Thermal paste replacement--help a noob?

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place.

I just got a new Malibal Lotus (same as Clevo W860CU and Sager NP8690), and my temps are on the very high end of acceptable. The computer doesn't give me warnings, errors or shut down, but during diagnostics, my temperatures are higher than most folks', not just on the GPU but the CPU as well. The GPU and various CPUs have all hit 80C at one point or another, and they idle close to 50C. This seems unacceptable, as other folks' idling temps are in the mid 30s.

I'm only using the laptop on hard surfaces, no vents obscured. The house is cool and dry (too dry, if you ask me).

So, it was suggested to me that I remove the thermal paste and replace it. I've never done this before and am rather nervous. I'd love some advice.

#1 For starters, is it possible my paste is okay and just needs to "settle" before the temps will come down?

#2 If I do, in fact, need to replace it, what should I buy, and how much? I'm thinking Arctic Silver 5, but do I need the big tube? Do I need the cleaner/surface purifier as well?

#3 Are there relevant threads here? I searched and didn't come up with much. I found a few good tutorials for other PCs but didn't find any for Sager/Clevo.

#4 I need to replace the paste on both the CPU and the GPU, right?

#5 There is debate over this, but do I want it spread thin and even, or do I want a "rice-grain-sized" drop in the middle?

#6 I'm scared!

I hope I haven't left anything out.

 

As a 'new' machine I would return it and ask for a replacement.

Any of the things you suggest may void your warranty down the road.

I agree your temps seem much too high too, especially when just idling.

I would also recommend a notebook cooler - you'll need it anyway, I say and see how it makes those temps react. BTW, what is the ambient 'cool' temp in the room you're measuring it in?

Good luck.

 

Sager/Clevo has the best cooling/ventilation system around, there's no *need* for a cooler.

Acrtic Silver has guides for applying to the CPU, you can find them here.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/ins_route_step2intelas5.html

Same principles apply for the GPU.

Re-applying thermal paste should not void your warranty with Malibal/Sager/Clevo.

You're just going to end up using a small amount of paste, 1 of the small tubes should be fine.

You don't need to order their cleaner, you can use isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Buy the highest content (%) you can find.

You can find some pictures of a Clevo/Sager below.. (half-way down or so)

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=249919&page=2

 

Thanks, Brandon! That's great. That's exactly the info I needed. I will give this a try. If it fails to solve the issue, then I can still send it back for a replacement it sounds like.

Edit: Not seeing the pics on the link, tho. There are some inactive account pics on the 1st page, but I didn't see anything on page 2. I will keep looking tho. Interesting thread.

 

Am I missing something? Isn't taking the computer apart voiding the warranty?

Also, even if Sager/Clevo has the best cooling around, doesn't 50 celsius idle temps sound high?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5637091&postcount=1579

The paste that came with your notebook is already "settled."

MX-2 would be ideal for you as it is the easiest to apply out of all the thermal pastes.

You didn't search hard enough. http://www.google.com/search?client...hermal+paste&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Yes, you should replace the paste on both the CPU and GPU. I already told you in my previous post.

Spreading the paste evenly is better than a drop in the middle. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5411393&postcount=159

Don't be scared.

 

They're very lenient.

 

Thanks Forge! Didn't know companies like that existed these days.

As for my comment on the high temps, what I didn't clearly communicate was that is why I recommended a notebook cooler. No prob!

 

Hey ToE, I re-read my comment there about the cooler, and I hope that didn't come off as "mean", it wasn't meant to be. I've never used a cooler in my life, and with a Sager/Clevo it shouldn't be necessary. That being said, I'm sure a cooler might drop his temps a few degrees. Certainly a valid suggestion on your part, it's just a bit strange to hear the suggestion made for Sager/Clevo. Kind of like installing an A/C window unit in a home with central A/C.. Might make it cooler inside, but it's a little strange.

 

After I wondered and figured out who 'ToE' was, (and stopped laughing), just have to say... no apology necessary. I am playing in the deep end of the pool here (for me) so just tried to make any suggestion for the original OP to try to help.

Cheers!

 

You must be joking if you needed to hesitate.
TOE is Theory Of Everything including Quantum Mechanics so everything TOE says must be right.

 

I'm kinda confused aswell. Some guides just show that you put a blob on your gpu/cpu and it wil smear out when u close it. Other sugges you smear it out yourself.

Then theres also the diference where some use 1 tube, while others use diferent tubes and smear different layers of different products on each other.

 

Love it!

So, where can we discuss 'up, strange, top, charm, down and bottom' here at NBR?

Or, am I mixing up Quantum Mechanics with Quantum Physics again?

 

Depends on the stuff you're using, so read the instructions for your particular paste before applying. Most thermal pastes should be applied very thinly and spread out. This is because most pastes are not very good conductors of heat, but they are better than an air gap so you're just trying to fill in any air pockets. Some newer pastes (ICD7 and maybe others) are very good heat conductors and can be put on thickly.

 

Thanks, Soviet Sunrise and everyone.

SS, I got mixed up and didn't see your post (and nearly a whole page of others!) in the other thread until after I'd started this thread. Had I not made that error, I probably wouldn't have made this thread at all, but this has turned into a worthwhile (for me at least!) discussion in its own right, so I'm glad I did.

I ordered a tube of that MX-2. Looks great. From my minimal research, it looks like it should work as well as the Arctic Silver 5, and if it's easier to apply, that's music to my ears (or eyeballs).

Thank you for the links, too. I will explore them thoroughly. I wasn't using the right keywords when searching apparently. Didn't know what to look for. That was the ticket, tho.

