NX8800GT T2D512E OC : Thermal paste replacement ?

Hi there,
because of thermal issues -mainly with the RAM- on my NX8800GT T2D512E OC, and after some more or less succesful tests with different options (manual fan setting, add case fan, etc...), I would like to have the opinion of the community on an alternate solution.
I noticed that the thermal paste between the chips (GPU and RAM) and the heatsink is some kind of bubblegum of (I guess) poor quality. So I thought about replacing it by some better paste, like Arctic Silver.
Do you think that :
1- it can be done ? I guess that the contact can be achieved between the chips and the heatsink without problem... but....I'm not sure
2- the performance improvment will be real ?
Any feedback or personnal experience on that point would be great

Quote from: flobelix on 21-January-08, 23:15:24
As Aaron said Arctic Silver wouldn't be able to replace the thick heat pads used for the mem and without those will be fried in no time.
If you really wanna improve cooling of your GT use Accelero S1 Rev. 2 plus Turbo Module which is used by a manufacturer for an oc 8800GT.
An 8800GT example: http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vgapartners2.php?idx=148
An alternative would be Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme 8800 but it is not released yet.
Hi Flobelix,
problem with such replacement heatsinks with fans, is that -as far as I know- they do not use the power supply of the VGA itself, which means it can't be automatically controlled by the driver depending on its heat.
In that case, I have the choice between manually controlling it (I hate that) or suffering from its noise...
Anyway, both of you said that the AS5 won't be thick enough to have a contact between the chips and the heatsink.
On that point, I am not really sure : the heatsink is fixed to the car through screws pulled by springs. So if the height of the GPU and of the ram is reported on the heatsinks, a contact can be achieved.
And here is my (point 1) problem : I' m not sure of this...

Similar Messages

Macbook pro 2012 - Thermal paste replacement time?

Hello!
My macbook pro mid-2012 is roughly 1 year old. I was wondering what is the recommended time frame to replace the thermal paste. With my old 2010 macbook I replaced the grease several years later, but I dont wanna make the same mistake again.
So how long do you guys think the crappy apple thermal paste can handle before the performance starts dropping and heat starts increasing?
On another note, I think it's common knowledge that factory thermal paste must be replaced in all notebooks/laptops, no matter the brand. However, I also heard that apple changed the manufacturing process after 2011, and all 2012 models had their thermal pastes decently applier. I'm not sure if thats just a rumor though.
What do you think?

Granted, this sort of thing likely voids your warranty (as you noted, it's not something Apple recommends or intends for the user to do). So you're certainly taking the chances into your own hands.
I suppose the best way to know would be to get an app or tool that can help you monitor the CPU temperature. Keep an eye on it, and if it starts to run hotter on a regular basis, consider cracking it open and "topping it off".

Laptop doesn't turn on after re-assembly and replacing thermal paste. Please help!

Hi,
I hope anyone can help me. I took apart my laptop HP HDX16 to replace thermal paste and clean up the fan. I did everything very carefully as showed in manual. I cleaned the old paste and pads off and replaced thermal paste but not the pads as someone in the store suggested that there is no need for putting pads and that the thermal compound is enough to have it on there. I left only one pad on the heat sink in place where it services Northbridge as it was in good condition. On the Northbridge itself I put thermal compound as well as on the GPU and CPU. I put back every screw and connected each cable as it was before (I am pretty sure about it). I was quite happy with my job but after I tried to turn the computer on it wouldn't start at all. Did I do something wrong? Please help me because I don't have any idea what to do now.

I am a little confused here, it sounds like you removed all the thermal pads except for one, if this is so, you need to put all the thermal pads back in place.
Anyways aside from that, if you plug the adapter in you will have a steady light where it plugs into the laptop. The light will always be on whether the machine is booted up or not.
If you don't have a steady light then you need to check the DC receptor where it plugs into the MoBo. Sometimes a cable may look like it's fully seated, but isn't. It still will boot up with the battery in place even if the DC jack plug is not correctly seated.
Check the small ribbon cable on the power button board where it connects into the MoBo.
Check that the processor is correctly aligned with it's key and that the locking mechanism is fully locked.
Make sure the RAM is seated correctly.
If these suggestions sound obvious, I have to start some where.
The problem here is that only you can help your self because you disassembled you machine, I can only make suggestions as what you may have missed and obviously something was missed.
If your thinking that you incorrectly applied the thermal paste, then that's not the problem. Even if there were no thermal pads or paste in place, the machine would still boot up, but it would heat up very quickly.
If the fan plug was plugged in incorrectly you would get a message in the BIOS upon boot up saying that the fan has a problem and it would shut down, but it sound like it's not even getting that far.
There is also a secondary fan that is used to cool the hard drive bays, check that plug as well. You may not get a BIOS message if this fan is not plugged in.
Here is the HP Media Services Library, you may find it helpful. Make sure you're signed in before clicking on the link.
http://h20574.www2.hp.com/default.htm?lang=en&cc=US&hpappid=psml
If you need help with the library, post again, give the video page time to load, the small video screen may stay black for a little while.

