[GUIDE] Applying Arctic Silver 5 to your M9750

Welcome to my first guide here on www.notebookreview.com.

Please remember that you follow this guide at your own risk and that it is not endorsed by Alienware. You take all responsibility for any damage caused to your system by following this guide.

This guide deals with the specifics of applying the thermal compound Arctic Silver 5 to the Alienware M9750 mobile desktops GPU's and CPU's as an improvement in heat transfer/cooling. Although Arctic Silver 5 is used and reffered to throughout this guide, most of the information still holds true for other thermal greases. Lets get started ...

Difficulty level: 6/10
Cost: Around £12
Performance gain vs work needed + overall cost: 6/10

The theory (simplified):

Thermal greases/compounds are used as an interface between your heatsink and the GPU/CPU. These greases are typically very thermally conducting whilst being electrically insulating and non-capacative. Thermal grease is an essential interface between your heatsink and heat source (GPU/CPU) - you simply cannot get away without using them on todays modern systems.

Thermal greases fill in the microscopic valleys and pores present on the surface of metal-to-metal contacts where without them air would reside. Air is an exceptionally poor conductor of heat. Without the grease these air pockets would restrict the amount of heat being transfered to your heatsink which in turn would most probably lead to your CPU/GPU frying it's self - nightmare.

Your M9750 is already equiped with a thermal grease, the brand of which I don't know. We are going to replace it with Arctic Silver 5 (AS5) - a high quality and world reckognised leading thermal grease. AS5 is 99% pure silver - a very good thermal conductor. The compound has many different shapes and sizes (on a microscopic level) of silver within that help to fill all the valleys and pits on the CPU/GPU-to-heatsink interface thus increasing contact between the two and enhancing thermal conductivity. The compound has a setting in period of 200 hours during which the computer may still be used as normal but must be allowed to cool to room temperature atleast several times during this setting period (heat cycles). This is to allow the grease to optimize it's interparticle contact and further increase thermal conductivity. More on this later.

What will you need:



1 x 3.5g tube of Arctic Silver 5 thermal grease
1 x ArctiClean 1 - Thermal Material Remover - Isopropyl alcohol (acetone) can be used instead as a cheaper alternative.
1 x ArctiClean 2 - Thermal Surface Purifier
1 x Lint free cloth
1 x Small philips head screwdriver
1 x Small pair of pliers
A credit card/stanley knife blade/other spreading implement (not shown)

Arctic Silver 5 and ArctiClean 1/2 dealers can be found here: http://www.arcticsilver.com/dealers_and_distributors.htm.

Step 1 - getting exposed:

It is first off essential that you understand a few points.

1) You must not be scared of working on your system. Treat it with respect but not fear - if you go playing with it scared half to death of breaking something you probably will. Enjoy the work, it's easier than it looks.

2) Make sure you avoid static electric discharges at all times. Properly ground yourself and avoid static environments. Google for tips on working static free.

3) Make sure you have removed the AC/DC power supply.

4) Enjoy yourself



As indicated by the red circles above, remove the battery first and hold down the power button for 10 seconds to ensure all power has been drained. This can then be followed by removing the four case screws. Gently prise your cover off from the right hand side until you have exposed the systems internals. Do not be afraid to use reasonable force here, but if something feels stuck investigate it further before yanking at it.

Step 2 - take a good look:



Circled in red above are the 4 places we are going to be applying thermal grease to. Not yet though, first we need to take it to bits...

Step 3 - CPU and GPU first:



Firstly, look at the YELLOW hints. We need to remove these cables before we start unscrewing. Using the black tab, remove the GPU cable (the black cable held down by masking tape). Next, using the small pliers, remove the fans electrical supply cable by pulling it gently FROM THE WHITE PART, NOT the cables.

Done that? Good. Next, unscrew all 10 screws circled in RED and place them to one side in assorted piles so you know where they go later. Now, holding firmly at the BLUE hints, pull the system gently towards you and up. This may require a little wiggling as the thermal paste already present will have set and will provide a little resistance. Do not use excessive force, be patient and wiggle it free whilst being careful not to touch any components.

Once off it should look like this ...



