JASQ about cooling pads and thermal grease - FL90

Ok people,

I read a decent amount of threads about how to keep your laptop "cool". I dowloaded the monitoring software, bought the arctic silver 5 kit that includes; the thermal compound, the thermal material remover and the thermal purifier. the problem is that I'm still scare to do something wrong and damage the CPU or even the laptop. Please tell me something to increase my confidence . Are you sure that this is something that can be done "piece of cake" "no sweat"?

I also read that the cooling pad is not really necessary but anyhow which one is the best match for the FL90? I'm looking for a portable one, powered via USB.

I know that I ask a lot of question but you know.... that's the job of the newbies on each message board
mmmmmm
right???

 

I really can't say much to build your confidence, but I can tell you how to do it so you do it confidently. Open up the buttom part that looks like an L, the biggest piece with screws. Then, make sure you touch something metal, so all static electricity in you discharges, or it can fry a pc part on contact. Then, unscrew the 4 screws on the heatsink that have springs, lift it up, and put a little thermal paste, about half a dime's size on the back die, then put the heatsink down on it so it smothers and spreads the thermal paste. And that's it, but if you notice there is another green pc chip under the cpu, I don't know what the heck it is, but I slapped on some thermal paste there lol.

 

umm... you might want to properly remove the original thermal compound that comes stock on the heatsink. Otherwise you are going to make a mess out of things. Also, that other chip under the heat sink is the gpu and it wouldn't hurt to put a small bit on there too, although I didn't and it has yet to over heat on me. But to each thier own.

 

ugh. if we're talking i/fl90, that chip is the chipset. to access the gpu you'd have to disassemble the notebook further - it's still hidden away (silly compal) just like it was in EL80.

you ought to remove the old paste, use isopropyl alcohol and a spec-cleaning cloth, if it won't come off to easily, use something wooden (like a butter spatula or an icecream stick - might just as well get yourself a treat in the name of higher reasons) to scrub it off, then polish with the spec cloth soaked (the alc usually comes in spray form so soaked is a bit much, just spray once or twice on the cloth so it becomes slightly damp) in the alc.

when both the cpu and the heatsink is crystal clear, spread a thin layer of the paste on one or both, depending on the paste used and instructions by the manufacturer. I've only used liquidmetal pro from coollaboratories, you can read another thread in here somewhere about it.

make sure there isn't any paste outside the cpu/heatsink contact zone, and make sure you don't get any leftover in weird places. stay clean, some of those pastes conduct electricity.

in case of the i/FL90 you should clean the chipset and cpu both. I'd pry it all open and get some on the GPU while at it, but that's your call of course.

cheers and good luck.