HomeThis guide explains how to apply new thermal grease on a laptop processor (CPU).
Thermal grease (aka thermal compound or paste) has to be applied on the top of the processor before you install the heat sink. Thermal grease helps to conduct heat more efficiently.
In some laptops you can remove the heat sink without removing the CPU fan. In my case, I had to remove the fan first.
In most cases, the heat sink is secured above the processor by four screws. You’ll have to remove or loosen those screws.
Carefully lift up the heat sink.
In my example the heat sink covers two chips: CPU and ATI chip. It’s not very common. In many other laptops the heat sink covers only the processor.
The ATI chip thermal grease is different, it looks like a blue chewing gum. I’m not going to replace the ATI chip grease today because it appears to be soft and looks normal.
The CPU grease, on the other hand, looks dried out and feels very hard. The CPU thermal grease definitely has to be replaced.
Thermal grease was so dried out that I had to use a flathead screwdriver to remove it from the heatsink.
NOTE: I would suggest using something softer, maybe a piece of plastic because the screwdriver makes scratches.
Clean the heat sink and CPU with 99% alcohol and soft cloth.
Both, the heatsink and CPU are clean and ready for new thermal grease.
Apply a small drop of new thermal grease on the top of the processor. Apply just enough to cover the CPU chip (black square in the center).
Finally, install the heat sink and secure it by tightening screws in the order 1-2-3-4.
December 4th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Thanks for the reply, Laptop Tech.
Yes, I discovered that the CPU is ‘throttled’ by my lpatop once it hits 70 degrees. I think this means I’m thankfully unlikely to have damaged the CPU by switching on without thermal grease.
Thanks for recommending X-23-7762. I’ll see if I can get hold of some. In the interim I’ve applied Nano Diamond.
For anyone interested, there’s another good guide on applying thermal
grease on the Arctic Silver website: http://www.arcticsilver.com/methods.html.
Ant
December 1st, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Ant,
It’s possible that overheating affects the CPU speed. Probably the CPU slows down in order to prevent damage.
Usually I use this thermal grease: X-23-7762
Google this number and you’ll find it.
November 28th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Hi,
Yesterday I replaced the floppy drive, speakers and volume controls and cooling fan and CPU heatsink (without applying new thermal grease) in my Toshiba S1800-314. Today, my laptop is running at about half the speed of normal.
Just looking again, there’s dried-out thermal grease on both the CPU and the new (second-hand) heatsink. Does thermal grease (or the lack of it) really affect CPU speed this much? Or should it not affect speed at all (i.e. should the CPU just overheat then stop)?
Software-wise, there’s nothing slowing the laptop down: swap file is fine, no suspicious processes, etc.
What are the best recommended greases or types of grease laptop CPU’s?
Thanks!
September 13th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
my toshiba satellite laptop screen is not coming after i cleanes inside the laptop and applied new thermal grease what to do and what would be the reason behind the screen not starting please, send me reply asap,
thanks.
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:40 pm
[...] you would like to replace the cooling module or apply new thermal grease on the CPU, you’ll have to remove [...]
May 29th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
[...] NOTE: before installing the heat sink back into the laptop don’t forget to apply new thermal grease on the CPU. [...]
February 11th, 2011 at 6:33 am
I have the same laptop, Acer 5100. I was thinking about doing the same but thought if I am going to go through the trouble to taking my laptop apart, I might as well replace the CPU. Do you know which CPUs are ok to use.
I was thinking AMD TURION MOBILE 64X2 2GHZ – HP PART# TMDTL60HAX5DM as I can get it cheap.
Any help much appreciated.
Thanks
Mike
December 27th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Never mind, I broke the screw heads off… though I still need to buy the thermal grease, because I wanted check if it needs to be changed at first. Thanks for the tutorial anyway
December 27th, 2010 at 2:56 am
I wanted to apply a new thermal grease on the laptop processor, because it was overheating, but the third and fourth screw on the processor have stripped heads and their screwed in really tight. I have no idea how to unscrew them. I tried putting a rubber band between the screwdriver and the screw head.. that didn’t help. Right now I can’t afford buying a drill or a screw extractor, so is there any other way to get the screws out? And if I somehow removed the screws, would I have to get new ones or I could use the computer without the two screws?
December 24th, 2010 at 5:25 am
I did this and replaced my broken fan, and as a result my laptop is running much better. However while the temperature did go down (from 95+ °C, which was too hot to run the laptop), it only dropped to the high 60s °C. Is this normal? It still seems quite hot.
My laptop is a ~4 year old Fujitsu T4215.
Thanks, and Happy Holidays!