Step 4 - cleaning up your act:

We now need to remove the old thermal compound from the heatsink and the GPU/CPU/Bridge. For the heatsink, turn it upside down and apply a few drops of ArctiClean 1 to each of the 3 areas where the old thermal paste exists and leave for 60 seconds. After this, wipe clean with your lint free cloth. Repeat as necessary until no grey compund appears on the cloth where you just wiped it. For the CPU/GPU/Bridge, add a few drops to the lint free cloth, wrap it around your finger and gently remove the paste from the top of them using your cloth wrapped finger like a cotton bud/cue-tip. Do not worry about the compound residing around the sides of the CPU/GPU/Bridge - this can remain there without affecting the AS5 grease. Once all traces of the old grease have been removed from the heatsink and CPU/GPU/Bridge tops use a clean area of the lint free cloth and a few drops of ArctiClean 2 surface purifier to cleanse all surfaces where ArctiClean 1 has been used. DO NOT APPLY THE THERMAL GREASE REMOVER TO THE HEAT PADS COVERING THE RAM CIRCLED IN GREEN BELOW!



The BLUE areas have been cleaned and the RED area has had remover added to it and a few gentle wipes.



Above is a nice clean CPU.



Above is the clean GPU and clean Bridge.

Step 5 - apply some love:

So now is the time to apply your AS5 grease. The key here is a little goes a long way, you do NOT need to cover the whole CPU straight out of the tube - infact, the less you use (aslong as it's enough to create good contact with the heat sink), the better the heat transfer. I used the 3.5g tube and still had over 60% of it left after covering all four areas in this guide. And even that is probably too much.

Firstly, remove the cap from your AS5 tube. Next, in which ever order you like, apply a sufficient amount to the center of your CPU/GPU and in a line along your bridge as shown below:

CPU



GPU



Bridge



Step 6 - spread 'em!

Next - you need to thinly and evenly spread the compound out using your sharp edged spreading implement. I used my old university ID card. Make sure the distribution is even and does not bridge any pins/connectors. Although AS5 is electrically insulating it is slightly capacative and could cause issues if it bridged pins (although highly unlikely).

Step 7 - re-seat and screw it:

Once spread out you need to reseat your heat sink just as you took it out. Press each of the 3 areas down firmly where the grease has been applied and settle them into place by moving it back and forth about half a centimeter whilst firmly pushing down. Next, replace all the screws that you took out ensuring you do not over tighten any of the screws. After this you may then replace the GPU cable and fan power cable.

*PHEW* - that's the hard one done!

Step 8 - well you wanted SLi ...:



Much the same as step 3 - remove the cables indicated by YELLOW first, followed by the screws in RED and gently pull towards and upwards griping along the BLUE lines.

Step 9 - Leave the green!



We are only apply the grease to one area here marked in RED. Follow step 4 to clean your surfaces.

Step 10 - applying yourself ... again:



Follow steps 5, 6 and 7 again to apply the paste, spread it and re-seat your heatsink for this single GPU.

And you're done!

According to the manufacturers of AS5 you will notice a 2-5 oC decrease in temperature during the 200 hours setting in process - it is claimed this can bring the overall beinfit of using AS5 to as much as 12-15 oC drop in temperature however this is a best case scenario and most users will experience a temperature drop of anywhere between 4 and 8 oC.

nTune log data (ambient temperature 20/21C):

Pre-AS5:

Code:

Current Time      GPU1:(ºC)    GPU2:(ºC)    (ºC)    CPU(%):    Disk(%):    Network(%):    Memory(%):    
17:18:36          79           86           0        5 %          1 %          0 %           33 %          
17:18:41          79           86           0        6 %          0 %          0 %           33 %          
17:18:46          79           86           0        6 %          0 %          0 %           33 %          
17:18:51          79           86           0        4 %          0 %          0 %           33 % 

Post-AS5 (0 hours set time):

Code:

Current Time      GPU1:(ºC)    GPU2:(ºC)    (ºC)    CPU(%):    Disk(%):    Network(%):    Memory(%): 
19:27:52          76           80           0       6 %        0 %         0 %            35 %          
19:27:57          76           80           0       6 %        0 %         0 %            35 %          
19:28:2           76           80           0       18 %       0 %         0 %            35 %          
19:28:7           76           80           0       7 %        0 %         0 %            35 %          
19:28:12          76           80           0       14 %       0 %         0 %            35 %

Post-AS5 (>200 hours set time):

Code:

Current Time      GPU1:(ºC)    GPU2:(ºC)    (ºC)    CPU(%):    Disk(%):    Network(%):    Memory(%):    
23:29:49           74           78           0       5 %        0 %         0 %            34 %          
23:29:53           74           78           0       3 %        0 %         0 %            34 %          
23:29:57           73           78           0       4 %        0 %         0 %            34 %          
23:30:1            73           78           0       10 %       0 %         0 %            34 %

Hope that has helped guys!

