*PICS* Cooling Mods Done! TX-4 and Clip Mod!

Hey guys
I finally got around to doing some Cooling Mods for my M17X R2.
I've done alot of reading and followed the Cooling Mod guides on NBR. Thanks to 5150Joker, Mr Fractul, Mkelliny, and Ash.
I decided to use TX-4 and Premium Fujipoly Thermal Pads from FrozenCpu.com

I used TX-4 thermal paste on the CPU core, GPU cores, and GPU memory chips. I used a 0.5mm pad for the chip next to the CPU. (I think this is the NB chip) I also doubled up two 1.0mm thermal pads on the CPU Heatsink for the Mosfets above the CPU.

I did the Retention Clip Mod. I decided that 2-3 turns was good but I wanted more! Theres nowhere near enough pressure to hurt the GPU with the screws tightened all the way down. The PCB is bent ever so slightly but not that much at all. FOR ANYBODY DOING THIS MOD LISTEN UP!! Those E-Clips are a freaking nightmare!!! It took me like 2-3 hours just to pop the clips off and reinstall on the screws. I had to go to the store, buy some tools, and a six pack of beer for this. It's all about having the right tools and patience!! I used a magnet to keep anything from flying across the room and a tiny tiny tiny eye-sunglass screw driver and some probes.

My GPU temps are simply AMAZING!! I have no idea why Alienware couldn't spend a little bit more time on these laptops and drop the temps down. There R&D department sucks!! My pics will show you what i'm talking about. As far as my CPU temps go, there just ok. Still running Hot!
Please tell me your opinions and what i can do to get my CPU cooler.
Enjoy

I used a towel to work and everything went smooth.
This was my first time opening my M17X R2 and didnt know what to expect.
I wasnt sure what thermal paste to use. I have MX-3, TX-4 and IC7 Diamond.
I decided to try the TX-4 since everyone swears by it.
Here are the cool scratch free tools I used to open up the M17X
Link
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ct-plastic-pry-tools-alienware-here-pics.html



Here is the magnet I used and a flathead bit to keep the screw level.
I put these in a large bowl so I wouldn't lose anything.
I just used a tiny needle nose pliers to push the C-clip back on the screw.
The magnet kept anything from flying across the room.



Cleaned up both 5870's and decided to keep the yellow stcker around the GPU core off.


I heard that TX-4 is hard to work with so i put it next to a lightbulb for 20 minutes and it came out like butter. The tube was warm to the touch when I applied it. It was quite easy to work with after that.

In this pic im trying to show what the Retention Clip Mod does to the PCB.
It's barely bent but fits into the slot in the laptop perfectly.




This is the CPU Heatsink with two 1.0mm Thermal Pads for the chips above the CPU. I noticed that the Dell pads had no impressions on the pad itself so I wanted my new pads to make contact. My CPU temps are still really hot and something tells me that maybe i should of just used one 1.0mm pad or maybe a 1.0mm + 0.5mm = 1.5mm pad.


After I was all finished I put all the OEM Dell pads in between 2 sheets of wax paper and in a plastic bag just in case i ever had to RMA or use the warranty.


TEMPS!!!!

All of these tests are with my NZXT Cryo LX Laptop Cooler plugged in via USB.
This is OEM Dell Paste, 700/1000 GPU Clock speeds. 15 minutes in Furmark
Most GPUz's in all my pics are my main HD5870. The slave card has very similiar temps and werent worth the extra time.


This is the Clip Mod, TX-4 Thermal paste, 700/1000 GPU clock speeds. 15 minutes in Furmark


This is Xtreme Burning Mode 8XAA, OEM Dell paste, 700/1000 GPU Clock speeds and 5 minutes in Furmark 96C


This is Xtreme Burning Mode 8XAA, Clip mod, TX-4 thermal paste, 700/1000 GPU Clock speeds and 5 minutes in Furmark 77C


This is OEM Dell paste, 850/1150 @ 1.12volts and 5 minutes in Furmark 106C WAY TOO HOT!!


