Arctic has a well-earned reputation for its thermal pastes, with its MX-6 being one of the best thermal pastes on the market. The company has introduced the MX-7 to stay ahead of the competition. It claims the MX-7 is the company’s coolest thermal paste to date, with prices ranging from $6-10.
Having launched three years ago, the MX-6 still feels quite new, but in a competitive market where new products come out every year, staying relevant is key. The MX-7 features a new formula that Arctic understandably keeps under wraps. Still, the company shares that the MX-7 boasts low adhesion for even distribution, high viscosity for flow resistance, and high cohesion for more durable bonding.
Arctic takes a different approach from other thermal paste brands by not emphasizing thermal conductivity values for its products. As detailed in the specification sheet, the MX-7 is up to 22% less viscous than the MX-6 and approximately 12% denser than its predecessor. In Arctic’s own testing, using a Core Ultra 9 285K at 4.5 GHz and drawing around 284W in an ambient temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, the MX-7 managed to deliver temperatures about 3% cooler than the MX-6 and up to 6% cooler than the MX-4.
Arctic MX-7 Specifications
|
Specification |
MX-7 |
MX-6 |
MX-5 |
MX-4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Viscosity |
35,000 – 38,000 Poise |
45,000 Poise |
550 Poise |
870 Poise |
|
Density |
2.9 g/cm³ |
2.6 g/cm³ |
3.2 g/cm³ |
2.5 g/cm³ |
|
Continuous Use Temperature |
-50~150 ℃ |
-50~150 ℃ |
-40~180 ℃ |
-50~150 ℃ |
|
Volume Resistivity |
1.7 X 10¹² Ω-cm |
1.8 X 10¹² Ω-cm |
1.9 X 10¹² Ω-cm |
3.8 X 10¹² Ω-cm |
|
Breakdown voltage |
4.2 kV/mm |
7.5 kV/mm |
250 V/mm |
N/A |
Rest assured, the thermal paste is completely safe to use with direct-die cooling solutions because it’s not electrically conductive or capacitive. This means you don’t need to worry about any risk of short circuits or discharges that could damage your devices.
While the MX-7 is less thick than the MX-6, it still has a nice, viscous consistency. Arctic suggests avoiding spreading the paste with a spatula. Instead, applying it in a simple cross pattern is best, and let your CPU cooler do the magic. The pressure from the cooler will evenly spread the MX-7, filling in any gaps and giving you complete coverage. This helpful tip also works well for coolers with direct-touch heat pipes.
Since the MX-7 is non-capacitive and non-conductive, it’s simple to wipe away excess or old applications with ease. Arctic also offers a separate MX Cleaner wipe that’s perfect for cleaning thermal paste. Plus, these wipes can be purchased together as an MX-7 bundle for added convenience.
You can easily find the MX-7 for sale on Amazon. The latest thermal paste isn’t much pricier than the previous version. To give you an idea, the 2-gram and 8-gram syringes cost just about $1.40 more, while the other MX-7 options are less than $0.50 more expensive than their older versions.
With so many Arctic knockoffs out there, it’s a good idea to buy your MX-7 from trusted retailers. Arctic has also improved its MX Authenticity Check system, allowing you to easily verify your product’s authenticity using a unique QR code for each item. This helps ensure you get the real deal and have peace of mind with your purchase.
Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.