Results
Firstly, the results aren’t as conclusive as we were hoping for. It shows that the MX-2 is still a strong candidate and we have seen that its newer brother MX-4 beats the rest of the field hands down. Unfortunately we weren’t able to test MX-2 against MX-4, but its safe to say they are both very good and as such are still competition for the Antec Formula 6.
The Idle results are shown first and as you can see there is not much separating them.
We then start the stres testing and start to see some variance with the Formula 7 coming out on top but by a very small margin over the Formula 6. In all fairness they are too close to separate the two Antec thermal compounds out in this test.
From our resutls you can see that the Antec Formula 6 did in fact have a better average temperature for all results compared to the MX-2 and the Evercool. However, the first run we did (we did it 3 times) the temperatures we gained were as high as the MX-2 but on the second and third runs we got lot better results and as such the average is quite a bit lower. The MX-2 did not however improve.
The Formula 7 did beat the Formula 6 but it is the newer bigger brother so this is not surprising however the temperatures are so close it is hard to say whether it is certainly better or there was just a small error in our readings (or more likely rounding errors as formula 7 was slightly lower it went to the lower degree where as formula 6 went to the degree C above). However as a comparison, Formula 6 beat MX-2 hands down as well as the Evercool Thermal Paste – the latter being thrown in to show you how good the thermal paste that comes with a mediocre CPU cooler is likely to be. It is our recommendation to purchase a decent branded thermal paste and not use the own brand thermal compound.
Nice, informative review ;)
Great read. Thanks for the review. The spreader alone is already worth a fortune! :)
Antec, are you surprised by my results though? I think I was surprised that Antec Formula 6 was only just notching ahead of the MX-2 by a matter of a degree or so as I expected it to outperform the MX-2 more considerably.Would love to know your thoughts!Simon
Hey Simon! To answer your question first, we were not too surprised by your results. As you already noted, a certain burn-in phase is required with Antec Formula 6 and 7 thermal pastes to achieve great results. Although this is the case with most other thermal pastes, one main advantage of our pastes is that they dont have those super dry and sticky characteristics. This is because of the small size of diamond particles, which makes conductivity so much better compared to any other thermal paste using different materials. Formula 6 and 7 provide an excellent basis for maintaining a good performance for a very long period of time. Especially when it comes to overclocking, Formula 6 and 7 will really shine!P.S. Oh, and do not forget about the spatula! :D
You picked up on some good points and I'm glad I did get characteristic results, the burn-in phase is certainly needed but it is a tad of a negative for those of us reviewing CPU Coolers – we really want to be able to apply it and for it to work well instantly – which is why I always like the Arctic MX-2 and such like. Formula 6 is nearly 3* the price of Arctic MX-2 though and I am still debating whether it is really worth it (You can't quite claim the spatula is worth £4 no?)! For now however, I will be using Formula 6 for my rig :) (Until i run out very shortly….)You certainly have the durability part cracked, but still waiting for a truly magnificent performance to put you streaks ahead of the competition! :) Simonp.s. I do love the spatula but some people won't use it at all as they will use the heatsink to 'spread it out' a bit.
You are right Simon, Antec Formula 6 and 7 are probably not the best basis for testing CPU Coolers, because you will never achieve the wanted results in a short period of time that is required to test many coolers. It is simply not made with that in mind. But please monitor the performance with your rig, and you will certainly not be disappointed by the results. If you can, you should try to give it a go on GPUs as well. Let us know how it goes.The higher price in comparison to other thermal pastes out there might or might not be worth it. That is something that each and everyone of us needs to reconsider, but I promise to all of you, you will not regret it when it comes to choose a great performing product.P.S. I suggest everyone to apply the thermal paste in a thin even layer instead of letting it being spread by the pressure of the cooler alone.