Kryonaut all day over the AS-5
The Winner Is- Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Thermal Paste Curing
Some thermal pastes also go through the ‘curing process’ to reach its peak efficiency. After a week or so, you can see marginally better temperatures and reach its peak efficiency.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
The Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut does not need any curing. Therefore, it is ready-to-go and does not need any special preparations. Moreover, in the curing process, you are required to let the computer at least once a day to let the thermal paste cool off.
Arctic Silver 5
Unfortunately, the Arctic Silver does need to be cured. Thus, you need to turn your computer off at night to let it cool down. If you use your computer all day, this can be a little inconvenient. After all, you are required to do this for one to two weeks. Some people claimed that there are significant thermal improvements; a drop of around 4 – 5 degrees Celsius. While others claim that this is just a marketing stint due to its negligible thermal improvements.
The Winner Is- Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Also read: ARCTIC MX-4 vs Noctua NT-H1
Pros and Cons
Finally, some pros and cons of the thermal paste ARCTIC MX-4 and Noctua NT-H1 will help us determine which is the best option.
Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Pros:
- Due to it being one of the best performing thermal pastes, the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is best suited for overclocking enthusiasts.
- Compared with the AS-5, it will improve your temperatures by as much as 7 degrees.
- Aside from its unparalleled performance, it does need any kind of curing or break-in process.
Cons:
- You need to pay a larger amount of money to get the best performance.
Arctic Silver 5
Pros:
- The Arctic Silver 5 is made of 99.9% pure silver making it a great thermal conductor.
- Although silver may be a metal, it is not electrically conductive.
- The Arctic Silver 5 is still a decently performing thermal paste.
Cons:
- Even Arctic Silver warns you of the danger of using the AS-5 properly.
The Final Verdict
With the great performance of both thermal pastes, it was proven that they are important and should not be ignored. Besides lowering your temperature, you can also extend the lifespan of your computer. It has been proven already that computers always stressed at high temperatures tend to die a lot quicker. Although both of these compounds will help you avoid all of that, we should pick which is better. It comes as no surprise that the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is better looking at its thermal performance alone. It does come with a hefty price, however. That is why the Kryonaut is only for overclocking junkies, while the Arctic Silver 5 is for everyone else.