Can/Should the North Bridge thermal paste be replaced ????

Hi to all,
I have a 865PE Neo2 LS and I was wondering if anyone have replaced the thermal paste bettwen the North Bridge chipset and it's cooler? I'm asking because I bought the Ceramique, a very good thermal compound from Artic Silver (http://www.arcticsilver.com/ceramique.htm), and I applyed it to my CPU. It gives me 42 degrees Celsius in CoreCenter at full load. My CPU is a 2.6 GHz and nothing is overclocked. So, I was wondering if I could apply it to the North Bridge.
If there is a MSI engineer reading this, could you please tell me the specs of the thermal compound used in this board or tell me if it is worth replacing it?
Regards,

I just installed the gold Zalman NB HS with Arctic Silver 5 and a paper clip. Here's how it works:
If you get a big paper clip [standard large office size] and flatten it out and then re-purpose it into the appropriate springy shape with with needle-nose pliers, you can make your own retention spring. It's a bit tricky getting it tightened up properly and sticking the pliers in there is not for the fumble-fingered -- I have to admit that my wife was doing some of the precision work at the end -- but my system has no complaints 20 minutes later with Arctic Silver in there.
I used a needlenose set of pliers (precise twisting), a standard pair of pliers (general flattening), and the wire cutters on the needlenose pliers (because the flat paper clip is much too long).
Now all I have to do is shut that darned video card up and I should be doing pretty well.
Hope it helps! (and that I've not steered you wrong as it's only been working for 20 minutes thus far...)
::Kaze (goes to run a stress test)

New Motherboard Replace: Part Numbers? and thermal paste?

I am replacing a new motherboard in my computer
-How do I take off the old thermal paste from the CPU and fan, do I use a paper towel? Or is there something safer?
-And how do I put on the new thermal paste and how much of it should I put on the CPU?
-Also what is the difference between a motherboard that reads on it in the middle:
MCP61PM-HM REV:2.2
15-V06-012200
and another motherboard that reads:
MCP61PM-HM REV:2.2
15-V06-01221
basically that last number on each motherboard, what does it mean and what's the difference between each motherboard?

Otwa, welcome to the forum.
Here is a very good video to help you with removing the thermal paste:
It is basically an advertisement for Arctic Silver products, but Paul from Newegg always does a great job of making a guide. I have been an overclocker for years and have always used Arctic Silver products. The two part kit of remover is new to me and something to try next time I replace the paste on a CPU.
I believe that there should be another number in 15-V06-01221. It should be 12201. If this is correct, I may be able to answer your questions.
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Replacing thermal paste : void warrantly?

Hi, I would like to know if unmounting the cooler of my R9 290 Gaming 4G for the purpose of replacing the thermal paste would void the warrantly. Thanks very much

Hello,
The answer is no* :
Now the little catch ( * ): If you break something or damage while repasting, the warranty will be void. So be careful with that.
EDIT:
However this might be different depending on location. In EU and USA it's allowed as above. If you live somewhere else, best if you ask MSI about this first: >>How to contact MSI.<<

Thermal paste and mb replacement

has any one who reapplied the thermal paste tried to call apple to ask for a MB replacement(for getting rid of the whine)? would apple allow it?

The thermal paste issue is not considered a problem that needs repair. Thankfully, it does impact performance drastically, although one must ask why a company that prides itself on quality would allow a contracter to provide motherboards with CPU's floating in grease. I am guessing it was the rapid roll-out, and the fact that these "high end" machines are produced in mainland China, not Taiwan or other locations. I have a replaced logic board and a replaced battery. My laptop is significantly warped. I wont complain further.
My plea is for all of us to hold Apple to it's warranty. Thankfully, I puchased AppleCare, which obviously will be neeed. I hope for some sort of recall, and a dramatic focus on the next MacBook Pro that demonstrates correction of these problems. Having them built in mainland China is a profit move, not one for quality. Far better manufacturers exist in Taiwan. let's see what happens. If nothing does, I think that the free market will speak. Apple has not increased it's share of the laptop market. If they don't get this act together, I can say tha there will be one less purchase in the future. I really want Apple to succeed, but it won't happen if they cannot address their niche 3% market with a machine that is worth the "Apple Premium".

Replacing thermal paste R9 290 Gaming 4G, warranty question

Hi! I would like to replace the thermal paste of my GPU. Does removing the cooler to do this voids the warranty? Moreover, can the thermal pads can be re-utilized?
Thanks very much!

Quote from: sales on 11-June-15, 12:52:04
may someone confirm rma without sticker?
I believe you were redirected to contact your card seller or local MSI office? >>How to contact MSI.<<
Usually it does not void warranty if you remove it/break it (as its on a screw) but it still depends on the country you live in and its best to confirm with reseller(shop) or MSI office.

T61 replacement fan pre thermal pasted?