All the best and happy cooling,

brks

================= REPORT TO FOLLOW =================
I will report on temperature differences after the 200 hour setting in period here.
==================================================

Revision 1:
+ Suggestion: hold down power button after removing battery to ensure all power drained (Chaz)
+ Suggestion: isopropyl alcohol (acetone) can be used to clean off the heatsinks too (Chaz)
+ Sorted some spellings

Revision 2:
+ Added nTune temperature data

 

Great how-to !

However, don't we suppose to put AS5 like as thin as paper? You put it like way too much, don't you think?

 

hehe - it may look like a lot, but once it's spread out with the card and you've wiped away the excess that seeps off the side it's pretty thin. I would say it's more important in this situation to make sure there is adequate contact between the GPU/CPU and the heatsink than to make sure it's paper thin. Also remember that when you screw the heatsink down, it will only go so far - even if you could get a paper thin spread if the heatsink goes down further it will be less than paper thin, if the heatsink is above the thinkness of paper there will be no contact and it will fry. So an excess is probably better than not enough otherwise we may find ourselves with a £2000 paper weight Never-the-less a good observation, there is an excess on those chips.

 

you should apply a slightly thin line pretty much down the center of the heat spreader you wish to apply the as5 to. the arctic silver site has a manual that shows the proper way to apply the grease.

i do as i mentioned above and have done pretty much all my major electronics (ps3, wii, 360, desktop pc and my 9750).

 

Beautifully done! That's an awesome guide, thank you for taking the time to put all of this together. I will stick this thread for you.

 

kneehighspy is correct with that also. The Arcticsilver site does have reccommendations for different CPU types, but applying a line and then spreading is only particuarly relevant for Core 2 duo's with exposed cases. Actually, in our case, the M9750's CPU has no external case and hence is regarded as a single exposed chip meaning a spread is more appropriate as is the case with other exposed single cpu's. The AS5 site actually shows that you should spread the grease over the chip (for example in the exposed single core CPU (which is what the GPU is)).

 

can you do this with a m15x or m17x, that would be nice.

 

Someone's gonna have to try it first and it won't be me

 

you are putting way too much thermal paste. all you need for best results is a very small amount, about the size of a grain of rice and spread it evenly.

 

uuuuum whats this for.

 

Given nobody cared to reply before now, the point of this is to replace the Cheap Thermal Conductor that comes with the M9750 with a good brand thermal conductor to reduce the general temperature of the parts such as the CPU and GPU's

 

nice guide

8700sli
t7400(2.16)
IDLE cpu(64° with artic 58 °) gfx (67° with artic 63°)
IN GAME cpu ( 78° with artic 72°) gfx ( 73 with artic 68°)


ARTIC ROX

 

Brks,

Great guide!

Can you post temperature differences after the 200-hour setting period?

Also, did the fan noise during idle decrease at all?

 

Great guide

I assume switching thermal paste on the m15x is similar to this?

 

thats waaaaaaaaaaay to complicated for me is the spray 100% neccessery? as i dont really want to risk breaking something unless it is.

 

Great guide. Another good product is Arctic Silver Ceramique. I used both of them so I know what I'm talking about.

 

here's a thread for you guys if you want a comprehensive test into different TIM brands...

Super Thermal Paste Test: 36 brands tested @ XS

i've used the ceramique, nice but dont quite like the consistency...
personal fav is MX-2...

but some of the other ones do sound mighty tempting...

question tho, how easy is it to replace the CPU in a m9750?
seems buying the processor off newegg is cheaper than upgrading it in aw.

 

thing is if you upgrade gpu yourself it wont void warranty but if you do with a cpu it ll void the warranty!!! ( i asked AW about that)

 

wont simply taking the heatsink off the CPU void the warrenty? Or can you do this and keep your laptop under warrenty?

 

you can takin the heatskin off BUT you cant change your cpu or it ll void the warranty!
But you can change the video card, it doestn void it.

 

That GPU looks like it is sottered to the motherboard. May not be easily possible.

 

He did state in the directions that you use a spreader (SOmthing thin like a CREDIT CARD or ID card) to spread it thing. I did the same thing. I wiped off the excess around the edges with a cotton Qtip with a little bit of "rubbing" Alcohol.

 

This looks way easier than doing it on a T61p. I love the lay out of this machine. Nicely made. Everthing is easy to get to with all the panels that can be removed.


Looks like a fairly simple upgrade.