This is the Clip Mod, TX-4 thermal paste, 800/1150 @ 1.12volts and 7 minutes in Furmark 75C WOW 31C lower than before!!


Here is my final Vantage Run!
(Throttle stop set at a 25 Multiplier, TDP @ 78 and TDC @ 68)(5% overclock in BIOS with +75Mv)


I will be back to post CPU Temps!!!
There still in the 90's in Prime95 after 5 minutes running 8 threads of small fft's.
wPrime 1024M bench keeps them in the 88-90C range.

*UPDATE* 10/16/2010
Ok i finally did a repaste on my CPU.
If you guys remember in my OP I used two 1.0mm thermal pads together (2.0mm) on the CPU heatsink for the Mosfets. I also didn't put alot of TX4 on either in my OP.

This time I used just a 1.0mm thermal pad and more TX4 than before.
Here are some pics!
Putting the thermal paste next to a lightbulb for 20 minutes really really helps. I highly suggest it!! I even used a blow-dryer right before applying!




I used a razor blade to spread the paste!





Premium Fugipoly Pads from FrozenCpu.com (1.0mm)



wPrime 1024M run after repaste
Before it was around 88-90C
Now it never went above 82C

My Multiplier is at 25 and BIOS is bone stock.
Notice how low my 5870's are idling
Clip mod and TX-4 FTW



Here is my final test.
10 minutes in Prime95
I upped the TDP/TDC to 80/70 and put 3% BIOS overclock with 75Mv
Before the Repaste i was at 97-99C and thats without the 3% and 75Mv added!
So it looks overall I dropped about 10C

 

Good collection of pictures and information!

 

My CPU temps are still in the 90's!!
Did I do something wrong.

 

Hey nice pics there chiefs.

I noticed on your CPU it needs more thermal paste. I made the same mistake last time as well. I spread the paste too thin and it wasn't making proper contact with the heatsink. The pads will raise the heatsink a little higher, however they will help make contact with the mem chips above the CPU. So you can keep the pads but just use a bit more thermal paste chiefs. Give that a go and then check your temps again.

Cheers.

 

Really good job Rob! Glad you like the TX-4.

 

Can't wait to get my hands on some TX-4 chiefs.
I've just used some Shin Etsu a couple of days ago and it has further dropped my load temps and idle temps a little as well.

How did your mobo change go? Your temps similar to ROBs?

Cheers.

 

Sweet!! glad to see a therad on cpu cooling for the m17x has started!

Reborn I'm getting the Shin Etsu like I told you since it seems to have worked for you so well. Have the temps kept the same since you did your paste change??

 

Did you use thermal paste and pads on the same parts?

 

Hi there chiefs,

Great question there that you ask chiefs..
I've noticed the temps have gone up a little higher on the max load temps. The temps here as in weather have gotten even hotter today so not to sure if that was the reason. However the temps atm are ..... heck let me just post up a pick lol. Much easier and beautiful to look at instead of me rambling on lol.

Cheers.

How do your temps look like cheifs?

 

Careful putting thermal paste on the memory, a lot of other people tried this in their W860CU and ended up frying the memory. Not sure if you know this but MemIO is not the memory.

 

Yeh I'm not even gonna try putting paste anywhere else apart from the CPU and GPU dies. The rest of the areas thermal pads for me.

It makes it easier for me as well cause I chop and change the pastes quite a lot; experimenting with different pastes all the time.

Cheers.

 

I only used thermal pads on the chip next to the CPU.(It had a silver heatsink on it) and on the CPU heatsink for the chips above the CPU

The GPU's were all paste For the Win!

Should i redo everything and use pads then?? When i put the heatsink on the GPu's it looked to sit really tight on the memory and GPU cores.
Paste transfers heat alot better than pads right? I can see maybe AS5 or thinner thermal grease being to thin for contact on the mem chips.