I have a T61 7659 1PU with a rattling fan and in hopes of quieting it I bought a Furukawa 44C0825 from IBM online. It appears to have the thermal paste already applied but I am trying to get confirmation of this before I put it in. Also if that is the case, is the preapplied paste a decent quality or would I be better off cleaning that off and using the arctic silver arctic alumina that I have?

Well I put in the new fan and went ahead and removed the factory paste and used the Arctic Alumina. Can you hear the new fan...me either!!

MacBook Pro (mid 2010, 15", i5) - heat, thermal paste and genius bar...

Hi all,
I'd like some advice. I own a mid 2010 core i5 15" MBP which I purchased when they were released (April 2010 or something like that). Since then the laptop has worked more or less OK but it's always been plagued with high temperatures, 75C+ in idle... with basically nothing running or something light such as just Safari (*without* Flash, as I only open Chrome when a website I need doesn't work without Flash; everywhere else, for example YouTube etc, I just use the HTML5 version of the players). The fans stay almost always at 6K rpm, and only rarely they run at a lower speed - when for example I switch the laptop on after having left it switched off for a while, etc. So the fans seem to work OK and seem to respond to the temperature; I have even tried resetting SMC several times, but no difference.
It just looks like the CPU runs hotter than it should. I have default energy saving settings, and don't have any software installed that may keep the CPU running high - such as Caffeine, SmartSleep, etc. Anyway, even a clean install of the OS (Lion) won't make any difference. If I leave the laptop switched off for a while and I switch it on again, within a minute or two the temperature is high again even if I don't open anything else. Even if in the activity monitor there's nothing using a lot of CPU. The temperature also does go further up if I run something CPU intensive such as Handbrake.
While the laptop has worked almost always OK (I do think that some freezes or other occasional stability issues may also depend on temperature), I don't think it's running as well as it could / should from a temperature point of view.
I have read lots of discussions in here and elsewhere, and from direct experience with other laptops (Apple and not) in the past, I believe the issue may likely be related to poor application of the thermal paste. I could re-apply it (for example the AS5 or similar) myself very easily, but I don't want to void the warranty.
I have the 3-years Apple Care, but I have never needed to ask Apple for support before, so I don't know how it works.
Sorry for the lengty introduction... here's the questions:
- Can I just go to the nearest Apple Store (London, Regent St.) or am I *required* to book an appointment with the "genius" bar?
- Is it likely they will take into consideration my advice to reapply the thermal paste as this is quite likely the source of the problem?
- What is the likelihood that they may just replace my laptop with a newer one?
- Does the AppleCare entitle me with some particular privileges for what concerns support?
- I have also upgraded the RAM to 8GB a few months ago, and replaced the HDD (which I use as external drive) with an SSD. Do I need to restore the original components in the laptop before going to the AppleStore? Or is this not needed since RAM and HDD are user-replaceable parts?
Thanks a lot in advance for your help!
Vito

Hello V-MA!
I found this webpage: http://osx86.wikidot.com/known-issues#toc1
by googeling for "com.apple.NVDAResman"
Probably you have to remove the Geforce Grafic drivers as discribed here. But please wait until some others in the forum confirm this.
If you don't understand how to do these commands with Terminal, ask once again for help.
In your message you did not metion, that you just updated 1 hour and something your OS ("System uptime in nanoseconds: 6688834587150"). This is an important information.
marek