Here's a question about coolers (since we're on the topic--although maybe it would be better placed in the Sager/Clevo thread). This summer, it's going to get hot, anywhere from 70-100F. I suppose it won't get much above 80-90F in the house, but still, that's hot for a computer. Might be humid, too. And, I may decide to set up shop in the garage, though I wouldn't hazard to take the laptop outside and sit in the sun or anything.

In the above circumstances, would getting a cooler be a good idea? Or will it still be unnecessary? Or, with or without cooler, is it just stupid and asking for trouble to run a high-end laptop in such temperatures?

(As for my desktop, I have the case open and a desktop fan pointed at the CPU and GPU 24/7. That's partly because it's a PoS, tho, while my laptop is quite well-made.)

 

Most thermal pastes on the market are better than AS5, though only on the marginal level. MX-2 beats AS5 by a degree or two, but what makes it ultimately better is the extreme ease of application. It's just like spreading butter on toast.

A cooler is absolutely unnecessary for the W860CU. But it you are comfortable using one with your notebook, by all means go ahead and pick up a nice one. These should help.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=443613
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5277355&postcount=23

 

If you need a guide for MX-2, you can also follow this. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5283792&postcount=8

 

I probably will never bother with a cooler in that case (tho I'm still reading those links). One reason I chose the Clevo/Sager over the ASUS was I didn't want to deal with coolers and potential cooling problems that ASUS seems to have. :s Not only that, but the fans, at least on my unit, are really quiet. They're almost comforting (like the sea!) in their rather dull, quiet, whooshy whir.

MX-2 sounds utterly fantastic. That's exactly what I need. I'm on the Arctic Silver site at the moment checking to see if their application guides for AS5 and MX-2 differ. Sounds like with MX-2, I can spread it out simply rather than drawing the line thing like they want us to do with the AS5. I suppose the reason they recommend the line is because AS5 is harder to spread.

Just saw you posted the MX-2 guide link. Perfect! Thanks so much, SS. Reading it now.

 

The directions for AS5 vary with each component. The "line" application that you are referring to is for desktop i7's. Do not follow those directions. Follow the directions for exposed dies as neither your CPU or your GPU has an IHS.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/ins_route_step2intelas5.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5411393&postcount=159

 

Glad I read that. Does it differ with the MX-2 as well? (That is 90% likely to be what I use. Maybe 99% likely.) I'm dense and was thinking MX-2 was also Arctic Silver, but it's Arctic Cooling. Oops! Tricky buzzards. Currently reading their site.

Also, I lied... Bought an Xpad after reading what SS had to say about them (and for the same reason, really, to avoid "cooking my balls" when it's on my lap!).

 

The application for thermal paste is the same regardless of the brand.

I did a test on the Xpad before on my M570TU. It holds it's own fairly well. Fanned notebook coolers will always be better, but again, the W860CU doesn't need them.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5280293&postcount=714
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5331729&postcount=161

 

Browsing the Arctic Cooling site, I've found their information rather misleading. They have instructions for desktop CPUs, where one needn't spread the paste. If I hadn't been here reading all this, I would have assumed that was the case for laptops, too.

Oh well. I know better now. Excited to try out the MX-2.

SS, your temps on those cooling pad tests were awesome. I know you've made a ton of modifications to keep your temps low, tho. In particular, I'd like to get my idle temps a few degrees lower, but of course a lower max temp is always great. We'll see how it goes! Thanks so much for all the help.

And the Xpad will be great, too. Much better than the lap desk I was using. Just gotta figure out where to put my mouse when I'm sitting with it on my lap now.

 

Klevos in general have excellent cooling. Soviet does his mods not because he needs to--like I and some Asus G51 users have had to do with our toasty machines--but because he can/like to.

I also suspect, deep down inside, he has a long and hard temp-peen he wants to wave around.

By the way, +1 suggestion for the Xpad.

 

Is that hate for EIement's G51 that I'm seeing here? I hope you don't stand infront of me in our game tonight. My trigger finger is itchy after completing finals.

 

Ha, yep, I have found out that SS is a hardcore power user, or some configuration of nomenclature. If he was my neighbor, he's the dude I'd go to for computing advice, that's for sure. Oh, wait, he's the dude I've been going to anyway!

I think I'll be okay just with the new paste, but I have to say that his stuff is pretty bas@$$ amazing.

 

Honestly, Clevo (who actually makes Sagers chassis') are legendary for their cooling...so I can't see them botching a thermal paste job...

I would suggest undervolting (I always do) both your CPU and GPU. GPU undervolting can be a bee-och, but is always worth it. I have a (very) brief explanation in my sig, but I'd recommend starting a thread in the gaming section. Some awsome undevolts going on there. Good luck.

 

Thanks! Well, an undervolt is definitely something to consider.

I think I'll be okay, though. I guess a lot of folks have been disappointed to see that they put too much paste on, and after removing and replacing it, their temps were pleasingly lower. Also, I was freaking out some over nothing, as my temps are well within acceptable limits, and now I keep reading about folks with much higher temps (which are still within limits apparently, but dang... glad it ain't me!).

 

Hate? Good sir, you wound me.

And Sager can botch thir paste jobs. Don't know about Klevo themselves, but yeah.

 

The thermal paste is often poorly applied on many of the Clevo's that are shipped out. Surprisingly, it is quite common, though easily remedied by the end-user.

I've already done the hard work the boys back in the Clevo forum. This clock set is stable as a rock. Both the W860CU and the W870CU use the same GPU so these settings will work with both notebooks. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5595798&postcount=677