 

Also, has anyone tried using a Copper shim for GPU contact? not sure if the M17x has the same problem but with my W860CU (and others) there was a gap between the GPU and the Heatsink. All i did was use a .75mm copper shim my temps went from 90C-95C to 71C-78C

 

Theres no gap on the 5870 however there may be on the 4870 and 280m as they have a silver square thing around the GPU.

Cheers.

If its working well chiefs don't bother about changing it.
Just see if you can fix up your CPU temps. Oles.

Cheers.

 

There is no gap on the 4870s in the R1

 

Not sure if you have to redo everything, I have never tried it myself but there is a post on the Sager and MSI forum about people trying it and they ended up frying the card but that may be because they put too little paste or too much, paste will transfer heat faster but i don't think the memory is really designed for paste, the worst part about it is you don't know the temp of your memory

Although you're laptop hasn't turned off which is a good thing, so it may be fine. Not sure if there are any sensors for the memory where if the temps gets too high it will turn off

http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/482836-thermal-past-upgrade-worth.html

somewhere is that thread people were talking about paste for the memory

 

Thanks for the link Huuy. I think on the M17X R2 we are ok to use paste on the memory. when i tightened the screws down for the heatsink the aluminum part of the heat sink was literally sitting on the memory.

 

Should be good then, yeah i noticed the M17x doesn't use an aluminum case like the other laptop manufactures.

Also, what's that orange tape on top of your CPU? it looks like it lays over top of the CPU die, which could be the cause of your CPU temp being high

 

The orange tape sticker thing is just a protector cover or something. It doesn't cover the CPU die so that is fine.
I had the same thing on both my GPUs and CPU. Orange everywhere LOL.

Cheers.

 

Yea i took the orange sticker protective film off the GPU's because of all the OEM thermal paste all over it. I left the CPU one on though. no biggie.
I think im going to re-paste the CPU with more TX-4 and only use 1.5mm thermal pads on the chips above the CPU instead of 2.0mm. I might actually do the CPU clip mod also. All in all im happy my GPU temps dropped.
31C drop is amazing. 106C to 75C is nuts at full load!!

 

Yep its pretty awesomes hey chiefs.

I'm happy with my GPU temps as well. So I'll be mainly focusing on reducing my CPU temps some more from now on. I want to get them super low and see if it can stay low apart from when I'm benching or gaming of course. During those instances I want to see what the lowest max load temp I can achieve.

Cheers.

 

I tell you guys what. There is a Heatsink manufacturer next to my house. The companys name is Thermal Solutions Inc in Simi Valley CA. I talked to them the other day and they told me to bring them the original M17X heatsinks in and they can make them better. He said he can make them with 100% Copper. They are the company who fixed the 1st Gen Xbox overheating problems.
I cant be without a computer so i cant give them my GPU and CPU heatsinks. Does anybody have an extra set i can buy????
Here is their website!
Thermal Solutions

 

Hey Guys,

This may be a stupid NOOB query but has anyone attempted to use a screw mounted spring between the screw head and heat sink mounting plate, in place of the C clip?

I've seen this used on some systems and was wondering if it was a viable solution.

I'm looking at replacing my 840QM with a 940XM some time soon and was considering attempting this cooling mod.


Cheers,

M17x-R2 Black | i7-840QM | 8GB-1333MHz DDR3 RAM | ATI Mobility Radeon HD5870 CrossFireX | 17" 1920x1200 RGB LED | 1TB Raid0 7.200rpm HDD | Bluetooth 370 | Intel WiFi 6300 | Windows 7 Ultimate

 

of ebay


i I,d be interested if they could look at the m17 to

 

WOW chiefs that sounds cool. I would order one if they could make one.
I would send you mine but I live to far.

Cheers.

 

Will they ship to AUS?

I'd buy them!

