Re-applying thermal paste

In re-applying thermal paste to my M860TU CPU and GPU, can I get away by re-using those thermal pads that came with the GPU? Or do I need to replace them?

 

You'll get told that you should replace them. I should have replaced mine. Didn't of course and reapplicating the paste it runs cooler than ever.

 

So far I've reapplied the paste 3 times (including upgrade to GTX 260M) and I had to reuse those gap thermal pads on the memory chips. Mind you, they don't look like good quality ones.

Yet I wasn't able to find for sale good 1mm gap pads like Bergquist and such. If someone has an idea, let us know please.

 

Ahh.. So the "recommended" is to replace them?

This may seem silly, but can you apply thermal paste in the RAM chips? Lol

 

No, because memory chips do not touch directly the heatsink, there's a small gap between them, hence the gap thermopads. Which I can't find in small quantity anywhere.

 

Ahh.. So it's safe to re-use them?

Also, with my M860TU, most people say that the NorthBridge is the culprit for the hot right palmrest for most users.

I took the liberty to unscrew the northBridge heatsink and saw that it uses thermal pads where in fact you can use thermal paste with it, I think.

But the problem is that it contains a black film in between the thermal pad and the heat sink itself so I don't know if applying a thermal paste is recommended with that staff.

Anybody can confirm this?

 

I also wanted to apply thermo paste to the Bridge but you see that thermo pad, if u remove it and apply thermo paste your heatsink will not have the contact with the bridge.

Also the heat on the right palm rest is due to wi-fi card, not the northBridge.

 

Ohh really? Because there is space right?

 

Affirmative.

 

Dammit, so where stuck with this?

Is your right palm rest also hot?

 

Is the heat warmest near the arrow keys, or near the bottom right corner of the palm rest?

 

I want to re-apply my thermal paste as well but I can't get to my GPU or CPU because one of the screws was tightened so tight by the manufacturer I ended up making the screw unscrewable while trying to get it off

 

Most say that the heat comes from the NorthBridge and NOT from the Wifi card.

Can anybody confirm this?

 

Remember that the southbridge is also underneath the right palm rest on both the M570TU and the M860TU. It may be something to consider as it is closest to the palm rest because it is on the other side of the motherboard. I am trying to pinpoint specifically where on the palm rest are users feeling the heat from so I can deduce which component is producing the heat.

 

Well, as in my case, I can feel the WHOLE right palm rest as a hot area.. Can you see the southbridge if you open the backplate?

 

I'm sorry if I phrased it poorly. The southbridge is on the top side of the motherboard. You have to further dismantle the chassis if you want access to it.

 

No worries.. Ok. Uhm, do you consider, even a little, that the heat could be due to the wifi card?

 

I will get back to you with that info in about half an hour. I'm going to yank my wireless card from my machine and see if my palm rest is still warm.

 

Ok, thank you.

Would it also be safe to leave the laptop screen closed (closed lid) when the palm rest is hot?

 

Okay I'm back with the results. Sorry if I'm a little late. After removing my wireless card from my laptop, I took the time to defragment my hard drive, listen to music, do a full pass on Windows Defender, and take my dog out to pee. After doing all that, my right palm rest, specifically the area around the arrow keys, is still slightly warm.

This means that the wireless card is not the main proponent that is generating heat around the right palm rest. Here is my theory: the wireless card is only connected to the motherboard by the PCI-E slot, and the post where the card is held down by a single screw. It is true that the card does produce a modest amount of heat, but I do not think there is enough heat, nor enough material for the heat to conduct into the motherboard, and ultimately into the right palm rest.

However, the northbridge is soldered directly into the motherboard and produces more heat that the wireless card. It is also directly underneath the area slightly below the arrow keys, which is where I am feeling the most heat. Because the northbridge is directly soldered onto the motherboard and is hotter than the wireless card, we will feel more heat conducting into the palm rest.

After my test, I believe that it is safe to say that the northbridge is the main cause of warm palm rests.

The only solution that I can think of without going into heatsink mods is to not have our hands rest on the palm rests. This should be a given anyway because proper typing ergonomics dictates that our wrists should not be touching the casing when we type.

No laptop should be operating when the lid is closed. So no, it is not safe.

 

Thank you for the informative response, now I get it..

My only question is why did you say that no laptop should be operating when the lid is closed?

I was using mine connected to the TV via HDMI so the lid is closed. Why is this not safe?

 

Heat is an LCD panel's worst enemy. Also with the lid closed, you will have higher temps.

 

Oh ok, so now I know Thanks..

I hope my LCD is still rock solid up to now. I've been doing that for a couple of times already.