Carbon Black™ Thermal Interface Material
Designed specifically to replace the proprietary "black" thermal compound used on many Apple devices.
Carbon Black™ is an innovative thermal compound designed to fill large heatsink gaps while outperforming thermal pads*. Carbon Black™ was specifically formulated for use on several Apple devices such as the A1932, A2179, A1534 as well as the RAM portion of the M1 and M1 Pro/Max based devices. Carbon Black™ can also be used on iPhones/iPads, Apple TVs and any other Apple device that utilizes their proprietary black thermal paste.
Lets take a look at the type of heatsink used on some Apple devices.
Heatsink used in the image to the left was from a 2018 MacBook Air (A1932).
Under roughly 40x magnification, you can see that the heatsink is riddled with small pits, craters and other imperfections. The purpose of a thermal paste is to fill these imperfections, so that the CPU achieves maximum contact with the heatsink. On many Apple devices, such as the A1932 and A2179, the heatsink gap is simply too big for a regular type of thermal paste. Normally, in a application like this, a thermal pad would be used, however most thermal pads are too thick for the heatsink gap and clearance on these devices. Apple's solution was to develop a high viscosity thermal paste with large particles to adequately fill the heatsink gap. This thick, gritty, black thermal paste is only found on Apple devices, and no comparable product exists on the market...Until now.
How Carbon Black™ compares to the competition.
The below pictures show a leading "off the shelf" thermal paste vs Carbon Black™ applied in a similar manner. On the left you can see much of the CPU die with collections, or "clumps" of the paste towards the center, indicating that the paste was never fully spread out onto the heatsink. These "clumps" of thermal paste will transfer heat, however the risk of them cavitating is high. A cavitation within the collection of thermal paste will greatly degrade thermal performance. The picture on the right shows Carbon Black™. Note the uniform spread pattern of the paste, with no "clumps" or collections of paste across the CPU. The paste adequately spreads, and the larger particles of the paste take up the large gap between the CPU and heatsink.
Not convinced? Let's take a look under the microscope.
Not electrically conductive.
Carbon Black™ is formulated to conduct heat, not electricity and has been tested to ensure it will not cause voltage leakage or cross talk on signal/data lines.
Eliminates die and component hotspots.
On devices with a large heatsink gap, use of a thermal compound that is too thin can result in die hotspots due to incomplete heatsink contact. Die hotspots can potentially decrease the processor's lifespan. Carbon Black™ effectively fills large heatsink gaps allowing for complete heatsink contact to the component, eliminating die or component hotspots.
Effectively fills large heatsink gaps.
Completely fills large heatsink gaps where other lower viscosity pastes cavitate or lead to incomplete contact.
Provides an exceptional heatsink seal for maximum thermal conductivity.
Carbon Black™ provides a strong seal to the heatsink to ensure maximum CPU to heatsink contact, and maximum thermal conductivity.
Will not dry out, crack, or separate.
Under normal operating conditions, one application of Carbon Black™ should last the life of the device.
Developed and manufactured in the United States.
We manufacture all our thermal interface materials, including Carbon Black™ at our facility in Palmdale, CA.
Compatible Devices
A1932 (2018-2019 MacBook Air).
Carbon Black™ should be used to replace the factory thermal paste A1932 devices anytime the heatsink is removed, or if the original thermal compound becomes contaminated by liquid, such as after liquid damage or after ultrasonic cleaning.
A2179 (2020 Intel based MacBook Air).
Carbon Black™ should be used to replace the factory thermal paste A2179 devices anytime the heatsink is removed, or if the original thermal compound becomes contaminated by liquid, such as after liquid damage or after ultrasonic cleaning.
A2238 (2020 M1 based MacBook Pro)*
Carbon Black™ should be used to replace the factory thermal paste over the RAM portion of the M1 SOC anytime the heatsink is removed, or becomes contaminated by liquid, such as after liquid damage or ultrasonic cleaning. Replace the standard "gray" thermal paste over the CPU portion of the chip with TC-7310 (coming soon) or equivalent product such as Arctic MX-4 or HY880.
A2237 (2020 M1 based MacBook Air)*
Carbon Black™ should be used to replace the factory thermal paste over the RAM portion of the M1 SOC anytime the heatsink is removed, or becomes contaminated by liquid, such as after liquid damage or ultrasonic cleaning. Replace the standard "gray" thermal paste over the CPU portion of the chip with TC-7310 (coming soon) or equivalent product such as Arctic MX-4 or HY880.
A2348 (2020 M1 based Mac Mini)*
Carbon Black™ should be used to replace the factory thermal paste over the RAM portion of the M1 SOC anytime the heatsink is removed, or becomes contaminated by liquid, such as after liquid damage or ultrasonic cleaning. Replace the standard "gray" thermal paste over the CPU portion of the chip with TC-7310 (coming soon) or equivalent product such as Arctic MX-4 or HY880.
A2442 (2021 14" MacBook Pro)*
Carbon Black™ should be used to replace the factory thermal paste over the RAM portions of the M1 Pro or M1 Max SOC anytime the heatsink is removed, or becomes contaminated by liquid, such as after liquid damage or ultrasonic cleaning. Replace the standard "gray" thermal paste over the CPU portion of the chip with TC-7310 (coming soon) or equivalent product such as Arctic MX-4 or HY880.
A2485 (2021 16" MacBook Pro) *
Carbon Black™ should be used to replace the factory thermal paste over the RAM portions of the M1 Pro or M1 Max SOC anytime the heatsink is removed, or becomes contaminated by liquid, such as after liquid damage or ultrasonic cleaning. Replace the standard "gray" thermal paste over the CPU portion of the chip with TC-7310 (coming soon) or equivalent product such as Arctic MX-4 or HY880.
Not listed?
Many other Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs use their proprietary black thermal paste. Carbon Black™ can be used in any application where that paste in question is used. Carbon Black™ should not be used to replace standard "gray" thermal paste in any application, regardless of the device.
* Carbon Black™ outperformed 0.1mm thermal pads when tested on a Intel Core i5 8210Y on a 2018 MacBook Air via benchmark testing and max core frequency under load testing.