Cheers,

M17x-R2 Black | i7-840QM | 8GB-1333MHz DDR3 RAM | ATI Mobility Radeon HD5870 CrossFireX | 17" 1920x1200 RGB LED | 1TB Raid0 7.200rpm HDD | Bluetooth 370 | Intel WiFi 6300 | Windows 7 Ultimate

 

When i talked to Thermal Solutions they said they could make a heatsink if I could lend them mine for 2-3 weeks. But i need my computer running! But i dont think they could make a improved CPU heatsink. Its already Copper and there is no room to add anything else. But the GPU's could definitely use some copper. If you guys could help me look for some R2 heatsinks let me know!!!!

 

This is what I'm going to do for my CPU when I get back to the states. It should help out quite a bit. At least worth a shot. From what I've learned, the CPU heatsink needs more contact with the CPU die, or at least a little more pressure to hold it down tight. Maybe it's just mine, but when benching, if I applied pressure to the heatsink, my temps dropped a lot.

Also with the heatsinks, I will definately purchase those. I'll be back in the states in a few weeks, and if I get a replacement from dell, or everything gets fixed, I might ship you my heatsinks. Maybe even score a freebie

 

Dude a copper Shim is a great idea. Why didnt i think of that
Where do you get a copper shim to fit the heatsink??

 

I saw some on ebay. They seem to just be like this square copper cover thing that sits on top of the entire CPU. Looks pretty cool to me and only for a few $$$. I might give it a try later on as well.
Theres plenty on ebay, also you might want to ask your buddys next door they could probably hook you up with something.

Cheers.

 

Yea, all it has to be is a very thin piece of copper. When I applied pressure to my CPU heatsink (benching with a naked system) when it was throttling, during a wPrime 1024 run, the temps dropped almost instantly, to around 90* which keeps it under the thermal throttle limit of 95*C. And thats with crazy high TDP. The shim only needs to be a little bigger then the CPU die to fill in any tiny gap there might be. But when you put it on and tighten the heat sink screws, don't tighten them all they way, just enough for some pressure, otherwise you risk cracking the CPU die. And to state the obvious, use some paste

 

I'm confused about 'frying' the memory by using paste instead of pads. Memory chips aren't porous. If you don't get a bunch of paste on the circuits around the chip, what is the difference? You're applying a much more efficient cooling medium. Can someone shed some light on this or provide a link to a reputable source?

 

The concern would be conductive paste shorting the pins on the memory chips

 

Thanks Scook. I used the non-conductive ceramic stuff on the memory. Used the AS5 on the GPU and CPU dies.

 

That would be the safer route to go. I use OCZ Freeze which is supposed to be non-conductive but I use pads on the memory anyways so no worries for me

 

While I was browsing to find the price on the TX-4, I found Arctic is now offering the MX-4 which seems to be much easier to apply than the MX-3.
Now I'm torn between the TX-4 and MX-4. What to get.. What to get.

 

Oh whats this MX-4? I've never seen or heard of it. Sounds like a mazda car to me LOL.

Link thanks? Don't tell me its time for me to buy somemore thermal paste LOL.

AH i see it now. WOWsers 98 in stock huhs. Nobody likes it or what?
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...mance_Non-Conductive_Thermal_Compound_4g.html

So any good reviews or WOWSER temps to be seen. Anyone used MX-4 before? I keep hearing the TX-4 is the best. oles.

I've already cleaned them out of TX-4 lol. ehahahaha Sorry peeps.


Cheers.

 

Dude, I'll take those temps any day!! Yes there is a little variation but it's really nothing to worry about, more so since you say that it's gottn warmer where you live. So I'm guessing the temps with AS5 were somewhere in the high 60's low 70's under load??

Huuy, are you sure about this?? How can we get the real memory temperature then?? I noticed that upon putting pressure on the clip, the mem i/o temperature went down, and so did the gpu temp. This wouldn't have happened otherwise, or would it??

 

Yeh I'm rocking some nice temps atm. You know I actually just ran a 3d mark 06 bench just before and it was crazy stuff. The GPU 1 temp max load was only 57 degs. 2nd GPU went up to 68 degs. 57 LOL

TX-4 is supposed to be even better so I can't wait to give that a try when it finally arrives.