MBP and the Thermal Paste Discussions

I've read with interest the postings on this web site regarding the MBP heat issues and the possibility that too much thermal paste is causing that problem. I've spent quite a few years designing computer motherboards using Intel processor chips, and want to share some thoughts on the topic. I only mention my background because one thing this business has taught me is that we can all be easily mislead by our test data if our process for gathering the data isn't rigorous (and, believe me, I've learned that lesson many times).
First, the excess thermal paste is definitely a problem, regardless of whether it is the root cause of the heat issue. Some of the photos posted on the various web sites show thermal paste covering bypass capacitors on the chip carriers (the green fiberglass boards that carry the CPU and GPU die). Thermal pastes can cause stray capacitances that can interfere with circuit operation. Standard industry practice is to use only as much paste as is necessary to achieve a layer that is about as thin as a single layer of tissue paper (or less). The amount used by Apple is far too large, particularly because the paste in coming into contact with other electrical components and conductors. A common failure mode associated with degraded bypass capacitors is random (and unrepeatable) crashes due to corrupted digital data in the processor chip.
In addition, all thermal pastes contain various types of fluids. Over time, these fluids evaporate, and frequently they condense elsewhere inside a computer. When CD drives were first introduced years ago, a common cause of mid-lifetime failures was condensates on the optics of the laser. The condensation fogs the lens and interferes with the ability of the laser to focus while reading and writing data. The contamination was traced to outgassing by thermal pastes, greases, sulfurized elastomers, and similar items used to build the computer. (Note that the Apple service manual for the MBP refers to the thermal paste as “thermal grease”.) Consumer electronics manufacturers learned to minimize the use of such materials in computer designs. The amount of thermal paste shown in the Apple service manual is very large, and I wouldn't rule out that it might contribute to future DVD drive failures.
It is difficult to say, based on the available data, that reducing the amount of thermal paste actually contributes to improving the thermal behavior of the MBP. Part of the problem is that the procedure to remove the pastes involves disassembling the laptop, and this introduces the possibility that the disassembly/reassembly process is inadvertently fixing the problem.
First, the high case temperatures could be the result of loose or poorly placed thermal sensors. If the disassembly/reassembly process fixed a loose sensor, or loose sensor electrical connection, or placed the sensor in a better position, you would get lower case temperatures, and possibly (inadvertently) attribute this to less paste.
Second, the cooling system design in the MBP requires that the die caps on the chip carriers be pressed tightly against the pads on the heat sink, so that heat is transferred efficiently. If the MBP is not assembled properly, (i.e., if the logic board mounting screws are not properly torqued, or the logic board is not mechanically aligned properly to ensure a tight fit to the heat sink), it is possible that this will manifest itself as high case temperatures. In the Intel processor chips there are two paths for heat to travel – out of the die cap, and through the electrical contacts to the motherboard. If the die cap isn’t properly cooled, heat will instead go into the motherboard, and the case temperature will rise. There is a possibility that the disassembly/reassembly process will fix a loose or misaligned logic board problem, with the result that the case temp will be reduced.
Also, if you work through the details of the thermal model that results from excess paste, it's hard to see how it would result in more heat to the case and less to the heat sink. Most of the photos on the web appear to show thin paste on top of the die, indicating that there was probably a low thermal resistance path to the heat sink prior to disassembly. The excess paste to the sides will simply further reduce the thermal resistance between the chip carrier and the heat sink. I may be missing something, but it's hard to envision how this lower thermal resistivity between the CPU and the heat sink drives more heat into the case. But it is also possible that the disassembly process destroys evidence of the actual connection to the heat sink, so this failure mode is hard to judge.
The best way to determine if removing the excess paste is actually helping would be to measure the exhaust air temperature from the cooling fans before and after removing the excess paste. I haven't seen such data, but if it were taken, and showed that the exhaust air was at a significantly higher temperature after the fix than before it, then we would know that the fix worked. If not, then the heat is going elsewhere, and it is possible that fix has actually made things worse.
Finally, all the symptoms we're seeing can be explained by poor software calibration and/or incorrect software control of the CPU clock speed. I wouldn't rule out a software fix at his point.
I'm not saying removing the paste is not a fix, only that there are still open questions that remain to be answered. It would be hard for me to recommend that anyone rework an MBP for the thermal problem in the absence of additional data.
For myself, I own an MBP, and though I have access to an electronics lab and some great technicians, I intend to buy Applecare, and in the meantime wait for a fix (or at least more information) from Apple.
Best of luck to everyone who has this issue - thats what we get for being early adopters.
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)

Well I replaced my thermal compound and the temperature on my cpu went down and the temperature of my case went down also. The fans also kick in sooner leaving me to believe that the heat is being properly distributed the heatsink whereas before it was not as there was too much thermal compound making it act like an insulator.
I cannot say if the exhaust air is any hotter, but I know overall my laptop is much more cooler and never gets extremely HOT. Even under heavy loads the areas where it used to get really hot, above f keys, palm area, underneath the MBP are not hot to the point where someone could burn themself at all.
I really do hope that Apple does address this issue because I could not live with the heat before, I always had to hook up an external keyboard because my hands got too sweaty from the palm rest and the keyboard. Now everything is operating like any other laptop I've owned and I am a very satisifed Apple user. Let's hope that Apple is really looking into it and will have a reasonable answers for all MBP users in a reasonable amount of time.

How can I successfully reapply the thermal paste in my MacBook Pro? (2008)

I'm having issues with keeping my computer cool, mainly while playing games like SC2 that require a good amount of power. I've downloaded fan control apps, bought cooling pads (usb powered) and still no luck in cooling this thing down. I recently learned that Apple for some reason applies the thermal paste too thick, which can cause the computers to be a lot hotter than they should be.
I'm not worried about voiding warranty, seeing as I don't even have a warranty. I've already opened it up to upgrade the ram and the hard drive so I know my way around inside there and have the stuff I need in order to do it properly.
What I need to know is where I can get the thermal paste, what kind I need, how it needs to be applied and with what (as well as how to get the old paste off), the steps I need to take in order to get to where this paste is even at inside the computer...etc.
If there's anyone who's already successfully pulled this off, lemme know how you did it and if it helped any. I've read there've been significant temp drops since reapplying it in a lot of these pros, so I'm just interested.

