Carbice Ice Pad Runs 4-8°C Hotter Than Thermal Paste in LTT Labs Test
The test shows that while CNT-based pads offer convenience and no pump-out risk, they currently underperform traditional thermal interface materials in short-term CPU cooling.
Reporting from 1 sources: GIGAZINE.
LTT Labs tested Carbice's Ice Pad, a carbon nanotube thermal pad, against Noctua NT-H2 thermal paste and PTM7950 phase-change pad on a Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Under air and liquid cooling, the Ice Pad ran 4-8°C hotter than both alternatives in most tests, though Carbice claims long-term performance improves with thermal cycling.
Carbice's Ice Pad, a thermal pad using carbon nanotubes grown on an aluminum substrate, was put through CPU temperature testing by LTT Labs. The pad relies on a polymer layer that conforms under heat and pressure to improve contact, but in practice it lagged behind both standard thermal paste and a phase-change pad. With a Ryzen 9 9950X3D under air cooling and an OCCT load, the Ice Pad hit 75°C while Noctua NT-H2 and PTM7950 both reached 69°C. Under liquid cooling with the same load, the gap widened to 81°C versus 69°C and 68°C respectively. LTT Labs noted the pad requires an activation period of several minutes at 33-37°C before it reaches its intended performance, and even after reactivation it remained 4°C hotter than the alternatives. Carbice argues the pad's advantage is long-term stability, since it does not pump out or dry like paste, but the short-term test found all three materials provided sufficient cooling.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.