F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Overclocking Question About Asus Maximus Extreme IX liquid metal

Question About Asus Maximus Extreme IX liquid metal

Question About Asus Maximus Extreme IX liquid metal

A
ausimus
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68
01-17-2026, 08:36 AM
#1
The system features an i7-7700k processor clocked at 4.20 GHz with a turbo boost up to 4.5GHz (delidded). The motherboard is an Asus Maximus IX Extreme. The graphics card is a Gigabyte GTX 1080 Ti Waterforce WB Xtreme Edition 11G, paired with 32GB DDR4 RAM (8GBx4) and a 16-16-16-36 layout. The power supply is a Seasonic PRIME 850 W Titanium unit. A custom cooling setup includes two radiators (520x30x60mm) and eight Noctua fans (120x120x15mm), along with an EK-XRES 140 Revo D5 pump.

I built this PC five years ago, keeping the thermal paste and coolant unchanged since then; temperatures typically stayed below 50°C during gaming. Now I’m considering an overclock to boost performance, especially for games like Valorant where the CPU is heavily taxed.

After testing at 5.0GHz, I achieved the best overclocking configuration found so far:
CPU ratio: x50
Cache ratio: x42
Vcore in BIOS: 1.415V
Vcore mode: Manual
XMP profile: Disabled
iGPU: Disabled
LLC: 5
AVX offset: x0
Vcore under stress (measured*): 1.411 V

Using the Fluke 179 multimeter, I measured a slight deviation (0.5) during a stress test with Prime95 (Blend mode). I’m now running another Prime95 session with the Vcore set to 1.420V. Once a stable setting is reached, I plan to switch to adaptive mode and adjust the offset to lower CPU stress and extend its lifespan.

What are your thoughts? Would switching to adaptive mode be beneficial?

Additionally, after five years I believe it’s time to replace the thermal paste, coolant, and thermal pads—though temperatures remain acceptable. I’m considering using liquid metal instead of thermal paste for the CPU, but I lack information on its composition. Could you clarify what material it’s made from?

Also, could you provide the dimensions for the thermal pads (thickness, length, width)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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A
ausimus
01-17-2026, 08:36 AM #1

The system features an i7-7700k processor clocked at 4.20 GHz with a turbo boost up to 4.5GHz (delidded). The motherboard is an Asus Maximus IX Extreme. The graphics card is a Gigabyte GTX 1080 Ti Waterforce WB Xtreme Edition 11G, paired with 32GB DDR4 RAM (8GBx4) and a 16-16-16-36 layout. The power supply is a Seasonic PRIME 850 W Titanium unit. A custom cooling setup includes two radiators (520x30x60mm) and eight Noctua fans (120x120x15mm), along with an EK-XRES 140 Revo D5 pump.

I built this PC five years ago, keeping the thermal paste and coolant unchanged since then; temperatures typically stayed below 50°C during gaming. Now I’m considering an overclock to boost performance, especially for games like Valorant where the CPU is heavily taxed.

After testing at 5.0GHz, I achieved the best overclocking configuration found so far:
CPU ratio: x50
Cache ratio: x42
Vcore in BIOS: 1.415V
Vcore mode: Manual
XMP profile: Disabled
iGPU: Disabled
LLC: 5
AVX offset: x0
Vcore under stress (measured*): 1.411 V

Using the Fluke 179 multimeter, I measured a slight deviation (0.5) during a stress test with Prime95 (Blend mode). I’m now running another Prime95 session with the Vcore set to 1.420V. Once a stable setting is reached, I plan to switch to adaptive mode and adjust the offset to lower CPU stress and extend its lifespan.

What are your thoughts? Would switching to adaptive mode be beneficial?

Additionally, after five years I believe it’s time to replace the thermal paste, coolant, and thermal pads—though temperatures remain acceptable. I’m considering using liquid metal instead of thermal paste for the CPU, but I lack information on its composition. Could you clarify what material it’s made from?

Also, could you provide the dimensions for the thermal pads (thickness, length, width)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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S
SubaruXRem
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55
01-17-2026, 08:37 AM
#2
Prime95 suits thermal evaluations well because it applies a uniform load consistently. Cinebench and Asus RealBench offer superior stability testing since they vary in load, don’t fix a specific RAM or Lcache or power setting. The range of temperature changes and circular movements across components enhance their stability performance. It affects the CPU from various angles with differing force, unlike P95 which remains steady.

You don’t really need liquid metal on the IHS. It only slightly lowers temperatures, creates unnecessary mess, and can damage the surface of the IHS/cooler, requiring yearly reapplication as it gets absorbed in contact areas. There’s also a small risk of overheating the CPU or motherboard if even a tiny drop enters the socket.

All that matters is good paste. Options include Kryonaut, hydronaut, master gel maker, Noctua, gelid extreme, pk-3, etc.
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S
SubaruXRem
01-17-2026, 08:37 AM #2

Prime95 suits thermal evaluations well because it applies a uniform load consistently. Cinebench and Asus RealBench offer superior stability testing since they vary in load, don’t fix a specific RAM or Lcache or power setting. The range of temperature changes and circular movements across components enhance their stability performance. It affects the CPU from various angles with differing force, unlike P95 which remains steady.

You don’t really need liquid metal on the IHS. It only slightly lowers temperatures, creates unnecessary mess, and can damage the surface of the IHS/cooler, requiring yearly reapplication as it gets absorbed in contact areas. There’s also a small risk of overheating the CPU or motherboard if even a tiny drop enters the socket.

All that matters is good paste. Options include Kryonaut, hydronaut, master gel maker, Noctua, gelid extreme, pk-3, etc.

Reply
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