3DVelocity would like to thank ESG Associates and especially Scott Gallmeyer for their help and courtesy in providing this product for review.

Introduction :

If somebody had told us a few years ago that cooling was set to become a multi-million dollar industry, I think most of us would have had a tough time keeping a straight face, but the fact is that cooling has become one the big markets for manufacturers, and those who can break into it with a a worthwhile product stand to do very nicely thank you.

Arctic Silver was really the first product to stir interest in thermal greases on a large scale, and it has lead to a whole range of new greases appearing on store shelves, some of which are good, some not so good.

Nanotherm Ice and Blue from ESG Associates is a new approach to manufacturing thermal interface materials as they have done away with the notion of trying to cram as much metal as possible into a carrier and have opted instead to use thermally conductive ceramic compounds to do the work. The advantage to this approach is primarily that this new grease is not electrically conductive under any circumstances.

First off, let's look at what ESG say about Nanotherm on their website :

Nanotherm Ice and Nanotherm Blue are unique, new "Nanocomposite" Thermal Interface Compounds comprised of high-tech ceramic "Nano" and Thermally Conductive fillers compounded into a special high pressure, high temperature non-silicone based carrier matrix. The following are some of the 'Features and Benefits' of the Nanotherm Compounds:

• Cost-Effective, High Performance Thermal Interface Material
• High Thermal Conductivity
• Low Thermal Resistance
• High Temperature Resistance
• Electrically Insulative
• High Pressure Resistance
• Chemically Inert
• Invisible to Microwave Radiation
• Fills Micropores & Grooves on Contact Surfaces
• Excellent Barrier Properties to Oxygen and Moisture
• Viscous, Sticky Consistency
• Resistant to Separation, Leeching and Drying Out
• Spreads Smoothly & Evenly in Thin Layers
• Fast, Easy Cleanup - No Mess

Okay, so let's work through the list and see what this stuff's made of.

Cost-effective, High Performance Thermal Interface Material

One of the things ESG are most keen to get across is the fact that Nanotherm is less costly than competing high performance products. Traditionally, prices for such products are quoted per gram, and on this basis Nanotherm appears relatively expensive. What matters though is how much material is in a gram, and because Nanotherm is less dense, you get more volume per gram than you would with competing products. If we liken this to something easier to understand, let's imagine you want to buy some bricks. Company A charges $10 per pound of bricks while company B charges $8 per pound, it's tempting to assume that company B is cheapest, but if company A make their bricks from lead, you may only get 1 brick for your $8, while company B who use traditional clay may be able to supply three bricks for the $10 they charge making them the better choice. This is pretty much the case with Nanotherm. Price per gram may seem high in comparison to some products, but by volume they still work out cheaper.

 

Well, we'll be checking that in a moment.

Electrically Insulative

Although not recommended, should you happen to end up smearing Nanotherm all over your Athlon's bridges or cache, you can be certain it's not going to conduct and cause problems.

Because of its thick consistency, Nanotherm does react well under pressure making it unlikely to run or be squeezed out of the area it's meant to be in. This can also be a problem as you need to make sure the layer you apply is suitably thin in the first place. As I'm not a chemist, I'll have to take ESG's word for the fact that the compound is chemically inert and invisible to microwave radiation.

Fills Micropores & Grooves on Contact Surfaces

This is of course the function of all thermal greases, but as we'll discover later the thick nature of Nanotherm does give it a slight edge here in some circumstances.

Excellent Barrier Properties to Oxygen and Moisture

Again, I'll have to take their word for this, but for those of you using methods of cooling that may cause condensation, I'm guessing water resistance may be a consideration.

Thick, Viscous, Sticky Consistency Does not Separate, Leech or Dry Out

I'm not totally convinced about this, we'll see why later.

Spreads Smoothly & Evenly in Thin Layers

Can't argue with that, though you do need to take care to apply as thinly as possible to be safe.

Fast, Easy Cleanup - No Mess

Again, no arguments here. Nanotherm is just about the easiest thermal grease to remove from your processor. Most of the compound simple rolls off with a lint free cloth and the rest can be removed with an Alcohol wipe. Of course, being nonconductive it's less essential that you remove every last trace.

What makes Nanotherm unique is that it uses a blend of ceramic powders to bind together and order the compound into a unique nanocomposite material. The microscopic particle in the active ceramic material lock together and actively fill surface imperfections to offer, in theory at least, a stable and resilient interface between processor and heatsink.

Nanotherm is available in two flavours. Ice is a natural ivory colour, while Blue is essentially the exact same compound but with a blue ceramic pigment added. Why? well, it's purely cosmetic, but it does also help give a visual indication to help confirm you have an even layer and have the whole surface area covered. We only have the natural Ice variety for test, so let's look at some results.

Page 2, Testing and Conclusion
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