OCZ Ultra 5+ Silver (OCZU5STP)

OCZ Ultra 5+ thermal compound from OCZ Technology has been discontinued from production and replaced with a newer solution that we are going to discuss next. Nevertheless, it will be pretty interesting to see how much progress they have made and what the differences are between the old and the new thermal compounds from the same maker.

OCZ Ultra 5+ ships in a small 3g syringe:

This thermal interface contains silver particles (99.9% pure), zinc oxide, aluminum oxide and some boron nitride particles. Its claimed thermal conductivity is 350 W/(m²·C) and thermal resistance – 0.0045 °C-cm²/W. We don’t have any data on the operational temperature range and recommended stabilization period.

There are applications instructions that can be downloaded from the official company web-site, however, even without them OCZ Ultra 5+ is very easy to apply and spread over the surface. It is of dark gray color and very thick and viscous consistency (similar to Arctic Silver 5):

This thermal interface could also be easily removed from the processor surface. We don’t know its price, and even though you can still buy it, it is not very important any more: OCZ Ultra 5+ has already been officially discontinued and replaced with a new product, which we are going to discuss next.

OCZ Freeze Extreme (OCZTFRZTC)

New OCZ Freeze Extreme thermal interface comes in a small plastic packaging with a cardboard insert inside:

The packaging promises you new non-toxic formula, high thermal conductivity and low thermal resistance. OCZ Freeze Extreme contains no silver particles, and their chemical content is obviously not disclosed. Nevertheless, the manufacturer claims that this new thermal compound is 10% more efficient than the predecessor – OCZ Ultra 5+. According to the specifications, OCZ Freeze Extreme boasts 0.0045°C-cm²/W thermal resistance and 3.8 W/(m·C) thermal conductivity.

A small syringe contains 3g of the compound:

This thermal compound is of light gray color and comparatively thin consistency. However, it is extremely adhesive, so you can easily apply an even and thin layer over the CPU heat-spreader. Here is what thermal interface imprint on the cooler base looks like:

By the way, the manufacturer recommends in the user’s instructions to this thermal compound to apply a drop to the center of the processor heat-spreader instead of spreading it evenly over the surface. Then put the cooler on and rotate it slowly in different directions applying a little pressure to it at the same time. However, you have to make sure that both surfaces are ideally even, otherwise, this trick will not work.

OCZ Freeze Extreme should remain functional during a period of two years. The range of operational temperatures is not revealed. The thermal interface is priced at about $8.