Hi
I’ve yet to remove the heatsinks of the CPU and GPU on my MBP. But I’ve replaced CPU and GPU heatsinks on my PC many times, so hopefully you’ll find my suggestions helpful.
1st use the laptop for a bit to get both the CPU and GPU warmed up so it will be easier to remove the heatsinks.
Remove the back cover and run your hands over the back side of the metal cover few time to get ride of any static charge that might be there (or any unprinted metal surface will do).
Remove the screws and heatsink one at a time. You might find the thermal past dried up (happens when company used cheap past and after computer is used for few years). Use tissues to wipe the past off both cores and heasinks.
You can also buy thermal past remover and clearer such as this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arctic-Silver-ArctiClean-Material-Purifier/dp/B000BKP306 /ref=pdbxgy_computers_textb
I normally use Arctic Silver Thermal Paste, I found it's the best past around, and everybody I know are happy with it.
There are two ways to apply the past. If your CPU is a Core2Duo, than you can just put a little bit on the center and press down with the heatsink. This is because the 2 cores on the CPU are located near the center of the processor so it does not matter if the edges are not covered with past.
Or if you want to play safe, you can cover the enter CPU with an even thin lay of past using a flat plastic card.
When it comes to thermal past, less is more, you only want little bit to cover up the metal cover on the processor. I say no more than 0.5 mm thick.
Cover the entire GPU with past as well, I’m not sure if the RAMs on your graphic card are cooled by the heatsinks. If they are, you might need some thermal pads for them.
You’ll find the whole process quite easy as long as you take your time. You can found lots of info on this with Google and Youtube.
Good luck and don’t forget to give the heatsinks a clean with a can of compassed air before you put them back on.

