Arctic

Arctic MX-1

Thermal PasteView on arctic.de

Form:: Paste
Electrical Conductivity:: Non-Conductive
Recommended Use:: Mainstream CPU/GPU
Status:: Legacy / discontinued

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Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.

Manufacturer: Arctic Last updated: 2026-09-15

Where to buy

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Arctic MX-1 (Legacy Non-Conductive Paste, Original Arctic Cooling Freezer-Series Bundle Compound) Review

Arctic MX-1 thermal compound - the original Arctic Cooling paste from the mid-2000s, bundled with the Freezer 4, Freezer 7 and Freezer 64 coolers.

This is the paste that started Arctic's entire MX line, first appearing around 2005 bundled with Arctic Cooling's Freezer-series heatsinks. It's long since discontinued and superseded by MX-2 through MX-7, and Arctic never published detailed thermal-conductivity, viscosity or density figures for it the way they do (or don't) for current products - so what's listed here is deliberately thin, limited to what period retailers and forum discussion actually documented. We're listing it for historical reference and retro-build completeness, not as a current buy recommendation.

Thermal Performance

No thermal conductivity figure was ever published by Arctic Cooling for MX-1, and none of the period reviews we could verify quantified one independently either - contemporary forum comparisons placed it roughly in line with the silicone-based Arctic Silver 3 of the same era, but that's anecdotal, not a lab measurement.

Application

Shipped pre-applied on Arctic Cooling's Freezer-series coolers or in standalone syringes; documented as compatible with all AMD and Intel sockets current at the time (mid-2000s).

Safety

Confirmed non-conductive with no metal particles, so it carried none of the short-circuit risk of metal-based competitors like Arctic Silver 5.

Specifications

Electrical Conductivity	Insulating
Recommended Use	Mainstream CPU/GPU (originally bundled with Arctic Cooling Freezer 4/7/64 and Accelero coolers, rated for all AMD and Intel platforms of its era)
Safety Notes	Contains no metal particles - electrically non-conductive and non-capacitive
Paste Segment	Standard Paste

Expert Review

Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.

Best for

Retro/vintage PC builders restoring an early-2000s Arctic Cooling Freezer setup
Historical reference on Arctic's MX lineage

Not for

Any current-generation CPU or GPU - superseded by MX-2 through MX-7 with two decades of formula improvements
Buyers needing a modern, independently benchmarked paste

FAQs

What are the key specifications of the Arctic MX-1 (Legacy Non-Conductive Paste, Original Arctic Cooling Freezer-Series Bundle Compound)?

The Arctic MX-1 (Legacy Non-Conductive Paste, Original Arctic Cooling Freezer-Series Bundle Compound) is a thermal paste from Arctic. Key specs: Form Paste, Electrical Conductivity Non-Conductive, Recommended Use Mainstream CPU/GPU (originally bundled with Arctic Cooling Freezer 4/7/64 and Accelero coolers, rated for all AMD and Intel platforms of its era), Safety Notes Contains no metal particles - electrically non-conductive and non-capacitive, Paste Segment Standard Paste.

Who is the Arctic MX-1 (Legacy Non-Conductive Paste, Original Arctic Cooling Freezer-Series Bundle Compound) best suited to?

It suits retro/vintage pc builders restoring an early-2000s arctic cooling freezer setup, historical reference on arctic's mx lineage.

What are the drawbacks of the Arctic MX-1 (Legacy Non-Conductive Paste, Original Arctic Cooling Freezer-Series Bundle Compound)?

It is a poor fit for any current-generation cpu or gpu - superseded by mx-2 through mx-7 with two decades of formula improvements, buyers needing a modern, independently benchmarked paste.