Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut Review vs. IC Diamond Thermal Pad & Thermal Paste Benchmarks

Reusable thermal pads are all the rage. We're reviewing the Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut pad versus IC Diamond's Graphite Thermal Pad, including benchmarks of Carbonaut vs. thermal paste.

Scanning Electron Microscope photos taken by JOHANNES WEHNER.

This testing covers the Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut pad, which is primarily a competitor to the IC Diamond Graphite Thermal Pad. These two interfaces are alternatives to thermal paste, mostly marketing on claims of reusability, endurance (no paste dry-out or pump-out effect), and conformity to uneven surfaces. We're testing all of that here, using an uneven/unflat surface in the form of the Corsair A500 to benchmark the last claim versus traditional pastes, which have a lower minimum thinness than these pads can achieve. We're also looking at durability and reusability, thermal performance as tested in an extremely controlled environment, and value versus traditional paste solutions. Watch our IC Diamond review for methodological notes on the testing solution. As we said before, "real" computers -- even using heavily controlled test benches, as described in our CPU cooler methodology above -- are simply too variable and difficult to control for this type of testing. In order to accurately benchmark thermal interfaces, custom-engineered dummy heaters must be used in order to produce a meaningful difference. A "real-world" solution would either (A) produce unusable data due to variance, with no ability to trust said data, or (B) produce results that, in the absolute best case, are all within error. With our custom solution, which is a dummy heater in the exact shape of an Intel i9-9900K IHS, we're able to narrow-in results to produce meaningful data between the solutions. If you want to know what the best thermal pad or thermal paste is, this is the best way to produce that answer. We're working toward it still, but we're starting with a slew of graphite and carbon thermal pads.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - IC Diamond & Paste vs. Thermal Grizzly Pads
01:52 - Why Paste is Almost Always Thermally Better
02:55 - Test Bench Decisions
04:13 - How Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut Works & Microscope Photos
07:05 - Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut & IC Diamond Pad Marketing
09:54 - Thermal Conductivity (W/mK) Claims Incomparable
11:07 - IC Diamond Graphite Pad vs. Carbonaut Thermal Benchmark
13:38 - Pressure Testing Notes & Hitachi HM01 Thermal Pad
14:32 - Unflat Coldplate Testing vs. IC Diamond & Carbonaut
18:20 - Conclusion: Paste vs. Graphite Thermal Pad & Carbonaut


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Editorial, Testing: Steve Burke
Video: Keegan Gallick, Andrew Coleman

[Scamperor]

That intro B roll shows the typical CPU ritual done before testing :D

[StefanEtienneTheVerrgeRep]

You're supposed to use 2 slices of pad with thermal paste in between to create a Grilled Carbonaut sandwich. Then place more thermal paste as needed.

[coredumperror]

I was recommended this channel when I asked for info about how to build a new PC. And WOW, this is *monumentally* detailed info! I had no idea anyone even cared about this level of detail for thermal paste and competitors. I am fascinated!

[mattsmechanicalssi]

@ 0:02 That's not how to apply thermal paste! You need to drill a hole in the IHS, and inject the paste in there with the syringe till it won't hold any more!

[LNRMusicCuration]

Commenter: "Omg thats so much paste, don't do that"
GN: "makes a ring of thermal paste around a cpu just for some b roll"

[joniler]

Unbelieveable. Tech jesus actually mentioned my previous comment about thermal pad for laptop. What an honour!

[pferoxtheskeeterguy]

One of the things about the pads is that you don't have to wonder if you put too much or too little grease on. They are basically always consistent with the "dosage".

[mimireich]

I love how Steve explained the nanomaterial aspects for both products (especially in the pad).

[jameskenney]

It's like a cpu blanket, tuck it up all warm & cosy! 😂

[KaitainCPS]

I've used IC's pads over thermal paste for most of my PC builds for the last five years. I am very happy with their performance, which is so close to optimal paste, while also reducing the chance of screwing things up with a bad application, that I feel it's the best option overall.

[TriccyViccy]

I can definitely see these being useful in things like iMacs, where they’re basically glued shut. So you don’t want to open the damn thing more than once or twice. So just adding a “fire and forget” pad and not needing to worry about thermal paste is seriously damn cool.

[grbanautiger]

To me, the best use case for Carbonaut is consoles, where you really don't want to open them up and repaste them, and their longevity is typically longer than a standard PC. Console users generally would have no idea about repasting.

[FuncleChuck]

0:00 I can’t believe how much paste you waste! Don’t you know there are starving chips in Xboxes!

[robertol]

ah, it's like a cloth then, I was curious what kind of structure it has, interesting

[ijustsawthat]

Engineer: Boss, we have imperfections on the cut process
Boss: No one will notice them
Steve: So we grabbed the microscope...

Edit: Image credit to Johanness Whener

[NeoGuyver]

At last the Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut review that I'm looking for haha

[BRUXXUS]

Here's a possible fun test case for your new high precision CPU heater that I've been curious about for a few years:
*Tinting* ... I remember a few years back I *actually* read the instructions that came with a tube of Arctic Silver (for some reason).
It suggested "Tinting" the IHS and cold plate by applying a tiny amount of paste to them then buffing it back off.
At first I thought it was just a clever way to get people to use more paste, but as I thought about it, it started to make sense.
By buffing in a microscopic layer of paste, you can apply more direct pressure to the surfaces, filling in the tiny imperfections with more force than just the mounting pressure of the cooler, so when you apply the paste to like usual, and mount the cooler, you'd theoretically get better contact.
There would be no way to detect any improvement by using a real CPU, but your test rig may actually have the resolution to check this.
Just a thought.

[Lythrynn]

Waiting for the Elmer's Glue brand Thermal Pad. Likely will be a sponsor in The Verge's next PC build.

[DoctorX]

I just got a Carbonaut pad for my 3400G build that lives behind my TV. I probably won't replace or upgrade it for a decade if Windows doesn't end up needing far higher end hardware, I just use it to play very light old games it stream from my main machine. Main machine and servers get paste, and that gets replaced every few years if the machine isn't being upgraded. I got the Carbonaut because I didn't want to have to worry about the graphite pad potentially breaking and having conductive flakes get somewhere on the board.

But yeah, for my 3400G with a Noctua NH-L9a, the temps of MX-4 vs. the pad were very nearly identical, although the Carbonaut pad seemed to heat up faster...

[denverag]

Dont know if you cover this, and i dont want to forget, but I've noticed that carbonaught gets 'gummy' when hot, you have to let it cool completely off before removing the cooler or it might tear, or tear when pulled from the IHS
Also, i want these pre-installed in OEM desktops and servers, i dont like having to re-paste hundreds of machines