TIM for my CPU

I am looking to repaste my i7 3720qm on my Alienware m17 r4, but i do not know of current brands or variants of thermal pastes.

I plan on letting an IT service do the repasting as i have no experience with it and i am not about to start on such an expensive rig, yet i am not confident enough to let said IT service repaste using a metal based thermal compound.

Can anyone provide me with a list of recommended thermal compounds that are reasonably priced, non condictive, and readily available from IT shops (i.e no exclusively online-purchasing bands)

**note: if there are no good brands in stores, feel free to suggest online bought brands provided they have international shipping.

And out of curiosity, how much of the CPU die does the TIM have to be covering, and is it normal for once core (out of 4) to be heating more than the others??

 

I would suggest you reconsider your position of not doing it yourself.

The TIM has to cover 100% of the CPU die area and not one iota more (or less).

If you have the necessary tools to remove a few screws and covers from your notebook and you have the patience (you just need to go slow the first few times...) to do it methodically, you are in a prime position to learn how to re-paste properly.

You may or may not get it right the first time (temps will let you know during your most intense workflows). But the beauty of repasting is that you can do it again immediately, trying something slightly different (dot pattern, x pattern, line pattern TIM applications, etc.) and see the effects for yourself.

You will quickly learn the how of re-pasting and for the price of a single re-paste job from an 'IT professional', you will be set for the next few decades (at least for the price of the TIM).

The IT service you use to re-paste your CPU will probably have just a few hours more experience than you. And, there is no guarantee he/she will do it as well as you can in a few attempts (or even use the TIM you specify, depending on how shady the IT service you choose is).

 

check out this thread and you may learn a thing or two from it http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/repaste-job.777084/
I've never applied thermal paste myself but I plan to after buying a new laptop. Now I'm pretty much reading and watching stuff. From what I learnt, IC Diamond and GC Extreme are good. IC Diamond lasts longer but GC Extreme is easier to paste and clean for beginners but it's also more expensive (since IC Diamond can scratch the dice when you clean it but this might not be an issue tho). There is also Noctua NT-H1 but I've not read a lot about it yet.

 

What problem are you trying to solve?? Is the machine overheating or otherwise misbehaving? Did you blow all the dust out of the machine? If you have the experience to strip the machine down, there might be some small value to re-doing the paste, but if, as you way, you are not technically competent, I would leave well alone. I also think that giving the machine to an untested 3rd party is a receipe for disaster, I suspect the machine could come back with bits broken/misaligned and/or in a worse condition....

 

Ic7 and Gelid extreme. Don't use other paste.

 

The CPU peaks at 97 degrees celsius, and even when the laptop was new, it peaked at 91.
I also plan on putting it on the GPU since i've been getting higher than usual temperatures lately, plus the die doesn't even use thermal paste, it uses the stock thermal PAD.....

 

My research has led me to three optimal choices regarding thermal paste, which are Noctua NT-H1, Arctic Cooling MX-4, and Prolimatech PK-3. (Gelid GC extreme is a tad too expensive for me)

I was going to pick either the MX4 or the Noctua, however i considered the PK3 as it was superior, but i am not sure about it's electrical conductivity as it is made from aluminum, even though the specs say it's not conductive i still can't help but be paranoid.

Can anyone shed some light on that please?

 

If is peaks at 97 under 100% all-core load, then it is within its TjMax and operating to design. Also gap pads are normally used due to mechanical tolerances and no requirement for direct interfacing due to lower power. If you remove a gap pad and don't add a copper shim, you will most likely run even hotter and damage the GPU. There will be a gap, even when the GPU thermal interface is torqued all the way down.

 

i'm not talking about the thermal pads on the GPU VRAM, i'm saying that instead of thermal paste, the factory decided to put a thermal pad on the GPU DIE, which i plan on replacing with a paste.

As for the CPU, it did not reach those temps when it was repasted last time or when it was new, it always maxed out at 91, and even though this is within the TJ max it is quite an uncomfortable temperature to work with and i would prefer to reduce it.

Also, it's not 100% core load, the frequencies are at max for all cores but the usage is usually at 70~80% not 100%

 

Ok, have at it. Your post shows some clear misunderstandings about the nature of thermal interfaces, mechanical stack up tolerances and when a gap pad can be used. BTW where did I ever say that the gap pad was used for the VRAM, I didn't even mention VRAM? I understand that the GP is used for the GPU FC die interface. Replacing that with paste will result in higher temps or GPU meltdown unless you also use a shim. If you take the GP out and then look at the clearance between the GPU die and the heatsink, there will be a gap (hence GAP PAD). Clearly you are intent on fixing a problem that you think you have and at the same time show a lack of aptitude to complete the task by contemplating taking the computer repair shop. So you are now saying that the CPU has already been repasted "As for the CPU, it did not reach those temps when it was repasted last time or when it was new". This sure is a confusing thread!

 

What's confusing about it??

CPU was repasted once before with a crappy TIM, GPU only has a thermal pad on the die as factory stock (which from my understanding of your reply may be serving as a gap pad, i get it now) even though it isn't designed for saving power (it is a gaming laptop after all).

I have looked around and there is no mention of needing any copper shims, at what depth do i require a shim??

 

I agree, it is difficult to see exactly what is going on in this thread. No reason to get upset though.

For the CPU, I would use Gelid GC, IC Diamond, or CLU. These seem to be the forum favorites, and all perform well (I haven't tried ICD personally, but people here generally like it). CLU is conductive though and scares many people, but it's performance is unmatched. I love it on my laptop.

For your GPU, you have 2 options. Find a replacement thermal pad - I think FrozenCPU.com has some decent ones the last time I checked. OR whatever gap is left when the pad is removed can be filled with a copper shim, and use the same TIM that you use on the CPU. It is extremely likely that you will have some gap once you remove the old pad and therefore need something to fill the space. I don't know what your gap is, so you would have to figure it out on your own (you could buy a few different sizes of shim and see which fits, then share that info with the appropriate owners lounge).

 

My new personal favorite TIM is Noctua NT-H1, although I've only begun using it, but it seems pretty good, same as or even slightly better out of the box improvement than IC Diamond. Needs to give it a few months to really see its longevity. But so far, so good.

 

I started to use Noctua NT-H1 on my Haswell extreme processor, but this tim failed to keep the processor cool enough under maximum load after a very very short time. Tested afterwards with Gelid extreme and that gave slightly better results... But neither this tim was good enough. Now I have used Clu in over 1.5 years with very good results(still zero change in temp after so long time). What tim to use; This depends on which processor you use and how good the cooling is in your laptop. I also tried Noctua NT-H1 earlier other laptops but still with a bad result. A big disappointment. Gelid Extreme is a minimum requirement on laptop processors and GPU. That's my opinion.

 

I tried Gelid Extreme but results were disappointing for me. Several deg C higher at load and idle than IC Diamond.

 

I think IC7 is fine for most uses - most pastes mentioned are fine. But look no further than CLU if you want the best and longest lasting results.