10 comments

  • Scene_Cast2 1 minute ago
    This video seems to be about LM on untreated copper (which I thought wasn't really advised).

    Now, I personally have had two builds with LM. One with LM as the material for a CPU re-lid, and another for a direct-die application. Neither touched aluminum or untreated copper.

    The re-lidded CPU is still going strong, no issues. But with the direct die application, I found the performance to significantly degrade after two years. Apparently there's a pump-out effect.

    I ended up switching to PTM. Same temps as LM, but zero degradation so far.

  • SloopJon 45 minutes ago
    This video is by the owner of Thermal Grizzly. They make thermal pastes and putties, but I think they're best known for their KryoSheet graphene pads.

    Although I've never been conscious of pump out as a problem, and have never reapplied thermal paste, I did use a KryoSheet on a 9800X3D in my most recent build. So far, so good.

    • Kirby64 28 minutes ago
      They also make Liquid Metal themselves. Pretty sure that’s a substantial part of their business actually…
      • tomega2134 1 minute ago
        And they talk in the video about how expensive it is now, because of gallium export restrictions in China, and that people shouldn't be using it because it's not cost effective. Only the most hardcore of overclockers should even do it.

        But it was a very informative video regardless.

  • vanschelven 49 minutes ago
    I was wondering where the liquid metal would come from but apparently it's an alternative to thermal paste.
  • drdexebtjl 16 minutes ago
    I have a dead mini PC due to liquid metal leaking. Never opened it before it died, never kept it upright.

    I don’t think I’ll put anything liquid on my electronics ever again.

  • thomasjudge 35 minutes ago
    There is a youtube laptop repair show I follow that specializes in Dells and he *HATES* liquid metal, causes soooo many problems when it leaks
    • smallmancontrov 15 minutes ago
      Are we not allowed to speak northwestrepair's name or something?

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNjoREOH80Y

      He's a beast at BGA replacement, if you want to learn how to handle big chips he's the one to watch. But yeah, liquid metal sure seems to kill a lot of them, though typically just for the prosaic reason of getting somewhere it shouldn't and shorting something out.

    • thomasjudge 34 minutes ago
      [flagged]
  • sanex 1 hour ago
    I have a Thinkpad x1 extreme gen 5 with an i9 and 3080. Liquid metal. Overheats like crazy. I want to get in there but I hear it's such a pain to deal with I've been putting it off. Definitely will be swapping to one of the thermal pads when I do it.
    • Tempest1981 23 minutes ago
      After how long? I.e. did you get a few good years with it?
  • jordand 43 minutes ago
    There's been concerns for a while with the PS5 and the use of liquid metal in that. Especially given it stands vertically, and that liquid metal can "shift" downwards
    • simoncion 15 minutes ago
      > Especially given it stands vertically...

      FWIW, you can set it horizontally. You need to use the -heh- stand they include for the purpose, but it's how I have mine configured and it works fine.

      I get that size and shape of the case may make this the least popular way of orienting the hardware, but -unless they've decided to save ten cents by not including the stand- it's just as doable as the vertical orientation.

  • bitwize 21 minutes ago
    Man, I hate it when my gaming rig turns out to be a T-1000...
  • chickenbig 45 minutes ago
    Another liquid metal you have to watch out for is mercury. A former employer of mine traced elevated RAM degradation in a particular datacentre to mercury contamination in the canal the used for cooling water. Mercury has an interesting way of migrating through other metals.