Thermal compound replacement, RESULTS and PICTURES

YOU CAN HAVE A MACBOOK PRO THAT ISN'T SCORCHING HOT!!
(note that this will NOT fix any whine or moo; they are unrelated problems)
Here's how.
My Mother's Macbook Pro (Or Cookbook, if you will) Arrived a week ago today. I played around with it to make sure everything is alright because my mother doesn't know how to check for things like dead pixels, bad ram, or cough improperly applied thermal compound.
One of the first things I noticed after turning on the new MBP is how totally sweet it is! The second thing I noticed is how freaking hot it is: I recoiled in pain from the Fn key bar the first time I touched it. Disappointed, I started searching the web and sure enough, pretty much everyone who owns one is complaining that it's too hot for comfortable use.
Apple calling this a "notebook" instead of a "laptop" is a total semantic cop-out. It's a PORTABLE COMPUTER and I must be able to trust it around my dogs, children, valuables without the MagSafe burning up or the battery swelling and bursting.
I don't have objective figures for just how hot it was, but it was right about at my pain threshold above and below the belt, and sometimes over it. I couldn't hold my hand to it for more than a few seconds. In particular the area to the left of the touchpad was of concern. I do have before-and-after figures of the CPU and HDD; I invite yourselves to look at them:
Before After (Temps in degrees C, ambient 25 C)
50-60 26-35 CPU (idle)
76-85 56-65 CPU (load)
41 33 HDD
In particular the HDD figures are a great relief. HDDs are notoriously sensitive to temperature and even a few degrees C can cut their lifetimes significantly. Furthermore the area is now cool to the touch and I can once again rest my left palm on it without discomfort. The ranges are due to the fact that the sensor inside the core duo is flaky. In 5 seconds it can run anywhere from +-5 to +-10. Nevertheless it is accurate enough for our purposes. Below are photos, procedure, and a rough outline of test methodologies:
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641589
Here's the idle scenario before the procedure. The computer has been on for hours (days really) and I'm doing the work I normally do on it. TextEdit is open (to a little project I'm working on) with firefox and the temperature monitor. Alt-tab is to show that those are the only programs running. CPU temp is dead at 50 C. This is INSANE for an idle figure on ANY computer; desktop, laptop, "notebook" or otherwise.
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641590
The operation area and stress test. To stress the ATI chip I've jacked up the resolution, run a couple of quartz programs, SNES9x (a hardware emulator; the software shown is called "Energy Breaker") with a brutal multitasking OpenGL hardware renderer, and Google Earth. To get the CPU going I have Adobe's Lightroom processing thumbnails, and again SNES9x. For various I/O I have two shells executing yes > /dev/null, a USB mouse plugged in, and all the HDD access from lightroom. I figure it paints a pretty good picture of the "worst case scenario" of hardware stress for a laptop like this.
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641591
The CPU core(s) is at 76 C. I should note that at this point, as hot as the CPU is, overall the case is really not much hotter than it was before. In other words, it's just as unacceptable.
At this point I turned her off and dug in. I used a howto from Ifixit to serve as my guide. The procedure went without surprises until I got all the way to the logic board.
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641592
Dear lord!! That is an obscene amount of compound. It's casting a shadow over the rest of the board!! This gray gak is piled on so thick, it's no wonder the cooling system couldn't work effectively. It had even gotten all over components nowhere near the dies. That definitely cannot be good for their lifespan. Here's a shot of the heatpipe:
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641593
Terrible. Thermal compound has been squished out all over the place, including the chassis itself. This explains why it was getting so hot. A photo from the MBP service manual has been floating around the net, illustrating that this gross amount of compound is actually according to procedure.
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641594
Clean as a whistle. After removing the bulk of the compound with q-tips I used ArctiClean 2-step process to emulsify the rest and remove it with paper towels. You can see it's not perfect but it's close enough for me. I'm not overclocking this thing; I just want to run it "in spec" and have it not burn me. At this point, the CPU dies and the heat pipe interfaces should have mirror finishes. It's an overclocker's dream, and Apple already did the work for me.
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641595
This is how I applied Arctic Silver 5 to replace the compound I removed. Squeeze the tiniest little bit out of the syringe directly on to the die, and scrape it across with a flat edge (they recommend a razor blade but I just used a plastic ID card). Take the amount of compound you see on the Core Duo (on the right) and make a flat, even layer like the one you see on the ATI (left).
http://www.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/62641596
Turned it on and went straight for the hard stress test, after making sure everything was OK of course =) Wow! It reads 58 C in the screenshot, and doesn't go above 65C!! Moreover, there isn't even a bit of warmth above the Fn keys, and the HDD area is cool to the touch. I'd call this one a complete success. I'm idling right now and the temperature reads between 26 and 31C. Even the bottom is just slightly warm to the touch. Now I have a real laptop again!
So why did this happen?
There's a lot of confusion about the way the Macbook Pro cools itself. I admit it's confusing. Basically, Apple is shipping Macbook Pros with one cooling system, and replacing the thermal compound changes it into a very different system. Let me try to explain what I learned from digging around the hardware.
1. The built-in thermometer in the CPU is flaky. That's why you have to access it with a kernel extension and all kinds of hacks, and why Apple circumvented it completely in the cooling system. That's right: the MBP cooling system ignores the Core Duo temperature entirely.
2. The cooling system consists of a convective (my guess, I don't think anyone really knows what kind of) heatpipe which is in the base, directing heat out to two heatsinks which are then to be cooled by two fans if need be.
3. There are two temperature sensors. One is on the heatpipe itself, and the other one is on the chassis just next to the right fan. Probably the hardware monitors these temperatures and the differential between them to decide when to activate the fans and how long.
4. Behavior before the replacement procedure: The CPU core would get hot, hotter than I've ever seen a CPU go, at 80-85C. Most people confirm their MBPs also exhibit this. Where was this heat going? Well the fans didn't turn on until I put it at full load. Even when the fans did turn on, there wasn't much warm exhaust coming out of the vents at the back. The chassis heated up until it was unbearable, and most of the excess heat was being radiated away from it.
To sum up, the ineffective thermal interface between the CPU dies and the heat pipe was inhibiting heat from tripping the fan sensors. This explains why the fans didn't turn on until drastic temperatures were attained, and why the chassis got so hot. Essentially, the chassis was serving as a big heatsink for the CPU, which is the only reason it didn't overheat and shut down.
Effective, Apple, but not quite appropriate.
5. Behavior after the replacement procedure: The first thing you notice is that the fans scream from the second you turn the thing on. They aren't going full blast but pretty close to it. An effective thermal interface using an APPROPRIATE AMOUNT of AS5 (anything would do but I figured if I'm applying thermal compound, why not go for the authority) allows the heat to go straight from the cores into the heatpipe, tripping the sensor early and fast. The fans come on, I can feel hot air coming out the back, and the chassis now removed from the thermal equation is cool and comfortable again.
Of course, the thermal equation is different from before, and from the way Apple has tuned the fans to work from the factory configuration. This is more cooling than we probably need, and I foresee an update to Tiger allowing us to choose the thermal/noise tradeoff for ourselves.
Well, I hope that explains it, and I hope that those of you still suffering the abuses of your "in spec" MBP can take some hope from my findings, or are emboldened to go ahead and repeat the procedure yourself. I will post informative links here.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/85.1.0.html
http://www.arcticsilver.com/
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1864582 (This is where I learned of the thermal paste issue)
Remember if you ever open up your MBP to NOT BREAK ANYTHING and please, always read the instructions before you reach in. =)

methanol, my conclusion is that Apple's specifications for thermal grease application are technically sound. As a corollary, I put the postings claiming that isn't so in the Urban Myth category.
There's a lot of technical literature on design and manufacturing specifications for thermal grease use, the kind of literature that appears in professional technical publications and is written by engineers. That literature supports Apple's thermal grease specifications. Putting it another way, Apple's engineers have a lot more technical training and experience than the average hobbyist who is working from the directions that came with Arctic Silver.
Yes, my computer has the "messy" looking application of thermal grease. No, it isn't inappropriate and doesn't need to be modified, and Apple did not make a quality assurance/quality control mistake.
Posts about the thermal grease modification began appearing several months ago, followed by Hardware Monitor charts showing considerable differences in "before fix" and "after fix" temperatures. I found, however, that I could easily replicate those before and after charts, and my computer compared favorably with the "after fix" temperature charts. Why? There was no quality control on the generation of the charts. And of course some owners damaged their computers in the process of taking them apart and putting them back together. Not a good idea, in my opinion.
Painstaking manual application of thermal grease might result in an insignificant drop in CPU temperature, perhaps 2 or 3C. Trying that in a mass production situation would result in more CPU failures.
True, some people got very significant reductions of case temperatures. That will happen if the sensors are not working (broken connection) and the fans run full out.