I did this mod to my T61p. Not easy as I had to remove about 20 different type of screws to come in from the top. About 10 times more difficult than this.

 

Great guide ... used it to recently apply artic to my lappy.

Just as a side note, when removing the heatsink there is an additional screw you need to remove, you havent shown on your screenshot (close to the fan). Anyway... artic is amazing, i'm looking at a 4 degree decrease in idle temps for the cpu/gpus, only 48 hours in the settling period!

 

Don't know if its the right thread to ask but has anyone tried this mod with his m15x and is there a chance it will improve the situation considering the downclocking issue? About 4-5 degree better temps sounds promising!

 

i really dontknow if its even possible....
We have no pics showing m15x heatskins etc...and im sure no one is going to take the risk.

 

Thanks to AW we have: (pasting quote from another thread)

I don't know what they think about changing the termal paste but removing the heatsink to change the card seems to be fine for them even if you do it by yourself. According to NNugles, just do it with an AW tech on the phone and it won't even woid your warranty!

 

yep nut do not change cpu yourself or it void warranty!

 

Did some search on the forums and it looks like that possible solution was already considered and sadly didn't work:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=230688

 

excellent post, very intuitive and complete .... I hope to see one like this for the 17x when (if) it is released

 

Hm I have a question, is it possible to replace the thermal pad on the southbridge with thermal paste? Why is a pad used there anyway?

 

@Crizzler - I would actually like to see someone here on NBR try using AS5 with the M15x because I have a feeling that it will help cooling. Maybe someone at AW didn't let it go through the 200 hour burn in period or something like that which is why they got bad results.

I'm going to call shenanigans until someone here does it

 

@dozzen - Have a read of http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/white_papers_and_tech_docs/26951.pdf - an excellent write-up of when to use a thermal pad and when to use thermal grease.

 

great guide, will use to apply AS5 to my m17. thx +rep

 

Good guide. Just one thing to look at if you're willing to be a little adventurous, making your own "thermal pads" (I did this on a desktop ATI 4850 (also had thermal pads) but it should be nearly the same for any system) to increase heat transfer and thus improve cooling.
See this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=204475

The reason that the temps go up is that it introduced a gap between the GPU and HS, however, what we're doing is just removing the gap between the vRAM and the HS (since the GPU is already at the right height).

What you need before starting:
- read points 1-4, so you can buy 5
- a pair of tin snips or something of the like
- thermal grease aka TIM (AS5 or anything else really, is fine)
- *optional* sandpaper ( http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/lapping/)
- *optional* metal file

1. Pull apart laptop until you get down to the GPU.
2. Remove one (or both) of the pads for the GPU memory.
3. Put the heatsink (HS) back on the GPU.
4. Measure/eyeball the space between the memory and the HS (mine was about the thickness of a credit card).
5. Go to your local craft store and look/ask for copper (or any other metal really) sheets or plates (what I got looked like a ruler, made of brass)
6. Measure out the dimensions of the memory (just make one piece to cover all RAM that is in an area)
eg. [ ] <- 1 vRAM chip
[ ]
[ ]
(f i l l e r) [ ][ ]

Measure out the dimensions for the two pieces (or more if your vRAM is spread weirdly), those vertically in line, and those horizontally in line. Remember to give them a little extra width/length (1-2mm should be fine, measure to see how much room you can give them).

7. If you decide you're going to lap your heatsink and/or "thermal pads", check out this guide: http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/lapping/
8. Using a pair of tin snips (or something similar), cut out the pieces you measured for your vRAM earlier. Try to keep the edges (from the teeth of the snips) pointed in one direction (up or down). Remember to cut them just a little bigger.
9. *optional* File down the edges/points of your cut pieces.
10. Spread TIM on vRAM/CPU/GPU/etc. (anything that contacted the HS either directly or with a thermal pad)
11. Place your thermal pads with the "teeth" pointed down (so the teeth don't contact the HS causing a small gap)
12. Put more thermal grease on the reverse side of the HS (odd, I know) so that when you put it back on, you have this:
HS
grease
pad
grease
vRAM
13. Screw it all back together.

 

Oh Gawd there goes my avatar...

 

EDIT: I now see you have the same avatar as someone else.

 

Hi brks,
This is really a great guide! However I have an AW M5550, can I follow your guide and apply the Arctic Silver 5 thermal grease on my CPU and Go 8600M GT? Just replaced my burned Go 7600 and I don't want my new GPU gets overheated!
Thanks!

 

applying thermal paste is universal put a little on there and put it back in

here is chaz guide
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=60914