CPU Fan Upgrade / cooling mods for Lenovo T420?

So I have the Core I7-2620M in my T420.

The title really says it all

Currently I just re-paste the CPU ever year or so and make sure there's no dust. I also removed the plastic grill for better airflow. However I'm adding a powerful eGPU and want to do whatever I can to keep the CPU cool to avoid bottleneck issues.

 

The proper steps is to test with the configuration you want working, then make adjustments or modifications as needed.

If you have no throttling now; wait until you do (as your config changes) before you start second guessing what will and what won't make a difference.

What plastic grill did you remove (pic)? Was it necessary? Did it keep the system cooler or are you simply doing what should 'theoretically' be better?

 

There is a plastic grill to keep stuff from poking the CPU heatsink. My laptop never really travels anywhere, so it's not a problem to have them removed. Here's the pic:


There was a insignificant drop in temp which could have been the fresh paste, cleaning, or could have been the grills being removed. Probably a combination of all 3. It was roughly 5C lower on average.

I think your advice is wise to wait and see if it ever reaches throttling temps. With the GPU doing most of the processing, it shouldn't get too hot anyway (I hope.) I'm always one to over-do things. On the other hand though, cooler temps are never a bad thing for the lifespan of electronics

I did a test today with Magic 2015. It doesn't have a lot of requirments, but I was playing on medium-high settings with the NVS 4200M. The highest temp was 65C. As far as I know, the I7-2620M can go as high as 90C before throttling off?