Early 2011 MacBook Pro- The thermal paste discussion.

It is my goal to clear up the questions and concerns Apple customers have been having regarding heat or fan related concerns with Early 2011 MacBook Pros. If your MacBook Pro was produced within the last few months the thermal issue has been resolved and it will likely not be in issue for you. If you are still wondering if your computer is effected or what the real issue is keep reading.
The MacBook Cools itself by 2 main methods: active and passive. The active cooling is via a fan that blows air through a heatsync and into a tube called a heat pipe which leads to the back of the computer where the hot air is discharged through a vent at the bottom of the screen behind the hinge. The fan lowers the air pressure inside the case causing outside air is drawn in the case, displacing the hot air inside and helping to cool the other components.
The computer uses passive cooling to remove the residual heat from the processor which comes mostly in the form of radiant heat. Passive cooling is also used to cool the other components of the computer (memory, disk drives, battery etc). Passive cooling works by conductive heat transfer ie. syncing to the case of the computer. Some of the heat then is radiated. Some of it is transferred from the outside of the case via convective cooling; the foot pads on the bottom cover are designed to raise it up just enough to allow air underneath for convection to occur. (Convection is the process in which hot air to rises and is displaced by cooler air.) The rest of the heat from the bottom cover is absorbed by whatever surface you have the computer on.
The processor will not sync to the case very much if the board is assembled properly however the other components of the computer will, requiring the case to be in open air to allow for passive cooling to take place.
If you have some sort of covering such as a plastic snap on case it will likely interfere with passive cooling in all of it's 3 of it forms, this will cause the computer to be abnormally hot. I recently saw someone in the Apple store with a MacBook Air experiencing abnormal heating due to a plastic snap case so this particular problem is not unique to MacBook Pros and it is not the cause of the issue being discussed here. I do not recommend the use or anything that covers the computer while it is running with the exception of something that covers the back of the display panel only. If you are worried about your computer getting damaged go and buy a laptop insurance policy from Worth Ave group. The insurance does not cover cosmetic damage or misplaced items but will cover accidental damage including spills. This insurance also covers theft, vandalism and natural disasters, is quite inexpensive and the claims process and deductible is similar to most phone insurance plans (which they also offer).
User induced overheating can also occur when the computer is placed on an improper surface such as a couch cushion, car seat, bed, pillow etc. Doing this can interfere with both passive and active cooling.
As I mentioned earlier In all likelihood if your computer was produced after May it is not affected. I personally have been in posession of 3 MacBook Pros, one produced before May which had the problem, one after which had no problems and one produced more recently that has mind blowing thermal performance way beyond all of my expectations.
So the question at this point is exactly what is the problem, how can it be diagnosed and how can it be rectified.
After extensive research and testing I have determined the issue to be related to improper application thermal paste. I involuntarily became involved in this pursuit as a result of the problems I was experiencing and I did not initially come at from an objective viewpoint but rather one of cautious skepticism. I had anticipated before purchasing my computer that there may be a thermal issue. This anticipaion came as a result of reading an article on ifixit.com about the disassembly of the brand new early 2011 MacBook Pro. When the technician performing the disassembly removed the main heat sync he expressed concern about how much much thermal paste was present, expressing that it seemed excessive. This lead the technician to question wether or not it would cause heating problems.
Proper application of thermal paste is critical to the functionality of the active cooling system and when applied improperly will not properly transfer the heat to the heat-sync which in turn gets cooled by the fan. Proper application of thermal paste insures the heat is removed from the case as efficiently as possible. Doing this both reduces the speed at which the fan needs to run in a lot of situations and prevents too much heat from the processor needing to be cooled by passive means. If is is not applied properly it will eventually lead to overheating of the case as well as the other components of the computer. This can cause damage firstly to the computer's battery and can also significantly shorten the life computer. (Or any other kind of electronic device for that matter.)
The problem can be diagnosed by testing the computer using a program called System Load or any other software that will put your computers proscessor use up to its maximum and keep it there indefinitely. Placing full load on your GPU at the same time during the test is also recommended. Keep in mind, if you are using your computer the fan will spin up if needed for additional cooling. You should expect the fan go up to its maximum speed during the test, it is not in of itself an indication of a negative result. Make sure to have the computer plugged in, fully charged and on a proper surface. A desk or other flat surface should be fine. Exceptions would include the top of a refrigerator since it has insulation just underneath the metal exterior or any surface that is heated by any means such as a dryer or other appliance.
(The temps to follow are in ºF)
Run the test for up to 1 hour. If the case of the computer breaks 93 degrees your unit is likely affected. Expect the unit to even possibly reach temps approaching and exceeding 100º, if this happens immediately abort the test. Also look for the processor temp shooting up to around 180 in the first 30 seconds and the fan spinning up right away. Typically on a properly functioning unit the temperature of the case will end up being somewhere in the neighborhood of 88-91º. If this test is preformed in a room with a normal ambient room temperature of about 68 degrees. Even after an hour the case of the computer should not be significantly hot, just warm to the touch. On a normally operating unit the fan will start to kick in within 90 seconds or so and may not reach full speed even after several minuets.
At one point the case of my computer actually reached 95º during normal web browsing.
This is a problem that I have had successfully corrected twice by reapplication of thermal paste. The first time was on a machine produced prior to may and the second was after a logic board was replaced at the repair depot. (I suspect the inventory turnover is lower for boards than whole computers resulting in a board from the initial production run being installed in my computer.)
If you forget everything I just wrote remember this. #1 if you are using your computer hard enough the fan will end up running at high speed at some point. #2 This problem is not in any way related to the design of the MacBook Pro, or its use/application. #3 This mostly not a problem of the CPU being too hot; these Sandy Bridge CPUs are rated for 212ºf and will routinely be in the neighborhood of 200º, this is hotter than other chips but well within design limits. #4 I have done everything in my power to make sure that this problem has been corrected and I have every logical and evidenced based reason to believe it has been resolved in machines produced after may. #5 This is not an Apple acknolidged issue. Technicians will tell you that there is no problem because these higher temps are normal and within operating limits and if they weren't the machine would shut itself off. (This is a bit extreme; just like a lot of other devices such as electronics, toaster ovens and space heaters with thermal overload protection this automatic shutoff is intended to occur when damage or risk of fire is imminent because the device is WAY outside of normal operating paramaters.) They will also not tell you when asked what these limits are, that they know what they are or in some cases that such figures they even exsist.
I stake my personal and professional reputation on the accuracy of my findings, it is my job as a private consultant to help my clients to resolve complicated and expensive issues just like this one.
Bottom line if you are having a problem and Apple won't fix it on warranty don't ditch your machine, just pay to have it done yourself. In most cases you can pay have it done at the Apple store. It will probably cost you less than 100.00, and it will not void your warranty as long as the work is done by Apple certified technician. It will be well worth it; after all in spite of this MacBook Pro's are hands down the best portable computers on the market, with an industry leading warranty and support to back it up. On it's worst day Apple's service and support is better than any computer/ consumer electronics company, even on its best day.
I hope this helps to clarify this issue! I also hope it will help anyone affected to resolve the problem instead of resorting to a refund and settling for something else.

hello all
you can try this:
Go to system preferences > settings > built in display > see bottom of window.
check "show mirroring options in the menu bar when available". then click "airplay display" > and select your device.
That's what happened to my MBP - 15-inch, Late 2011 model.

My powerbook will not start! please help! could be due to thermal paste?

I was recently reinstalling the keyboard within my 17' Al Powerbook. Afterwards, the computer booted fine and worked for maybe less than an hour, and then, on a reboot, shut down abruptly before OS X was finished loading. I restarted and was able to log in for several minutes. Now, upon opening the system, I noticed while replacing the RAM door I missed the slot it should fit into and it was put into place below this (which apparently is right over the CPU)...and when I pulled this part out there was some thermal paste along the edge. Looking into this area with a flashlight, the thermal paste seems sort of messy and some is in front of the chip rather than directly on it.
How likely is it that lack/messiness of paste is what is causing this? The battery fully charges within the system and the AC light is on. When I attempt to boot the machine, you can hear the HD, fans, and Superdrive spin for a second but you never see anything on screen.
Another thing that maybe the problem - when reinstalling the keyboard i forgot to replace the adhesive seperating the keyboard mount area and screws from the logic board - the first time the system shut down, I brushed my hand across the newly installed keyboard and the system shut right down. I'm not sure if this caused the overheating CPU to shut down, or if this caused the keyboard to contact with the logic board and I shorted it out and need a new one. I've since replaced this adhesive insulation plastic and the system still won't boot.
Any help would be appreciated. Please leave suggestions. I don't want to lose my mac

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
It sounds like the directions you used weren't clear enough how to do the job right. Send it in for service at one of these places:
http://www.dttservice.com/
http://www.powerbookresq.com/
http://www.microdocusa.com/
http://www.macspecialist.com/
http://www.techrestore.com/
Sometimes there are good instructions on http://www.ifixit.com/ or http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/ If you found the instructions weren't good at either of those places, please do write them so they are aware of the problem and others aren't stuck having to mail their machines to a shop.

NX8800GT T2D512E OC : Thermal paste replacement ?

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