As a high-margin product, thermal compounds like the Noctua NT-H1 3.5g Thermal Computer Paste has ended up in a rather crowded market. There are many other thermal compounds for you to choose from, and Noctua is just one of many available.
With that in mind, let’s test the mettle of the Noctua NT-H1 3.5g Thermal Computer Paste with Spatula. For one thing, the inclusion of the spatula is certainly a nice touch. For another thing, how high a temperature can this silicon compound paste take?
Features
Here are the features or specifications of the Noctua NT-H1 3.5g, Thermal Computer Paste with Spatula.
- Thermal Conductivity: 3.9 W/mk.
- Cooler Type: For air and liquid coolers.
- Extras: It includes a spatula for easier thermal paste application.
- Storage Method: Store at room temperature for at least 3 years.
- Usage Time: You can use the product on the CPU for up to 5 years.
- Application: You don’t need to spread it before installing the heatsink.
- Cleanup: Just clean it up with dry paper towel or tissue. No need for cleaning alcohol.
- Platform: It’s not machine-specific so you can use it on most any platform of PC and laptop.
- Item: Applicator tube or syringe of thermal paste that transfers heat from CPU or GPU to the heatsink.
- Storage Time: You can store the product for 2 years after opening the cap and up to 3 years or more unopened.
- Size and Weight: The product (thermal paste tube) measures 8.5 inches by 6 inches by 0.5 inches. It also weighs 3.5 grams.
- CPU Model and Socket: It’s recommended for use with a 4-processor AMD Ryzen 7 CPU model and CPU Socket AM4. It also works for TRA, LGA1700, and LGA1200 CPU sockets.
- Number of Applications: It comes in a 3.5g pack that you can use from 3 to 20 applications. The application number varies in accordance to CPU size.
Noctua NT-H1 3.5g Thermal Computer Paste
Pros
Here are the benefits of the Noctua NT-H1 3.5g Thermal Computer Paste.
- Best-Seller Rank: It’s ranked No. 5 in the “Silicon Grease” section.
- Cost-Effective: You’ll get your money’s worth with the Noctua NT-H1.
- Unique Formula: You won’t find similar thermal pastes like NT-H1 and its propriety formula.
- High Ratings: it’s highly rated in Amazon with thousands of ratings and loads of positive reviews.
- Standard Thermal Conductivity Rate: It efficiently transfers heat from the CPU to heatsink at 3.9W/mK.
- Syringe: You can easily apply the paste with minimal cleanup with a syringe instead of a messy squeeze tube.
- Proven Temperature Improvement: We’ve tested the paste on a GPU repaste. We can confirm got several degrees of improvement.
- Easy Cleanup: You can clean up excess with dry cloth, tissue, or paper towel. No cleaning alcohol necessary. No mess and no worries.
- Trusted Name: Noctua is one of the trusted names in thermal compounds along with brands like Arctic Silver, Thermal Grizzly, and Cooler Master.
- Non-Corroding and (Electrically) Non-Conductive: The compound isn’t electrically conductive and it’s non-corrosive as well. This means you have zero risk of short circuits.
- Easy Application: Easy application of the computer paste onto the CPU or GPU with or without spatula assistance. The spatula helps a lot with clean application though.
- Paste and Repaste: It’s good for those building their own PCs or those repairing their ready-built PCs, like repasting the GPU for the better instead of for the worse.
- Safe to Use: It’s safe to use on any CPU cooler type, regardless if they’re nickel-planted or composed of copper or aluminum. Any CPU cooler can take the NT-H1.
- Compound Characteristics: The compound has excellent long-term stability exactly because it has exceptional thermal cycling, dry-out, bleeding, and curing characteristics.
- Multiple Awards: It has gotten more than 150 recommendations and awards on Amazon and beyond for its renowned, premium-grade performance as a thermal paste product.
- A Decent Number of Applications: You can paste LGA1200 about 20 times, AM4 or LGA1700 for 15 times, while TR4 can only be pasted for 3 times. In other words, it can service 8-10 average-sized CPUs and twice that for laptop-sized CPUs.
- Premium-Grade Thermal Compound with Long-Term Stability: Noctua is a renowned thermal paste brand with dependable quality assurance. It can be stored up to 3 years and usage time on CPU is up to 4 years.
Cons
Here are the drawbacks of and complaints about the Noctua NT-H1 3.5g Thermal Computer Paste.
