Tech & Gadgets · Head-to-head
Noctua NT-H2 vs Arctic MX-6
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Thermal Paste: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
NT-H2 is the only paste here whose maker publishes a recommended service life on the CPU, and it is safe on any cooler metal with no burn-in period. MX-6 matches it on the safety fundamentals for less money, and only loses on the paperwork.
Noctua NT-H2
Buy itThe safe default: non-conductive, non-corroding, no burn-in, and the only paste here with a published service life on the CPU.
- Noctua states a recommended usage time of up to five years on the CPU and up to three years of storage before use.
- Described as not electrically conductive and non-corroding, and safe on copper or aluminium coolers whether or not they are nickel-plated.
- No break-in or burn-in period, so the temperature you see on day one is the temperature you keep.
- Noctua publishes no thermal conductivity figure and no test standard, so there is nothing to compare on paper.
- The 3.5 g syringe is enough for roughly 3 to 20 applications depending on chip size, so heavy re-mounters will want the 10 g.
- Costs noticeably more per gram than the Arctic pastes for a difference most builds will not measure.
Arctic MX-6
Buy itThe value pick, and the only maker here that explains in writing why it refuses to print a W/mK number.
- Publishes the electrical specs that actually matter near pins: volume resistivity of 1.8 x 10^12 Ohm-cm and breakdown voltage of 7.5 kV/mm.
- Stated to be neither electrically conductive nor capacitive, and free of liquid metal components.
- Reaches full performance immediately with no burn-in, and comes in 2 g, 4 g and 8 g resealable syringes.
- At 45,000 poise it is too stiff to spread with a spatula, so you have to trust the cooler's mounting pressure.
- Continuous use temperature tops out at 150 C, lower than the 200 C the other two greases here claim.
- Arctic has shipped several silent revisions of MX-6, so a syringe bought today may not match one from a couple of years ago.
Side by side
| Noctua NT-H2 | Arctic MX-6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone who wants to mount a cooler once, forget about it, and never worry about what the cooler base is made of. | The builder who wants the safety fundamentals covered and would rather spend the difference on a better cooler. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Noctua NT-H2 - The safe default: non-conductive, non-corroding, no burn-in, and the only paste here with a published service life on the CPU. Choose the Arctic MX-6 instead if the builder who wants the safety fundamentals covered and would rather spend the difference on a better cooler.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Thermal Paste: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).