Oldies but Goldies Review: The Innovation Cooling IC Diamond 24 thermal compound was way ahead of its time

1 - Introduction and Overview 2 - Single Review and Details (Database) 3 - Comparison with other Pastes (Database) 4 - Summary and Conclusion

I am one of the first people to have bought the Innovation Cooling IC Diamond 24 for a hefty 20 euros in 2011, with the 24 standing for the 24 carats that were supposedly packed into the 4.8 gram tube as diamond powder. The smaller Diamond 7 with only 1.5 grams in the tube was then, although it was the same paste, rated worse by quite a few testers simply because the number was smaller. That was a funny story back then, which outsiders couldn’t or didn’t want to understand so easily. And why did I write “ahead of its time” in the title?

We all know that the right thermal compound is a decisive factor for the efficient cooling of processors and graphics cards, especially in high-performance and overclocking scenarios. With IC Diamond 24, Innovation Cooling launched a product back in 2011 that promises particularly high thermal conductivity thanks to the use of industrial diamond dust. But how good is the paste really, and what distinguishes it from other products?

Diamonds are considered one of the best materials for dissipating heat due to their high thermal conductivity. With a thermal conductivity of up to 2,200 W/mK, they far outperform conventional materials such as copper or aluminum. The IC Diamond 24 makes use of this property by containing a high proportion of microscopically small diamond particles. Innovation Cooling states that the paste consists of around 92% diamond particles, with a particle size of around 5 micrometers. Of course, I can and will check exactly that. According to the manufacturer, the measured thermal conductivity of the paste is 4.5 to 5.0 W/m-K and I can already spoil it by saying that this information was honest and still is today. The extrapolation craze didn’t exist back then. That only came later.

These values are impressive compared to the conventional thermal conductive pastes of the time, even if liquid metal solutions performed significantly better. In independent tests, the IC Diamond 24 was able to demonstrate its strengths in demanding application scenarios even back then and the paste showed a significant improvement in cooling performance compared to standard thermal pastes, particularly with overclocked CPUs and GPUs.

Application: A challenge or expensive concrete in tubes?

However, one point that was repeatedly discussed in connection with IC Diamond 24 was its rather challenging consistency. Due to the high proportion of solid diamond particles, the paste is thicker than many other thermal conductive pastes. At the time, Innovation Cooling recommended heating the paste slightly before applying it to make it easier to spread. I did this at the time with a hot air blow dryer and managed it quite well. For less experienced users, the handling might be a little more complicated, which has also led to many failures. Another aspect that was occasionally criticized was the possibility that the hard diamond particles could leave scratches on the CPU or GPU surface. However, this is an urban legend, as the Al2O3 in modern pastes is virtually corundum and almost as hard.

One issue that kept coming up in connection with the IC Diamond 24 was the question of long-term compatibility. While the paste generally shows excellent results in short to medium-term tests, there has been limited information about its performance after several years of intensive use. However, I can clarify one thing today: My paste from 2011 is still perfectly usable today and shows no impairment whatsoever, which may certainly be due to the relatively low silicone content. And the measurement results still show the same performance today. In addition, Innovation Cooling revealed very little about the exact composition of the remaining ingredients, so I will finally make up for this today.

Although the paste has disappeared from the market since 2020, it can still be found in a few stores and with a bit of luck. If you can cope with the Thermalright TF9 or even TFX, the IC Diamond 24 is certainly no longer a real challenge. And possible ageing is not really an issue either, as my paste proves. I even compared two, because I got another 2020 paste from the community that performed identically.

In retrospect, you can only take your hat off, because the paste offers everything that customers still want today, above all excellent long-term consistency and durability. If you still have it: don’t throw it away, use it up with relish. You really can’t go wrong. On the contrary.

Now let’s move on to the test setup, which I will no longer be including as text and images in future articles, but for which I have written extra articles on the basics, including a presentation of the equipment and the measuring methods, to save me and you a little redundancy. If you would like to read up or refresh your knowledge, please use the following links to the two measurement setups for ASTM D5470-17 with the TIMA5 nanotest and LIBS including microscopy with the Keyence VX-7100 and EA-300: