eVGA Frostbite vs Arctic Silver Céramique

Introduction

With the market for extreme PC cooling growing at a rapid rate over the past few years, we are seeing a much greater number of PC components and accessories geared to this end of the spectrum.  This goes back to the Foxconn “Quantum Force” line, which was kicked off with a killer mainboard, theBLACKOPS with features that had never been seen before.  Fast forward a few years, and now all the top manufacturers are mimicking elements from that board, and pushing forward with other innovations geared towards extreme cooling enthusiasts.

However, one area that has not seen any special attention is in the TIM (Thermal Interface Material) market, at least until now (the last time there was anything resembling this kind of enthusiast buzz over some cooling goo was when Arctic Silver hit the market). eVGA recently unleashed on the world their new TIM dubbed “Frostbite,” and for good reason.  eVGA claims this new compound is not only better for the extreme cooling crowd, but also superior for everyday users as well.  Not only that, but k|ngp|n himself is signing off on all these claims and endorsing the product for extreme cooling use.

The longtime standard-bearer for extreme cooling has been Arctic Silver’s Céramique, which k|ngp|n and many others have used it for years.  However, over the past year of so, many users have been testing alternatives.  Elmor (a top overclocker from Sweden) swears by OCZ Freeze, and there have been a number of positive reports with several other compounds as well.  Considering all the recent speculation, we needed to take a closer look at this new contender.

eVGA Frostbite

The product is shipped in a blister pack front with cardboard backing.

Frostbite front

On the back there is a simple set of directions for use.  Check that out, 30% silver content!

Frostbite back

Compared to the 22 gram syringe of Ceramique, the Frostbite is quite small…. but goo things often come is small packages. [Editor's note: I don't care if that's a typo, the pun is too good to resist.]

Frostbite VS Ceramique

It is a single 2 gram syringe, which should be enough for 5 or more GPU applications, or 10 or more CPU applications, using my application method (dot for CPU, small X for GPU).  The back side of the syringe allows you to see the amount of compound left.  It might seem too simple to be a big deal, but there have been many times we’ve wished for a level indicator — it’s nice to know whether you have enough TIM left for your next session. Good idea, eVGA!

Frostbite window

At room temperature (24C in this case), the Ceramique is very thick, and squeezing it out of the tube requires patience.  By stark contrast, the Frostbite is almost runny.  However, syringe operation was smooth, and I didn’t get any fluid at the top, nor any squirting messes from the rough syringe action I’ve experienced from other compounds.  Another big win for Frostbite!

Frostbite VS Ceramique consistency 1

To better show consistency differences between our competitors, each was smeared across the paper towel.  The Ceramique wanted to stay in a ball and just roll.  Very little smeared past the first rotation as my finger rolled off the top of the clump.  The Frostbite didn’t soak into the towel, but smeared across the entire length of the movement. It remained very opaque, suggesting its ability to be spread very thin, a big bonus for those with very flat surfaces in a highly tuned daily system or gaming machine.

Frostbite VS Ceramique consistency 2

erformance impressions and bench results

Evaluating TIM objectively in an extreme cooling environment is a very difficult proposition, so my testing will be mostly subjective.  I tested both compounds on the following setup.

System configuration

• (1) Intel Core i7 990X Extreme CPU
• (1) eVGA E760 Classified motherboard
• (1) 3×2GB Corsair Dominator GTX2 memory
• (2) eVGA GTX 285 Classified video cards
• (1) Ultra X3 1000W PSU for motherboard & CPU
• (1) Corsair AX1200 PSU for the GPUs
• (1) k|ngp|ncooling Dragon F1 Gemini with the SLOW base
• (1) k|ngp|ncooling Dominance Memory Cooler
• (1) k|ngp|ncooling Tek-9 5.0 Slim GPU cooler
• (1) k|ngp|ncooling Tek-9 FAT GPU cooler

Application

Arctic Silver Ceramique has always been one of our favorite compounds due to the ease of use.  It can be a bit stiff in the tube (warming it up helps), but getting it on the CPU and spread in a good pattern is nearly fool-proof.

Ceramique application

And as you’ll see below, the spread pattern was very complete.

Ceramique spread - CPU

Ceramique spread - pot

The Frostbite syringe action is top notch and its easy to control application.

Frostbite application

Spread was excellent, and yes, this was the 1st attempt!

Frostbite spread - CPU

Frostbite spread - pot

Turbo Boost 2.0 And The PCU Manage Overclocking

Zoom

Intel's Core i7-2600K and the Core i5-2500K processors feature unlocked clock multiplier adjustments, DDR3 memory ratios of up to 2133 MT/s, and power/current limits that can be disabled entirely. Flexible P67-based motherboards with broad overclocking options provide BIOS or UEFI items to alter ceilings in place on non-K-series parts. That distinction is pretty important, because other chips centering on Sandy Bridge are artificially capped by Intel. The beauty of Turbo Boost and Intel’s so-called Power Control Unit (PCU) in particular is that these functions offer their services at stock speeds, as well as in overclocked scenarios.

Effectively this means that the processor’s built-in performance optimization features will also speed up the system, even if it’s already overclocked. Turbo Boost will add up to four speed bins as long as the thermal envelope allows. A 4 GHz base clock and up to four clock speed increments (+400 MHz)? This isn’t a problem if the power limits allow, and as long there is sufficient processor voltage to sustain stable operation. This would be the safer, more mainstream way to overclock, since you're targeting a lower frequency and letting the platform control increases based on available headroom.

However, you can also consider changing the specific number bins Turbo Boost uses to increase clock rate, and you can also alter the power limit on K-series processors. The default values are +1 speed bins for four active cores, +2 for three cores, +3 for two cores, and 4 speed bins up for a single core. These values can be adjusted as you wish, but keep in mind that more significant clock speed jumps might cause issues for the voltage regulators.

The power control unit will mostly prevent your system from overheating and crashing when overclocked, as long as you select a reasonable power limit and as long as your processor's cooler is capable of dissipating the resulting thermal energy. It is of course easy to outsmart the power control unit by selecting settings that may just be over the top, for example, a power limit way beyond reason or beyond the capabilities of your CPU cooler. In such a case, the system will most likely crash the old fashioned way.

However, Turbo Boost on K-series processors can be set rather granularly and the power management allows us to comfortably increase processor wattage and current tolerances. You chart the course. Intel's architecture effectively provides the auto pilot. Let’s see how well this works in terms of performance and efficiency.