GELID's GC-1 comes in a nicely designed blister pack. On the front, we get a nice view of the compound syringe and its plastic applicator, which is included in the bundle. Also on the front is a list of handy features that we will all love. Around back, we find some specifications, a blurb about the compound, and a seriously resized graph. This graph shows the performance of GC-1 in comparison to AS5, and, although it looks like GC-1 temperatures are phenomenally better than AS5, if you look closely, the difference is actually 1-2C. Unfortunately, this is the kind of blister pack that requires scissors.
Though the GC-1 syringe looks to be about the same size as my half-empty Arctic Cooling MX-2 syringe, it is actually 5g in weight, in comparison to MX-2's 4g. This may not seem like a lot, but this is, in fact, a huge difference when considering that this is a 25% increase — that's a solid 3-5 more applications. The GC-1 container is generally quite standard. There is a small rubber replaceable cap on the end, and it is labeled with a nice green sticker that says GELID all over and GC-1 in the middle.
To clean the processor, I used dry cotton swabs to clean up the excess, leftover MX-2 thermal compound I had previously used. When the processor appeared clean, I then dipped cotton swabs in 91% pure isopropyl alcohol and thoroughly cleaned it again. This process is repeated on the base of my CPU cooler. Then, I apply a pea-sized dot of thermal compound to the center of the CPU. I use so much because much of it will come off when I spread it.
GC-1 is much more watery than MX-2, and only a little bit more so than Arctic Silver 5. While it could hold its form fairly well, once I started ejecting it from the syringe, it continued to fall out until I moved the syringe away and pulled the stop back to suck the excess back in. I was happily pleased with the toughness of MX-2 when applying it because the resistance helped me spread it more accurately, but spreading GC-1 was also quite easy and quick.
When spreading compound, it is important to aim for a thin, even layer on the CPU. To spread the compound, I used a clean plastic bag over my finger, which gives me personal control over the compound without dirtying the CPU. This time, I didn't use the plastic applicator included for consistency's sake in testing. After testing, I spread the compound again using the applicator, and it was a convenient tool in making a nice thin layer on the CPU, but no more effective than using a plastic sandwich bag and the results were the same.
Now that we've had a look at GC-1 and installed it, let's see how it performs!
