ZEROtherm ZT-100 High Performance Thermal Grease

Introduction:

    One of the major key elements in proper thermal conduction between a processor and its heatsink is a good thermal compound. Makers of this miracle goop have come and gone while trying to stake their mark as king in the thermal compound ring. Well, most of those companies have gone by the wayside, leaving only a remaining few. One of these remaining companies is Zerotherm, which specializes in component cooling. In this review, we will be going over Zerotherm's High Performance Thermal Grease (ZT-100) vs. the stock stuff.

About the Company:

    ZEROtherm is engineered for the objective of decreasing noise into the ¡°ZERO¡± range while effectively addressing thermal issues. ZEROtherm products are optimized cooling solutions to reduce both noise and heat. Our core thermal packaging technology (including heat pipe technology and micro electro mechanical technology) is the basis for all ZEROtherm products. We seek to exceed consumer expectations by developing, designing, and producing ¡°best-of-breed¡± solutions from our extensive technological and engineering capabilities.
 

A Closer Look:

Retail Front

Retail Rear

Syringe

Site Window

    The Zerotherm thermal grease comes packaged in a simple cardboard and plastic blister pack for retail sale. Inside this package is a plastic syringe with 3.5 grams of the thermal grease. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any information on this gray paste. Also included in the package is a latex finger cot. This is used to apply the thermal grease to the processor.

AMD CPU

Thin Ribbon of Thermal Grease

Smeared On

Grease Applied

    As mentioned above, a latex finger cot was included so the user can smear a thin layer of thermal compound across the processor. However, I'm old school, and I don't feel that smearing compound across a processor with your finger is efficient. Instead, I use a small metal ruler or straight edged razor blade when I can (the wife won't let me play with sharp objects) to smear a thin layer of thermal grease across the processor. This style of application forces the thermal grease into any pockets or indentations in the processor. This method also provides consistent layer of thermal grease across the processor.

Testing:

    For testing, BurnInTest Ver4.0 and Prime95 was used, running a total of three tests in a sequence of ON for one hour at 100% CPU load, then OFF for 30 minutes to cool. The temps are collected and an average temp is calculated.

Test Rig:

Conclusion:

     Well, the numbers don't lie: the mystery gray goop in the syringe works rather well compared to the stock white stuff. Even if the numbers are slightly lower, that is good, as compared to being slightly higher or even the same. The ZT-100 thermal grease is easy to spread, and the 3.5 grams should last for about 4 applications. The only thing I would recommend is applying the thermal grease with something that has a straight edge, like a razor blade, and not the finger coat.  I would like to thank the folks at ZEROtherm for sending this item out for VH to review.

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