Yeh with AS5 the temps were generally 5 - 10 degs hotter. They were still pretty good low temps with AS5.

My fan speeds are pretty awesome and even lower on max load now.
CPU temps went up a bit so I'll need to sort them out lol. However still good temps.


Cheers.

Heres a pic of me running 3d mark 06 earlier. Notice the max loads and temps.
I scored just above 14k as well. So around the average score for my stock specs.

 

sorry, my previous post was regarding this post from reborn

 

The memIO is located on the GPU die, so if you have good heat transfer then yes the temp will go down.

I can't seem to find the picture someone posted of the 5870M and showing where the memIO is located.

 

I can't seem to find the picture someone posted of the 5870M and showing where the memIO is located.[/QUOTE]

Well that would make sense because the gpu and mem temperature seem to be tied to one another all the time. I noticed that the gpu heatsink doesn't even have enough area to contact the entire ram chips either, there's like one square that only gets halt-contact with the heatsink. In any case, could we put some copper sheets on the ram instead of the pads?? That would be just as expensive considering the cost of the pads and they conduct 100 times more heat than pads or paste (but obviously you'd use some paste too).

bro. you got two cards, you can send them the slave heatsink and keep your alienware running on a single card for a little bit... it's for the benefit of all and you'd probably get the best deal on the copper sinks (if they don't just givve them to you for free since all of us would order them!!)

Hell, tell you what, I'll send them my card (I only have one though). Can I run the laptop with the IGP without the main video card plugged??

 

Not if it's an R2. I found that out this week after killing one of my GPU's

 

Oh no!!! sorry about that man!!! Well, If you give me the name and number of the person you talked to I can send them my entire notebook as I have an ASUS notebook I can work with for the meantime. Ironically, the ASUS needs the mods done to it more than the m17x but that's another story. Let me talk to them and maybe all of us will have a perfect heatsink on our cards very soon!!

 

I agree, them having the whole notebook would be much better than just the heatsink as it would allow them to assess the cooling as whole instead of just guessing at what would make the heatsink by itself better

 

So am I ok with TX4 on the GPU Mem chips?? Is TX4 conductive? From what I saw the TX4 wasn't dripping off the sides of the memory.

I will call Thermal Solutions on Monday. You guys need to check out there website.
http://www.thermal-solutions.us/copper-heatsinks.html
They make heatsinks for everything!!! I have a feeling that our heatsinks might be expensive. Alot of time is going to be spent on Research and Devolpment.
Obviously the more they make the cheaper we all get it for. Both right and left heatsinks are different so I can't just give them my Slave Heatsink.

Ricky.gh do you use Yahoo or AIM? Sending them the whole notebook is the way to go. They can make sure the heatsink sits flush on both the GPU and memory, plus they can add as much copper as possible.

NM I answered my own question
TX4 is not electrically conductive. So TX4 is ok on the mem chips.
Tuniq TX-4 Extreme Performance and Easy Apply
My temps are so good I'm afraid to ever take the heatsink off again

 

Handsomerob, I don't know where you can buy them but I would think that they are just mirrored heatsinks if anything (I don't have dual gpu's).

That said, if they can work with an m17x with a single hd5870 then I don't see a problem sending in mine. Otherwise it's up to someone else to take the shot. But I do think that them having a whole notebook would be better than just the sinks.

-cheers!

I use messenger skype and oovoo, but not yahoo
do you use any of thses??

 

I have messenger. But forgot my screenname.
Do the single 5870 M17X's have the spot for another 5870 so that the company can still make dual heatsinks

 

Yes they do have the spot so if I bought a slave card later on I could put it in there.

I can download yahoo or aim and chat with you, not a problem

 

Let me call Thermal Solutions tomorrow and see what the turn around time would be. My AIM is Robhndsm