Thermal Grizzly Duronaut

Introduction

• Exploration of Thermal Grizzly's Duronaut, considered an upgrade over their previous product, Hydronaut.
• Personal experience shared after purchasing and testing the new thermal paste.

Background

• The author has long used Hydronaut and was informed of Duronaut through a video advertisement.
• Little online content available, prompting the author to conduct a personal review.

Advertisement Break

• Promotion for VIP CD Key, offering discounts on Windows 11 licenses.

Duronaut's Features

• Major benefit is durability, with composition including silicon oil, aluminum, and zinc oxide particles.
• Advertised for the ability to apply in thin layers, although the application is more complex than Hydronaut.

Application Process

• Described as more challenging due to the need for thin, even application.
• Utilized various tools - spatulas provided with the product.
• Encountered issues with achieving an even coat without it peeling off.
• Recommended avoiding traditional wiggling technique during reinstallation as it can disrupt the paste.

Performance Test

• Tested on an AMD Ryzen 5 5600.
• Compared to Hydronaut, Duronaut showed a significant temperature drop:
  • Average core temperature reduced from 72°C to 65°C.
  • Max temperature reduced from 74°C to 68.4°C.
• Improved core clock speed: Duronaut gave a slight increase from 4341 MHz to 4358 MHz.

Conclusion

• Despite the difficult application, performance exceeded expectations with better cooling efficiency.
• Anticipated longer durability as suggested by Thermal Grizzly, though not yet verified.
• Application frustration may deter some users; recommendation made to consider thermal pads for easier application.

Final Thoughts

• The author initially hoped to dissuade purchase based on application difficulty, but ultimately acknowledged its superior performance.
• Suggests Duronaut is a viable option for those willing to tolerate the challenging application for enhanced cooling durability.