- Quality Control Issues: While Noctua quality assurance is relatively high, there have been reports of missing spatulas. Don’t accept if seal is opened too.
- Other Pastes Can Lower Temperatures Better: The superior pastes give you more applications of the product and can significantly lower temperatures more than this paste can.
- Better or Cheaper Pastes: You can get cheaper and/or better pastes on the market. However, the cheaper ones tend to be inferior to Noctua. The better thermal pastes are also usually more expensive.
- Some People Can’t Open the Syringe: The black part is the twist cap. It requires scissors or pliers to apply force to the cap’s little tabs. You can also apply hot water. You don’t need to cut it just use the pliers to pry it open.
- Stock Pastes Feature More Versatility: Stock pastes can be used (and found) on a wider variety of laptops and game consoles (Xbox, PS4/5, and Switch). It’s also used in Nvideo GeForce or AMD Radeon GPUs and Intel Core or AMD Ryzen CPUs.
Things to Consider When Buying Thermal Paste
Don’t get the wrong kind of paste. This defeats the purpose of getting a thermal paste in that it can increase your PC temperature instead of decrease it. Bad paste selection can also worsen PC performance.
Adequate application of the correct thermal compound will cool down your CPU or GPU. It won’t suffer from overheating or overclocking. As an “advanced” PC user who actually builds or repairs PCs, it’s important to consider the following before buying a thermal paste, gel, or compound.
Thermal Conductivity
How thermally conductive is your paste? It depends on what application, CPU, or GPU you’re using it for. This should not be confused with electrically non-conductive (and non-corroding) pastes like Noctua NT-H1 (it actually has a thermal conductivity rating of 3.9 W/mK).
When the paste’s thermal conductivity is more than the component temperature, then the heat is reduced significantly.
- Electrical vs. Thermal Conductivity: Just because Noctua NT-H1 isn’t electrically conductive it doesn’t mean it’s also thermally non-conductive since all pastes should deliver on that department. Non-conductivity in electricity just means it avoids short circuits.
- Conductivity Rating: Choosing the right conductivity from your paste should translate to better dependability and high versatility from your cooling system. Every compound has its own conductivity rating and heat transfer efficiency from processor to heatsink.
- Conductivity Levels: The conductivity levels of non-metallic and liquid compounds vary. Liquid thermal paste has a high 70W/mK rating. A non-metallic compound can go from 4 to 10W/mK. The higher the rating the better the conduction.
Thermal Design Power
The TDP (Thermal Design Power) refers to how much power that the processor will use or what amount of power is required for the processor to operate. This figure can be used to estimate how hot the processor can get.
- TDP and Heat Generation: The higher the TDP of a processor, the higher the amount of power it uses, which also means the hotter it will get as you play high-intensity game graphics or overclock your PC for video processing or 3D rendering.
- Consider the Conductivity Rating: When buying a thermal paste like Noctua NT-H1, consider its roughly standard 4W/mK conductivity rating. If you’re dealing with processor-heavy computing, that conductivity level might not be enough.
- Check Processor Specs: To keep your components performing at their best while remaining safe and cool, look at your processor specs and see the TDP listing. See if it matches Noctua NT-H1’s 3.9W/mK or if you need something more potent, like a 70W/mK liquid thermal paste.
Density and Viscosity
Choose the right density of thermal paste to boost your application process. The right paste density can allow you to squeeze it to the CPU easily. Liquid thermal paste offers you significantly lower density but these cost you more than standard thermal paste like Noctua NT-H1.
Their consistency is also problematic because they’re notoriously hard to apply when compared to their paste counterparts in spite of their superior thermal conductivity rating. When choosing the best paste for you, check the consistency.
The reviews for Noctua NT-H1 show that its consistency right out of its tube or syringe applicator is pretty dense or thick rather than viscous, but it comes with a spatula for extra “insurance” on even application.
Wrapping It Up
When push comes to shove, the Noctua NT-H1 3.5g Thermal Computer Paste is one of the most effective thermal pastes out there pound-for-pound (or rather, dollar-for-dollar). This cost-effective paste is worth every penny and you’re getting your money’s worth with it.
Sure, there are cheaper (interior) ones and better (more expensive) ones, but for most PC and laptop users, they’re good to go with Noctua. It even comes with its own spatula for even application of the best when all is said and done. Can’t complain and hits the sweet spot in affordability and quality.