Dell SXPS 1340 Thermal Paste Replacement Guide

Can i use ZEROTherm ZT-100 ?

 

You should use Arctic silver 5, or Arctic cooling MX-2 for best results.
I don't recommend thermal grease which is what zerotherm zt-100 is.

 

thnks. but i'm in iran and i just can find ZEROtherm ZT-100.
now i don't repalce thermal paste with this.
there is a comparsion : http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/thermal-interface-roundup_11.html#sect0

 

willl try this soon.

 

I take it this also works for the 9400 GPU as well? I'm assuming there are only 2 (CPU and GPU) instead of 3 dies, right?

 

Depending on if your 1340 is sli capable or not. If it has SLI, there will be 3 dies. If it does not have SLI, it probably only has a cpu die and 1 gpu die.

 

Aslong as they are without the heatpad they should work.

 

How can one tell?

 

Finally did this on mine, knocked 8C off immediatly under full load & 4C off at idle.

Highly recommended mod.

 

I replaced the thermal paste using Antec Formula 5, which is essentially the same as arctic silver5.

Its been a week now, and I havent seen any change in temps. The CPU cores idle at 55-60C and the THRM ZONE at 62-65C.

I had used this same paste on my Dell Vostro 1400 and the CPU temps were down by an avg of 7-8 C .

I dont know what more I could do. .. maybe call Dell and have them replace something!?

 

Have you undervolted your CPU yet?

 

Well, I have seen the undervolting guide, and it seems windows only, I use linux as my OS

 

Oh, well undervolting can make a huge difference. With my SXPS16, after undervolting, I can game without a cooler since temps go just north of 60 C at the highest. This is with the 6 cell battery and without raising the back.

 

Well, I think I may have to call Dell. This is going a little too hot for comfort, in fact yesterday the laptop shutdown due to overheat while watching flash videos on youtube.

 

I was thinking about doing this today and then I saw this thread and took it as a sign that maybe I should.

I had a copper piece left over from my M1330 so I did a copper mod on the 9400M chip.

Before the 9400M ran hotter then the 9200M, now it's the exact opposite. After a fresh application the CPU cores are idling about 36-38C, 9400M 42C and 9200M 45C. Max temps are about the same as before, just the fan doesn't run as hard.

 

How much of the thermal did you squeeze on the dies? Is less better or is more better?

 

You don't want too much and you don't want too little, just make sure the entire die face is covered completely.

 

Ok, I called Dell and they sent a technician. He replaced the heatsink and the idle temps are down to 41-42 and load temps are 55-63C for the CPU cores. Seems good to me now.

 

Wow, I never thought about doing this!! Nice stuff! I never knew the thermal paste that Dell puts in is that bad. It gets really hot, especially when you're on discrete graphics.

I know someone mentioned something about warranty before, but what are the 'requirements' that qualify your laptop to have a voided warranty? Does this include unscrewing the screws excluding the cover ones? Is there any measures inside that checks to see if you have removed anything? Such as sticker, or switch? Especially, in this case, the heatsink?

 

Hey...

Does anybody know, how big is the gap between the gpu and heatsink. I want to replace thermal pad with copper. Will 1.5 mm thick shim fit in or will i need something thicker/thinner?

 

Yep, I used a 1.5mm shim I bought for an xps 1330

 

Whoaaa! Thanks GOD I found this thread before re-applying the thermal compound.
Also thanks to you elijahRW. I can't believe DELL missed my GPU (middle die) . If I haven't read your guide, I for sure wont apply thermal compound on my GPU since there was no traces of thermal compound applied on the GPU . No wonder why my GPU was hitting 84 deg C

before ( IDLE) ------------------- after ( MEDIUM LOAD)
THRM .. 69C --------------------------- 52C

Core#0 61C --------------------------- 44C
Core#1 61C --------------------------- 44C

GPU ..... 71C --------------------------- 55C

*Replacement of thermal compound is highly recommended, IMHO. Even on MEDIUM LOAD (arctic silver 5), the temps are still lower than the IDLE temps (stock thermal compound)

PS: Read and understand the guide first before attempting the replacement of thermal compound.

 

Thanks for this very informative guide. I'd love to see something similar for the Studio XPS 1645, but this should be more than sufficient

 

Great guide! Worked very well for me too. Thanks a lot!

 

Anyone done it one the SXPS 16 yet?

 

Not that I know of.

 

I've tried it on my SXPS 1640 - temperatures got cooler.
GPU stays at 48 °C at Idle (just surfing and playing music)
CPU is at 40 °C. (P 7450)
The work is really quity easy.

But I have put some thermal paste also on the Northbridge
(I think on the 1640 the northbridge has the thermal pad, am I right?) - there was also a little bit when I opened it. Have I made a mistake?

My problem is that the fan still runs, although my temperatures stay pretty cool. So it doen't stay silent for long time. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

Phew, I just completed my thermal paste replacement on my XPS13... still shaking a bit

And guess what... my laptop booted without a single beep, fan that is spinning too hard because cooling is off... nothing!

