Summary and Conclusion
IC Diamond has done a rather good job with this compound, however as proven the results can vary. With only three to four degrees lead over Artic Silver 5 and one to two over other leading compounds such as the Shin-Etsu x23, it could be asked if the process worth it? However the other side of the coin is two fold. There is the fact that overclocking enthusiasts are willing to go to extreme lengths to shave off that extra degree and lastly that the results are dependant on the heat spreader of your particular CPU.
Due to the viscosity of Innovation Cooling’s compound it could be conceivably replace the thermal pad used on the PWM modules. In addition its non conductive nature it can be used in a variety of applications and not just for the CPU. However in all fairness this only happens when the compound has been changed on a regular basis(such as when testing differing processors
The compound does perform well once its cured and as previously mentioned it can be used in a variety of applications. The delta was the second lowest in our round up, coming in a close second to the Artic Ceramique. On a majority of tests it was a rival and indeed came ahead of the next overall best solution the Shin-Etsu X23.
The overclocking results also proved to be an interesting, as it appears that the more this compound is pushed the harder it works so to speak. A quick test prooved this with IC7 performing at its maximum of 66C and Artic Silver 5 at 73c when overclocking to 4 gigahertz! The only disadvantage is that this compound has a temperature range is only from minus thirty degrees, rendering it unsuitable for Dry Ice or Liquid Nitrogen cooling. It is possible however to perform a Fast cure by the use of a hairdryer to enable the compound to be suitable for the aforementioned cooling style. Also given that the Artic Cermique is the cheapest compound in this reviews roundup, it also has the LOWEST delta. One possible explanation for this is that since this compound is more suitable for sub-zero cooling I.E -180 degrees then it could explain why the delta is the lowest.
All in all the IC Diamond puts up a tough fight even with the excellent Shin-Etsu compound (of which has the next best overall results) Based on these performance figures one would have no hesitation in recommending IC Diamond’s solution for a variety of cooling applications.
Pro’s
- Does indeed reduce temperatures
- Non-Conductive
- Viscosity (able to be used on a vairety of components and is not limited to the CPU)
- Performs better than Shin-Etsu x23
- Delta Temperatures are excellent
- Curing times are low, BUT can vary from CPU to CPU
- Works well even under extreme Overclocking situations
Con’s
- Not suitable for Dry Ice or Liquid Nitrogen Cooling
Weighing up the pros and cons and due to this products ‘unique’ nature Overclockerstech can award this a gold award.
With thanks to TAKTAK for converting my raw data into pretty barcharts and Lvcoyote for the review tidy.
The Innovation Cooling Diamond Compound can be purchased from www.watercooledpcs.co.uk
Gilgamesh
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