Like the title says, this is one of the best "normal" thermal pastes around. It consistently ranks within the top 3 of thermal pastes in every test and benchmark I could find online. Anything better is Diamond IC and Coollaboratory Ultra/Pro. Diamond IC uses tiny diamond particles but it also has a reputation to pit, or make little dents in your die or contact plate. Diamond particles if clumped together don't really compress well I suppose. I have Coollab Ultra and it is a great but it is also conductive and cannot be used with aluminum or any aluminum alloys. I use it between my CPU die and IHS but I can't use it on my video card because it has exposed circuits that it will short out.
Even though PK-3 doesn't perform as well as the previous mentioned, it's only like 2-3 degrees difference which isn't terribly much. I did a LOT of research before purchasing this. PK-3 is non conductive and I can put it on circuits, between the IHS, on aluminum, nickel,copper, anything that needs good cooling. PK-3 consistently ranks within the top 3 of benchmark tests. The product is pricey though. I used to have the 1.5 gram version and that was only good enough for like 3 applications. The 5g tube will last you years and years.
***Update 12/3/2018***
After having this tube for 4 years now, I still have about 1/3 of a tube left. I've used this on countless computers including desktops, laptops, even GPUs. My experience over the years was that this stuff doesn't really dry out as long as you keep it in the syringe and cool and out of the sun. I have not noticed any noticeable temperature difference with my overclocked gaming CPU. I repasted it one year ago just because I had so much of this stuff lying around that I figured it wouldn't hurt. That was 3 years of undisturbed paste job!
One thing I can say is that the consistency of the paste is "drier" and harder to spread compared to other pastes that may be more "liquidy." I would say the consistency feels like dry wall spackle - not exactly hard, but not liquid. Additionally I've noticed mounting pressure is also an important factor with this paste. Maybe because it's not a soft or liquid paste, you need strong mounting pressure, usually from a desktop or AIO cooler to really push the paste down and spread it. I've noticed the mounting pressure from most laptop coolers are not enough.
In 2018 there are definitely better pastes available, Grizzly Kryonaut is the top name being used these days. Grizzly is a much more liquid paste and easier to spread. However in all comparisons and tests PK-3 is still around 2-3 degrees difference in performance during load. The paste holds up quite well even today. I would say though, the price should be decreased due to the competition.
Advantages:
+ Great cooling performance
+ Very generous amount will last you years
+ Does not seem to dry
+ Does not need reapplication even after 3 years
Disadvantages:
- Price, it's costly and in 2018 where there's better pastes out there, the price needs to drop
- "Dry" consistence. Not easily spread.
- Needs high mounting pressure.
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Reviews with images
Does what it says on the tin.
7950x idles at 38-40.1c, with Hydra 1.5e running in game I rarely hit the 95c max temp and this is with an older corsair H150i AIO cooler
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