By Evan Ackerman
If you’ve ever gotten into the guts of a computer, you probably know that a huge amount of effort is put into getting rid of excess heat. Heat-spewing processors are attached to a radiator with some gunk called thermal grease, which transfers the heat away from the processor die. The efficiency of the grease can make a sizable difference in the operating temperature of your computer, allowing you to either overlock a bit more, or turn your fans down. Arctic Silver has long been the standard high-performance thermal compound, but apparently, diamond dust does a much better job.
This article shows you how to make and apply your own diamond dust thermal compound, but here’s the nutshell: diamond dust is cheap, and 5 grams (25 carats) will set you back about $30. Alternatively, feel free to grind up any diamonds you find lying around the house. Along with a few other basic materials, you can mix up the compound yourself. The article says that a system that idled at 42C with Arctic Silver would idle at 29C with the diamond dust, and under load, the temperature dropped from 57C to 38C. That’s, what, an increase in efficiency of over 30%? Pretty spectacular, if you ask me.