Alienware 17 Thermal Repaste

So HWINFO has been recording CPU temps of 92 - 96 degrees C max (average 78C) while playing GW2 now it is summer which I thought was bad (it also flagged thermal throttling). I was noticing that every now and again, the temperature graph would spike about 10 degrees then settle down again.

I finally decided to do a repaste as I had bought some arctic silver 5 some months ago. When I opened it up - this is what I found. I am guessing that is a bad factory paste job? It looks like a couple of areas on the CPU had no paste at all.

I cleaned it up with the remover and purifier you get in the packet with AS5 and did a line repaste (I researched the dot method but it seemed line was better for a rectangular surface?). Now my temps are never going above 77C max average of 66C (and it is 32C outside!) so it seems to have worked but I heard AS5 takes a number of hours to set and get to optimal temperature.

Would it now be worth doing the GPU? I am never seeing temperatures above 73C though so maybe this one is fine? I heard that AS5 is not good for GPUs - does anyone have any recommendations? Could I still use the remover and purifier to clean it up and then just use the new paste (whatever that may be)

Thanks! It was enjoyable but nerve wracking to do it for the first time but I am glad I have now.

 

I repasted like 15 times in the past 2 months experimenting different pastes and methods ... It is pretty simple and straightforward so don't worry just please try to avoid AS5 or any electrically conductive paste and there will be very minimal chance of you hurting anything with the repaste

 

Gelid extreme and IC diamond are the popular pastes on this forum so if you can grab them then do so.

 

Can you use them on both CPU and GPU then?

 

yes, i use gelid extreme on both.

 

Awesome is it this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solutions-E...&qid=1435853849&sr=1-1&keywords=gelid+extreme

I saw a Gelid Supreme too http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solutions-S...&qid=1435853849&sr=1-3&keywords=gelid+extreme

 

I have both the Gelid Supreme and IC Diamond. Strangely enough, I get the best results when using Gelid on the GPU and IC Diamond on the CPU.

Gelid is easier to apply, IC Diamond is thick, and you should be careful when removing it to avoid scratches.

 

Thank you for the tips. How would you recommend avoiding scratches?

 

i have used cooler master extreme fusion x1 paste
thats a really good paste

to spread, i would recommend not spreading on your own
what i do is, i put a strip of paste and press it down with the heatsink so that it spreads evenly and no air bubbles are there.
only way to know if you have done it correctly is to lift and see, but then you'll have to reapply, takes a few tries to find the optimum amount for a good spread

if you are not confident with this method, i would recommend you to use the spreader given with the paste or a credit card or similar item.

ps: your cpu and gpu temps are dependent on ambient temp. what is the room temp?

 

I think it is about 24C in the room at the minute - any other month than July or August it would probably be between 18 and 20C.