Absolutely terrific reply! Thank you and consider me a new reader. Good stuff.

Hi, data was copied from manufacturer’s website product page, if I remember correctly. I know this is basic, but bare in mind that “thermal conductivity” (heat transfer capability property) has nothing to do with “electrical conductivity” (electrical current capability property), and it’s possible that some read “conductivity” as electrical, when in fact, it is not the same thing. There’s also GD900-1 Silver variant, but that’s not the regular silver in it, most likely oxidized particles to increase thermal conductivity.

I haven’t tested it personally to determine if it is really non-conductive or not, that requires a serious laboratory equipment and knowledge (physics / chemistry / electrical), because it is not so simple as you might think! Conductivity depends on several factors, such as applied pressure to material, layer thickness and temperature, not to mention unknown chemical composition of the “secret” materials used to create this particular compound.

I can’t find the website now, but have found that some sellers posted ingredients ratio for GD900:

– Silicone Compounds: 50%
– Carbon Compunds: 10%
– Metal Oxide Compounds: 40%

Note that not all Metal-Oxide Compounds are equally electrically conductive, and their properties greatly vary from above mentioned factors.

Also, I have found table with ASTM D150 test data:

– Test Frequency: 100 Hz
– Dielectric Constant: > 5.0

DC of 5 is solid in terms of insulation, so I guess it’s safe to assume it is not electrically conductive. Of course, there are better insulating materials. The test frequency of 100 Hz might seem too low, because computer hardware operates at much higher bus frequency, and I do not have any means to determine complex DC vs Frequency relationship.

* * *

In any case, any thermal compound material can be considered partially as electrically conductive (absolutely ideal electrical insulator does not exist!) and capacitive (CPU + Heatsink form a capacitor with insulator thermal grease placed in between), but if you put thin layer in between CPU or GPU (which usually do not share common heatsink), there is absolutely no reason to worry that it will “leak” to surrounding PCB and damage something. This is also why PCBs are protected with insulating layers on external surface sides, to minimize probability of short circuits in case of any contact with foreign objects.

If you plan to use it in other electronics projects, such as audio amplifiers and alike, where several transistors can share a common heatsink, then I don’t really know, maybe switch to another brand that is known for a fact that has sufficient and verified insulation, or use insulation pads (mica washers) in between.

Also, amazing list! I’m saving this :)