Today I would like to update you on a detail that is often overlooked in practice, although it is crucial for the correct classification of measured values and manufacturer specifications. This is the distinction between front header and front audio. While the front header refers to the internal pin connector on the mainboard, via which the cable [...]
The PNY RTX 5070 OC is positioned as a classic butter and bread card, it should serve the mid-range segment, deliver solid frame rates and make the red pen of the purchase visible without exceeding the functional limit. It is precisely in this area of tension that the typical component mix of modern mainstream cards is created: the GPU and the [...]
Today’s article grew out of a series of concrete observations in everyday testing that prompted me to take a closer look at the PCIe slot and the add in card edge connector mating interface. In my test systems I generally use PCIe 5.0 riser cards to avoid repeated plugging and unplugging at the motherboard, since the slot does not get better with [...]
ASUS has done it again. This time not with an innovative new product or a clever design, but with an RMA farce that is so bizarre that it should actually win comedy awards. Not for the first time, by the way. It’s about a ROG RTX 4080 STRIX White Edition. In other words, one of those sinfully expensive cards where you’d like to believe [...]
Anyone who regularly records streams, prepares scenes, manages cameras or uses external capture hardware in their own video studio with software such as OBS Studio will sooner or later be faced with the question of a suitable technical basis for a dedicated recording computer. It’s not just about raw computing power or maximum features, but [...]
Sometimes failure just smells damn good. For example, when a thermal paste comes across like a bottle of niche fragrance from Kyoto – floral, sweet and with a hint of “What the hell is that?”. CWTP EG4GUV-L, as its somewhat unwieldy name suggests, exudes a hint of osmanthus, a flower that is used in Asia for tea, perfume and [...]
Today’s test focuses on the Akasa T6 Pro Grade Max, a thermal compound that is not a bad product in itself, but is a good example of how a solid mid-range product can be artificially turned into a premium product through targeted pricing. The price of around 25 euros on Amazon initially suggests that you are dealing with a real high [...]
I am often asked whether it is permissible or even sensible to stack thermal pads if the exact thickness is not available and you don’t want to use thermal putty. This is exactly what I would like to answer today, because this issue is far less critical than it is often made out to be. In fact, the targeted stacking of pads can even be a [...]
Huamei is a new sub-brand of the Chinese coolant manufacturer Halznziye, which has been operating more in the background to date and has been set up specifically for the international market. While at first glance the name sounds like a typo by Huawei, Huamei is not a technology company with smartphone ambitions, but a specialized product line for [...]
I took a closer look at the Arctic MX-6 in the revision 4 because when I unpacked it, I immediately noticed the red label, which reminded me a little of supermarket goods. It says “New Formula” on it, and that’s exactly what made me wonder. When a pack of food is suddenly labelled with such information, the result is often not [...]
When I tested the Halnziye HY-P17 for the first time, my jaw almost dropped. The performance delivered by this thermal compound is simply brutal and anything but what you would have expected from this manufacturer. Halnziye was previously known for solid but inconspicuous mass-produced goods that rarely rose above mediocrity. But it is precisely [...]
With the Deepcool DM9, I’m presented with a thermal compound today that could almost be prematurely labeled as outdated due to its high zinc oxide content. At first glance, the technical data seems rather unspectacular, the packaging is plain, and the price of around 5 euros for 4 grams indicates entry-level rather than ambitious high-end [...]
The mysterious “gel” on Gigabyte’s new graphics cards – analysis instead of alarmism Today’s article is dedicated to a topic that has attracted a lot of attention in recent days: the so-called “Thermal Conductive Gel” that Gigabyte uses on its current graphics card models and the accusation that this [...]
If you rummage in the gray area between OEM production line and overpriced retail shelf, sooner or later you will come across the name Shin-Etsu. If you expect more from thermal pastes than just a bit of white blob from a questionable syringe with gaming lettering, you will eventually end up with one of the world’s largest specialty chemical [...]
Ryzen X3D CPUs are known to be a force in gaming, even without fast RAM. However, this doesn’t mean that optimized system memory settings can’t be used to achieve even better performance. After all, the cache is just that – a cache – and sooner or later the data has to be written to or read from the RAM. Not every gamer has the time [...]
Anyone who has been keeping a close eye on my thermal compound database since today will certainly not have overlooked a small addition. In my comparative characterization of thermal interface materials (TIM), a uniform lower limit of the bond line thickness (BLT) of 25 µm was deliberately chosen (purely graphically). This decision is based on [...]
Today I’m testing the Shin Etsu MicroSi X-23-7921-5 , the MicroSi X-23-7783D and the MicroSi G7762. Once again, my thanks go to the community for the kind procurement. All three pastes are actually not that bad, but they show the typical problem when the manufacturer tries to generate great values. That’s why I’m using the whole [...]
As part of a reader request, I was given a new PowerColor Radeon RX 9070XT Hellhound for analysis, in which unusually high GPU and hotspot temperatures were observed under load, which suggests an uneven or locally disturbed thermal coupling of the GPU die. Despite proper reapplication of a high-quality PTM pad and additional thermal putty instead [...]
Today Aris is once again writing as head of Cybenetics and refers (not only) to the measurements and evaluations of power supply units. But his comments can certainly be generalized, because the principle is usually the same everywhere. We still know Fritz Hunter’s explanations of the fan tests at the time and today there is an interesting [...]
Sometimes you really wonder whether the marketing departments of this world are holding a secret competition: who can make the most audacious claim without their product evaporating from the shelf in shame? In this case, the MJ-12 thermal compound would be a serious contender for the gold medal. “Reduce wear and tear with 12.4 W/m*K” [...]
