Replaced thermal paste on Y580 with Arctic MX4 = much better CPU and HDD temps

As an experienced laptop repair technician and desktop hobbyist, I decided to risk my warranty and replace Lenovo's cheap thermal paste, which they used way too much of.
You can see the example of overuse of thermal paste here: Pics of Y580 internal
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Replacing the factory paste with a thin spread of Arctic MX4 seems to have cooled down the CPU immensely and allowed it to push out much more heat, resulting in less heat trapped inside the laptop and around the HDD and other components.
The GPU seems to have improved very little, like only 1*C, I believe its bottlenecked by the CPU using the same heatpipe/fan and therefore cannot improve much anymore.

What I used:
Arctic MX4, Arcticlean, 99% alcohol, lint free cotton pads and swabs, Scotch Clear tape-
Alcohol by itself will still leave leftover thermal residue that you may not be able to see. I used alcohol and lint free cotton pads/cotton swabs to get the initial gunk off, then Bottle 1 Arcticlean to dissolve the old paste and wipe off, and generous amounts of Bottle 2 to clean up everything spotless as possible.
Taped over cpu/gpu/heatsink to remove any dust/lint prior to applying the thermal paste
I put a very thin layer on cpu/gpu, and on heatsink with spread method and old credit card, you only need enough to cover the microscopic imperfections, and make sure the heatsink is screwed down tight enough

Results:
Prime95's large fft test:
Stock paste: 39*C idle/ 89+*C load
89 was the absolute maximum it could reach before overheating.. the cpu automatically throttled MHZ down to lower the temperature before ten minutes could even pass
Arctic MX4: 35*C/ 83*C load
Running at maximum speed, it stayed at 81*C nearly the whole time after ten mins and could barely hit 82 for a few seconds

 

Thx for info. I would do this too but my wife won't let me.
Why did you use MX4? I'm asking because I always thought that Arctic Silver 5 was the best.

 

How did you remove the keyboard? I can't seem to make it budge

 

Does this negate the lenovo warranty, or not?

 

In my opinion, it is. There's a info at the end of manual, where we can find what user can do on its own - replace hdd, insert mSATA or change optical. So if something happens and they discover that unit was disassembled they can say that malfunction was because of your manipulation and refuse to repair it for free.

 

Arctic MX4 is just as good or better than 5, and safer because it is not electrically capacitive at all, and will last at least 8 years according to Arctic.
If you've never pulled apart a laptop before, I would recommend practicing on an old or broken or cheap laptop.. before you try to do it on a brand new one. Some of the cables are locked by a piece of plastic, and you have to unlock it first before pulling the cable out or you will damage it.
To get the keyboard off, I used a small keychain card with a barcode, like the kind from grocery stores for discounts or memberships. I wedged into the top right above the Home/End keys, and slowly pried it away from the upper case, moving towards the left.

 

okay, when i started wedging it out, only the top layer of the keyboard cover started coming off. Is this suppossed to happen? On my other computer, the keyboard was one piece

 

Make sure you're wedging out the very bottom of the keyboard and NOT the black layer which holds the back light, you might rip it off the keyboard.

 

I replaced the thermal paste on mine too(great results , no more throttling) but they left something VERY important out in the maintenance manual.

you do NOT rip the keyboard off by pulling it, you need a VERY small needle

On the top of the keyboard in between the crack where the keyboard and plastic meet are very small black push tabs, you use your fingers to slightly pull on the top of the keyboard while you use a needle to push in the tabs.

There are also 2 tabs on the right and left of the keyboard and not just the top.

Dont lift the keyboard more than an inch in the process, or you may damage the connector under it.

You push straight down not to the left or right, just push straight down with the needle.

If you use a high powered flash light you care barely see where they are at.

The key to this is to go SLOWWWWW and everything will be fine.

Also be careful when disconnecting the connectors, putting too much pressure can cause them to desolder from the board.

 

Are there any warranty stickers in between you and the paste? Or anything that would alert Lenovo that you've opened the notebook?

 

Hey, can you make a video or pictures to show where these tabs are?

 

jimmyd1321, can you post your HDD temps after gaming for a half hour or more?

thanks!

 

Hey,

If I'm interested in doing this, is there anyone willing to write a guide or step by step on how to disassemble and where to apply the paste for the Y580?

 

there is a pdf disassembly guide from lenovo

and pics at http://ideapad.it168.com/thread-2214921-1-1.html ..

pasting is like any other cpu. lots of vids on youtube. just pick the highest rated video

 

Cool thanks, it would probably void warranty though huh?

 

@jimmyd1321 What were your hard drive temps before and after you reapplied the thermal paste? Very nice job you did, and some great pics. Thanks!

 

There's no general consensus in regard to "Best" TIM. Most believe Indigo Extreme to be the better material but this is not a paste. Shin Etsu X-23-7921-5 comes very very close in performance comparison, it is a paste but this SE X-23-7921-5 is not readily available in retail, I have only ever found 1 supplier searching high and low.
The best TIM is a material which is applied correctly (within certain criteria off course as one cannot compare the likes of ketchup/mustard/mayonnaise to AS5/Shin Etsu/MX4 etc etc).

 

Maybe since this OP they have made alterations to the build as a deterent for any actions which may constitute as meddling.
It is my belief that Lenovo does not wish people to be able to tamper/repair/fix any of their hardwares.

The 5 flat screws underneath the battery compartment will break the the plastic holding the female threads due to excessive amount of nut-lock application. so be warned !!!

It is my belief that adhesive may have also been applied to the base of the keyboard, I tried but dare not advance any further for fear of bending/breaking the keyboard.

The bottom line to this product is that you are limited to changing the optical drive/ the two hard drives/ the RAM and two cards.
Also if you decide to use a laptop lock/ be sure to use TLC as the plastic housing on the side can easily crack.
All in all, the design and build quality is not up to par in comparison to the old ThinkPads,
Lenovo products have become much less attractive, due to the very fact that it is no longer easily serviceable.

 

Thanks a lot for the inspiration of changing the thermal paste on my brand new Lenovo Y580 :hi2:

Idle temperatures went from 45-48°C to 35-40°C which is a huge improvement and a nice decrease in noise. I used one of the best thermal greases around, the Chill Factor III from Thermaltake!

It took me about 2 hours and the hardest part was to remove the keyboard without damaging the plastic around. Since I repaired a lot of iPhones and some Notebooks it wasn't difficult at all for me. But it is VERY IMPORTANT to do it slow and smoothly since you can easily break something.

I used only the guide on ideapad.it . So if you have the needed tools and skill, give it a try - you won't regret it :thumbsup: