M1530 - Cleaning

Hey,

I am wanting to clean out the fan on my M1530, because i havn't before and i have noticed an increase in CPU and GPU temperature when gaming.

I have used this guide to take it apart: http://ahwee.com/how-to-disassemble-laptop-dell-xps-m1530

But only the parts relevant to the process of removing the heat sink and fan in Step 2. However i keep encountering a problem when doing this.



Pretty much part of the heatsink simply won't come off, this is after unscrewing all the screws and checking that they are fully undone. It seems to stick to the chip itself, and i am somewhat weary as to how much pressure to apply to removing it.
The specific part of the heatsink that sticks in that in the lower right hand corner, this is from the perspective of the image above.

Does anybody have a solution to this problem?

 

what are the temperature conditions in the area you are trying to remove it? because alot of thermal compounds harden when cold which can cause it to be difficult to remove. This is also a sign that the Thermal compound on the CPU/GPU is in need of replacing. I recommend you buy some Tuniq TX-2/TX-3, or some Coolermaster Thermal Fusion 400. As far as you having trouble removing the cooling unit try removing it after you have just recently shut down the system as the Thermal Compound will be softer.

 

It was actually just after i had shut the computer down. In fact i had to leave it for 5 minutes until i could touch the heat sink comfortably.

I would consider replacing the Thermal compound on the chips though. However i havn't done it before so, how difficult is it to do and is there a guide on here about how to do it?

 

Usually whichever thermal compound you buy will have instructions but i can give you a youtube link that should give the you basic idea, it is pretty simple

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_C0RkpO7LU

just a basic idea of how you do it

 

Well i have opened my notebook up before, and i did have a similar problem taking the heatsink off then, but now it seems to be stuck much more than before. He did also say in that video that exposing it will cause the Thermal Compound to dry out quickly, so i am guessing that is what has happened.

I will get some stuff ordered, like a Thermal Compound, some cleaning alcohol and an anti-static wristband, and i will re-new the compound when i next have the opportunity.

 

That Tuniq TX-3 stuff is suppose to be some of the best Thermal Compound on the market, but is also somewhat difficult to work with (its got a thicker consistancy) Also if you go with TX-2/3 or the Coolermaster stuff i listed above, there is no breakin time and it is non Electrical Conductive

 

Well i actually ordered the stuff as i sent the message, i went with what was suggested in one of the guides on this forum, Arctic Silver 5.

 

I had actually never replaced thermal compound until I got my m1530. The guide you are following is good. I used Arctic Silver 5 to replace the one that came with the system. I did notice drops in temps and it was easy to work with. The guides on this forum are very good to follow. AS5 (Arctic Silver 5) can also be bought at radioshack here in the USA. Not sure if they have stores in England. I have read about a thermal compund that is supposed to be better. I believe it's called ICD7. Good Luck!

 

Usually to remove the heatsinks, it's best to slide it off instead of trying to pull it upwards. I seen bad cases where people pull off the whole gpu n chipsets when forcibly pulling it upwards. Try to slide it off, or use thin floss to help remove the heatsink + harden thermal paste.