So now the results
*****
the enter key on th keyboard that has been awfully placed finally comes loose so I can see what's wrong with it... and a minute later... the enter key works like never before!!! WOOT this is my day today
*****
Well, as for results:
idle, cause I haven't tested anything else yet:
Before: After:
CPU (cores) 37-39°C 31-34°C
GPU 50->60(fan)->50_>... 42-47°C (no fan yet)

Awesome stuff, this with Arctic Silver 5. It's amazing what a mess Dell made. Their HSF (Heat-Sink-Fan) assemblies are equipped with a thick square inch of bad (?) thermal compound and it spreads all over the place. I applied a superfine layer of AS5, lots less mess, way lower temps (for now). Thanks for the guide, it gave me the courage to go through with it

PS: I even cracked the GPU thermal pad (there's 3 small cracks in it now, but I reckoned it wouldn't do much, seeing as the pad is mostly spongey with holes).

 

I don't like the way my 9400m temps been running lately, just ordered the AS5 and two 1.5 copper shims, if anyone wants to know where
i got the shims let me know ... kinda pricey

 

First of all, thanks for the guide!

I'm in the process of undervolting my CPU (using this guide: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824).
I can recommend it to anyone who wants to get their CPU temps lower. The process is very effective... people getting 5-15C lower temps under 100% load, it's fairly easy and it has no negative side effects (apart from an occasional BSOD while setting up the voltages).

After finishing undervolting, i'd like to try replacing the thermal paste to further lower my laptop's temperatures. However, the OP's guide is written for the SXPS 1340, and I (and many others) have a SXPS 1640.
I'd like to ask other SXPS 1640 owners that have used this guide to replace the thermal paste on their laptop to share their experiences: what was different, compared to the original guide? Do you happen to have any pics laying around of your 'modding process'?

Thanks in advance! It would be great if we could 'upgrade' the 1340 guide so it will be applicable to the 1640 as well!

 

I've replaced the termal paste on my 1640, but unfortunately I've made no pictures.

It's quite easy. The only thing you have to be careful is the removal of plastic part from the fan exhaust. There is no screw but little plastic noses. You have to push to the side.

 

Thanks for your quick response Rabone.

Can we conclude from this that the SXPS 1340 thermal paste replacement guide is applicable to the SXPS 1640 already (keeping the plastic fan exhaust noses in mind)?

 

Just for an FYI: My temp dropped around 10C +/- after the thermal paste replacement using AS5.

I got better result from OCZ over the AS5 (-2C to -4C)

*Mine is XPS 1340 not 1640*

Good Luck!

 

Just letting you guys know I succesfully replaced the stock thermal paste on both the gpu and cpu die with Zalman ZM-STG2. This is on a Dell SXPS 1640 with 2,4ghz C2D cpu.
After the first cpu/gpu stress test I've seen both temps dropping with 12 degrees! Cpu = max 60 (down from 72), gpu = max 72 (down from 84).

This will probably improve once the paste settles. Great!

Thanks again for the guide & assistance!

EDIT:
Two weeks after replacing the thermal paste, the temps are - indeed - even lower!

Original/Right after replacing paste/Two weeks after replacing paste
CPU: 72/60/57
GPU: 84/72/70

 

Holy cow, I replaced the stock thermal compound with some generic white silicone stuff and the temps dropped by atleast 10C. Still looking for a good source to pickup a copper shim...I think that should improve temps even more.

The stock thermal pad looks more like an insulator than something that is supposed to transfer heat.

 

Ok I just did a redo using Arctic Silver 5, an aluminum shim, and some rubbing compound to polish all heat transfer surfaces. Couldnt find any copper. Ran a Fur Mark test for 30 mins and I maxed out at 65C/55C GPU/CPU. My idle temps before the mod was 60C/50C GPU/CPU so this is definitely a huge improvement.

Still have a whole stick of aluminum, PM me if anyone wants a piece.

 

Noob question here....I have just the 9400, and if i was reading correctly, i just apply the mx-2 on the die, and still use the thermal pad?? I thought i read somewhere that it was not good to use the combination of both..I know i must use the thermal pad, or there will be a gap, but i was thinking i might as well replace the pad with a copper shim while i'm in there..Thanks in advance!

 

If you have the right skill to do the copper mod, that would be the better choice. I tried few thermal paste but GPU temp still gets high until I did the copper mod.

Not saying you wont gain any from good thermal paste but Thermal pad really sucks!

Again, DO NOT attempt to do the copper mod if you don't have the right skills.

XPS 1340 Copper Mod Guide

 

Thanks for the quick reply..what size copper shim did you use?

 

Thickness: 1.05 mm

 

1.05? i just bought one that was 1.2...think that will be ok? and did you put thermal paste on both side of the copper shim?

 

1.2 will do (make sure the shim isn't deformed or it will be more than 1.2 mm).

Reminder: Don't lose your thermal pad. You will have to put it back whenever you need your laptop serviced by DELL, else your warranty will be void (also don't tell them you did a copper mod ).

 

So finished doing the mod....

Idle temps are as follows:

THRM: 49C
GPU: 39C
GPU:48-50C

But under load GPU jumps as high as 61C..is this normal??
Stupidly, i didnt record temps before replacing thermal paste and doing copper mod.

I also noticed that it seems to take longer to cool down..maybe its just my imagination

EDIT: and i did save the POS thermal pad for that exact reason...surprise when i pulled it off it had 2 BIG cracks going down each side. Wonderful stuff that dell uses.

 

Your temps are good.

61C is still on the safe zone.

Job well done!

Possible because It was quicker after the copper mod.