IC Diamond 7; have it applied pre-shipment, or apply it myself

The price is significantly cheaper for me to buy a tube of IC Diamond 7 than to have it applied on my laptop as part of my customization ($5 compared to $25). But, seeing as how I am very uninformed on laptop mechanics, would it be safer for me to just have it put on in the factory? Or is it a simple enough procedure that even a laptop-illiterate like me could do it without breaking my laptop?
Thanks!

 

It's usually pretty easy, but it comes down to being able to how easy it is to get to the CPU. With all my laptops it's super easy, remove the back and it's right there. On a friends of mine I had to take it over 3/4's way apart just to get to the CPU.

Which model do you plan on getting? You could also do a search in youtube for video's showing you as well.

 

I'm not sure yet, either a Sager NP6165 or NP9130
I think they're fairly easy to modify? I have no experience with them though, so I can't be sure...

 

I would do it yourself than as you'll further your experiance with the computer yourself just incase you plan to do more upgrades down the road.

 

good point, thanks a lot!

 

Do it yourself, no one well take as much care of your laptop, as yourself. You will do it carefully, just look on youtube, plenty of videos.

 

i'd do it myself...but i'd use a less harsh paste...something like prolimatech PK-1 instead (it has better temps too)

 

How harsh is the Diamond? Does it damage the CPU?

 

It won't damage it, it can just scuff it a little bit since it's a fine abrasive.

 

if your unsure of your skills i would just pay for it to be applied but if your willing to expand your knowledge go with doing it yourself. Just go to IC website for instructions. Also remember if your CPU is not square the pea method wont work. You will need to use a line. Simple geometry

 

How much do you need to use? And what would you suggest for the np9130? I'm on a tight budget and I would also love to learn to do these kind of small modifications... Can this void the warranty in any way?

 

I wouldn't recommend applying ICD 7 on your first try - it's too hard to work with and pretty hard to remove if you mess it up. $25 isn't that much - and if it's from the laptop manufacturer, then the quality should be pretty good.

If you do it yourself, I recommend getting Arctic MX4 and some alcohol (though it's gonna be just as expensive as the factory install). The experience is worth it, IMO, but if you don't want to mess around, waste time and risk breaking something, factory ICD is the way to go...

 

One tip for applying ICD 7 yourself is put in hot water for about five minutes prior to applying it, makes it flow easier.

 

I'm from Canada so at the nearest sager reseller it's 35,88$ to get the ICD 7. I'm pretty sure I could do something like that myself. I've seen videos and it doesn't seem that hard. What would you say is a good thermal paste? (easy to apply and good quality)

 

One thing to keep in mind is that you are also paying more because of the labor and also they keep the warranty intact. If they apply the paste and the laptop fries it will be on their dime to fix it.

If you do it yourself and something goes wrong it will be on your dime to fix it depending on where they put that "warranty void" sticker.

 

i applied it without heating it up...it really isn't necessary. All you need to do is take the tube and a tooth pick and squeeze it out in a line if yours is a rectangle or into a pea if your heatsink is a square. Then take the tooth pick to pull/break the ICD off

see picture


Also ICD is non conductive so a little spillage is ok because it wont conduct electricity. If you buy ICD24 you get it for about 20-25 bucks and it is enough for 5-10 heatsinks so you get a good bit in a tube.

Sidenote make sure its a pea/line with no gaps otherwise you will allow air into it and it will not work well or last. remember all this is on IC website plz go there for the best info.

 

very true. I would pay for it to be done and then down the road redo it. Though many times when the manufacture does it they do a poor job.

 

Have it done pre-shipment so the warranty of your item is retained. If you do it yourself most laptops will require you to void warranty to do so.

If its an old laptop out of warranty, then go for it.

 

unless you can peel the sitter off without ruining it but i agree with Vicious

EDIT: also whenever you do it; it says to tighten heatsink with 50PSI. Basically tighten it as much as you can but dont use retard strength It allows it to keep as much metal on metal contact and reduces the chance of air bubbles

 

i think the main factor would be how easy it is to open your laptop and service those parts. and for the sager, it is very easy.
sager tends to do a sloppy job in general and you are better off saving and doing it yourself. if youve done it on a desktop then you can do it on a laptop. if you havent done it yet on either, just watch a few yt videos and follow the simple disassembly instructions on the sager manual.
hope that helps.

edit: opening and repasting a sager does not invalidate your warranty

 

If it doesn't invalidate the warranty, I may go ahead and do it myself, although I'm going to go ahead and watch some video tutorials to make sure I feel comfortable with it. Thanks everyone for your opinions/info. This was all extremely helpful to me