Thinking about repasting CPU & GPU in sager np8170, NEED HELP, TOTAL HARDWARE NOOB!

I have had this laptop since July of 2011.

1. i7 2720
2. 2x 500gb momentus xt's
3. gtx 485m
3. 120hz 3d screen
5. 8gb standard ram
4. Stock paste


Bought it thru LPC Digital. Runs games great (sucks that 3D vision takes such a hit on 275.33 tho).

After Playing around with overclocking in MSI Afterburner, I've noticed several things

1. My gpu idles between 42-45 C

2. Really high end games heat the gpu up quite a bit. Playing the Crysis 1 demo at stock gpu speeds (everything at Very high, save for post processing), I remember seeing temps as high as 87-88 C. Overclocking only drove this number even higher, causing the game to crash even more than normal (the crysis demo has stability issues, seriously)

So, I decided to look into repasting my gpu, and cpu for good measure.

My resolve was bolstered after looking at this thread

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-my-485m-580m-clock-speeds-no-difference.html

Somehow, this user is getting 36 C on his machine at idle. Makes me wonder what kind of paste the manufacturer put inside of my machine.

The only experience I have in fixing/opening computer hardware is when my xbox 360 broke 2 years ago.

I opened the sucker up, did the tricks used in a video guide on youtube ( Fix an xbox 360 with Red Ring Of Death ~ e74 ~1 red light -- PART 1 - YouTube ), and it worked. However, I used some stock Radio Shack paste at the time, and it broke again last month, so you can probably understand why I'm a bit concerned.

I need some advice:
1. Is there a guide to repasting the gpu and cpu for this specific model. I will not do this without a proper guide.

2. What paste do you recommend for total hardware noobs? I looked into it, and I'm thinking about using OCZ Freeze. It gets nice temps, and I apparently don't have to worry about something called "curing/curring time", unlike with ICD7 (or so I heard).

3. Paste Application techniques (are these paste specific?). I don't remember how much I used, or how I applied on my xbox, but I must have not worked to well enough to be permanent.

4. What equipment do I need to buy? Can anyone tell me what tool set they used, or what size and type screw drivers they use (a complete tool-set is preferable, money is not an obstacle)? This laptop has ultra tiny screws that look like they strip really easily.

5. What environment should I be working in (type of surface, type of floor, temperature, etc?). I fixed my xbox on both a carpet and a small wooden table in the middle of a Texas winter. I now have a glass surface desk to work on.

6. How exactly does an antistatic wrist strap work? Recommendations?


I do have hardware monitor installed, and will be happy to run benchmarks for temps if anyone needs to know.

 

1. Unnecessary, just unscrew the covers and unscrew the heatsinks. View the service manual for a disassembly guide.

2. ICD7 is the best non-capacitive TIM... it has no cure time(I believe it has a 20 hour evaporation time, but that's negligible).

3. Just apply a pea-sized dot in the center of whatever you're applying to. Bigger dies use a bigger pea, smaller use smaller. With typical 32nm dies, it should be around 4-5mm or so. Doesn't really matter if you use too much, except for the fact that you will be wasting a lot of expensive paste. The clamping pressure between the die and heatsink will flatten the compound... with excess spilling over the edges.

4. just use a standard set of precision screwdrivers.

5. Doesn't matter. just don't rub a balloon on your head while wearing a wool sweater with wool socks on a thick carpet while shuffling from side to side while touching your computer, and you should be fine.

6. antistatic straps are largely useless for these applications. If you have any large metal thing(ex. another computer case, copper tubing, etc) just touch the metal every once in a while and it'll be fine.

 

1. Check out the service manual in user Theriko's sig:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...evo-p150hm-owners-lounge-174.html#post7251448

2. The best paste out there right now is IC Diamond. It has ~2 hours for curing, which is negligible, nad currently has the best results. Arctic Silver V is a good choice as well, though burn in time is longer.

3. Application is specific to the paste. See below for IC Diamond (pea method) and Arctic Silver (surface spread).

IC Diamond: Application
Arctic Silver: Arctic Silver, Inc. - Intel® Application Methods

4. You need a screwdriver and something to clean off the old paste. A microfiber towel and 97% rubbing alcohol work well if you don't want to buy say, the arctic silver brand thermal cleaning kit.

5. It doesn't matter- somewhere you can work comfortably with decent light. A carpet is a terrible place because of static electricity. Preferably a desk or other workspace.

6. An anti-static wrist strap is used to ground yourself. You'd have to attach it to a ground or other grounded object. It protects your equipment from static damage.

 

How often do I have to repaste my hardware? I would honestly never want to open the thing back up again unless I had to, like to blow all the dust out or something.

If I used the OCZ instead, would this last me longer than ICD7?

 

Never, unless you did it wrong the first time.
ICD7 is the best TIM in its class

 

You only need to replace it when you remove the heatsink. If you never remove the heatsink, that thermal paste should easily outlast your laptop. IC Diamond is currently one of the best thermal compounds on the market, so I'd say no, there probably isn't a tangible benefit to the OCZ.

 

That's a great paste application walk through above ... should make it easier for anyone new at the job. I've used ICD for all my desktop builds and it has definitely been the best paste I've used. Helped me get that little bit more out of my processors as well.

I'll be changing my Sager to ICD on the weekend as my dGPU temps are a little high when gaming.

Highly recommended!

 

We use the exact method below for IC Diamond application...


_

 

I just ordered Shin Etsu X23. I'll let you know how it works.
I've been told X23 is better than ICD7

 

Tbh at the highest performing tier of TIM, they basically perform the same, with quality of application more important than the quality of the paste.