TEST SYSTEM
Enclosure : AZZA Helios 910R Mid Tower Case
Processor : AMD Athlon 64 FX-60
Motherboard : DFI LanParty UT nF4 SLI-DR
Video Card : eVGA GeForce 7800 GT (256 MB)
Hard Drive : Western Digital 160GB
Cooling : Stock Fan and Heatsink
Power Supply : Ultra X4 500-Watt
Operating System : Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise
Memory : 2 x Corsair 1GB PC3200 DDR


TESTING
To test the NT-H1 thermal grease, we will measure the temperatures of the CPU at both idle and on load using SpeedFan v4.40. To test at idle, we will leave the computer running for an hour without running anything and then take the temperature measurements. To test at load, we will use CPU Burn-in v1.01 for 1 hour to load the CPU at 100% and then record the temperatures.

Just for comparison reasons, we will also test the Tuniq TX-3 thermal grease and the Arctic Silver (not Arctic Silver 5) thermal grease the same way. I personally would like to see how this NT-H1 holds up against the TX-3 since I had great results during my tests.


RESULTS
NT-H1 : Idle Temperature (after 1 hour) : 35^oC
NT-H1 : Load Temperature (after 1 hour) : 48^oC

TX-3 : Idle Temperature (after 1 hour) : 34^oC
TX-3 : Load Temperature (after 1 hour) : 47^oC

Arctic Silver : Idle Temperature (after 1 hour) : 38^oC
Arctic Silver : Load Temperature (after 1 hour) : 52^oC

Surprisingly, the TX-3 performed better than the Arctic Silver and the NT-H1. I had thought that the NT-H1 would have performed about the same or better than the TX-3 but it did however, beat the Arctic Silver (which was expected). On the other hand, while the NT-H1 didn't beat the TX-3, it did come pretty close to it and the difference was on average only 1 to 2^oC. So, I wouldn't take it out of the picture either. It is a great value for the price you pay for it. Now I would love to test the new Arctic Silver 5, which I hear is supposed to be really good. I would think that it would either come close to or beat the TX-3. So I will surely have to give it a try and see for my self.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I didn't have any issues applying the NT-H1 compound on my CPU unlike the issue I had with the TX-3 (it is tough to spread as it is very thick). You don't have to use a strong piece of cardboard to spread it on the CPU. Just squeeze som on the CPU and either use a little piece or cardboard or your fingers to spread a thin layer evenly on the CPU.  Then, install the heatsink on it and you are good to go. It is also very easy to clean off unlike the Arctic Silver grease that I used before. Arctic Silver grease is very hard to wipe off and it gets all over your hands and sometimes on the processor itself (the pins of the processor). I got very good results even with the stock fan and heatsink with the AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 processor. The NT-H1 costs about $6.99 online. I don't really have any other complaints about this thermal grease besides the performance.


FINAL THOUGHTS
Although, the Tuniq TX-3 beat the Noctua NT-H1 thermal grease by 1 or 2 degrees, I would still highly recommend it. It basically boils down to ease of application and performance. The NT-H1 and TX-3 both provide really good performance dispite the temperature difference. Personally I would use either NT-H1 or the TX-3 depending on which is readily available at the time. I really have no preference at this point.