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.
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October 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 am
LMFAO, lil excessive with the grease dont you think? I’d open that think back up and scrap off all the excess thats spilled onto the chip and probably motherboard.
Try using about 2/3’s the amount he put on the heatsink, folks. It doesnt take much.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:55 am
mewa.rules.
I agree. But it depends on the type of grease you are using. If you are applying Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound than you have to apply just a tiny drop as it shown here.
I was using compound made for Toshiba laptops and it’s very dense.
As I mentioned in my post:
November 11th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
[...] While inside the laptop, you can replace thermal compound between the heat sink and processor. [...]
December 31st, 2008 at 11:30 am
This acually works. My Gateway didnt come with an acoustic fan (Can’t seem to find a good replacement without having to resort to enginuity…I stuck this one out)…so the less time its running the better. Thanks for the info laptech
July 16th, 2009 at 7:27 am
I did this to my Acer aspire 5100 laptop. I also found the same results the compund for the cpu was all dried up and the gpu was still soft. I could NOT watch movies or play games anymore. Video would become extremely choppy after just a few minutes. Core temp read 55c idle and 85c watching video! after i took the laptop apart and cleaned the airflow and changed the thermal compound to arctic silver my temps were 35c idle and 52c watching video..smooth as silk! Easy to do. Remember HEAT KILLS LAPTOPS!
August 10th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I hoping that the original article writer (Laptop Tech) will see this. I was wondering what exactly is the name of that thick gray thermal grease that you used in this article because I need it for my own laptop. It looks a lot like the original thermal grease in my laptop before I cleaned it out and the new one I put it is hardly working. Any help would be appreciated.
August 10th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Kevin,
Are you asking about gray CPU grease? I think you can use this one: X-23-7762-01 (google it). This it Toshiba grease, very similar to grease in the picture.
August 17th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Hi there,
Thanks for your guide. This is what I am using currently. I accidently removed the grease off my graphics card (NVIDIA) by mistake while cleaning the surface. I tried to apply Arctic Silver 5 on the graphics card chip like many youtube video’s suggested but my temperatures have risen really badly from around 50 degrees to 71-80. Sometimes my laptop even shuts down. I applied a little arctic silver and made it thinner and applied it on the chip surface. My 3dmarks scores have also gone down by 1300 so obviously I did something wrong.
Do you have any advice? Is arctic silver 5 ok for the NVIDIA chip. Do you have any photos on how it should be applied to the GPU? Thanks!
August 17th, 2009 at 7:32 am
John Fellet,
Maybe you should use thermal pad instead of Arctic Silver. What is your laptop brand and model?
August 17th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I have an XPS 13, here is a picture of both my GPU and CPU http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8524/dsc00271kdy.jpg
Can you tell me if Arctic Silver 5 would be suitable, if not then what type of thermal pad should I use? are there any substitutes that can be used?
August 17th, 2009 at 9:02 am
John Fellet,
I’m not sure what XPS 13 is. Are you sure the model number is correct? Is is XPS M1330?
Take a look at this picture of the heat sink assembly.
Do you see blue thermal pads for the GPU chip? That’s what I’m talking about. I would use thermal pad instead of the grease. I think using thermal grease on the CPU is OK.
I don’t know where to buy thermal pads separately, but you can buy a new heat sink with thermal pads here. Contact the seller and make sure the heat sink comes with thermal pads.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:55 am
Everything is true about the dust build up. However, how do you remove the heatsink safely? Mine feels like it will rip the CPU off if I attempt to lift it carefully (more like a pull) ?
August 27th, 2009 at 9:21 am
T4T,
Apparently in your laptop thermal grease dried out and glued the heatsink to the CPU.
I know, sometimes it fills like you are going to rip the CPU off the socket and very often it comes out attached to the heat sink.
Let’s say you removed the heat sink and the CPU came out attached to it. What should you do?
1. Very carefully separate the CPU from the heat sink with a flat head screwdriver.
2. Open the CPU socket by turning the screw-lock into the “Open” position.
3. Insert the CPU into the socket. Make sure the orientation is correct. Lock the socket.
4. Now, when the CPU is installed back into the socket and secured, you can clean old thermal grease with alcohol.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I am looking to replace the processor in my Acer Aspire AS5100 3949.. It is currently a AMD Turion 54 mk-36 and I was wondering what Dual Core processor’s are compatible with this type of Motherboard.
thanks!
February 4th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Hi, great guides here. I have an HP Pavilion 9548 and am replacing the systemboard on it. The HP guides says to use Thermal Pads AND Thermal Paste when replacing any of these components. I have ordered both, but how do I apply both the pads and the paste? I am nervous about doing in incorrectly since heat is what apparently fried the GPU in the first place. Thanks!
February 7th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Chris,
Some chips require thermal paste, other chips required thermal pads but you don’t use them together.
When you replace the motherboard, you’ll see where HP uses thermal paste or thermal pads. Make some notes so you don’t forget and apply them in the same order.
February 13th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I have the same Acer Aspire in your photos, and I think its about time to change my thermal paste. You used Arctic Silver. At the moment I can’t get me hands on some Arctic Silver, but I do have another brand called EVERCOOL, Sidewinder Thermal Compound. Can I use it? What do you think?
thanks
February 15th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
malik,
I think you can. I used Arctic Silver just as an example.
May 5th, 2010 at 6:53 am
Regardless of the viscosity of the paste, that is still way too much to use. When you use too much paste, instead of dissipating the heat, it acts as an insulator instead and can cause unnecessarily high temps.
I notice a few comments about thermal pads, I notice these are used on GPU VRAM but haven’t seen them used on much else. They are used if you need something thicker to offset differences between gaps of the heatsink and the component you are cooling too.
May 15th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
This may be disturbingly hilarious, but I still have not attempted it yet. As summer is approaching, my laptop is heating up – already. No options now. I am still in fear of tearing the CPU’s head, since the heatsink and thermal greased fused themselves dead-tight on top of it. I need to get this nerving deed over with. I will upload a vid. If I damage the CPU as I separate them let me know where I went wrong. I have two more questions:
# 2: Should I loosen the CPU’s screw before or after?
# 3: Why 99% alcohol?
May 16th, 2010 at 8:43 am
T4T,
Try cleaning the heat sink and fan before replacing thermal grease. If your laptop overheats, most likely it happens because the heatsink is clogged with dust.
Find an air compressor or use home vacuum blower and clean the heat sink.
July 21st, 2010 at 11:28 am
hey labtech, so i got a acer aspire 5100 for my friend and i belive i have the dreaded ati/bga loose chip, and want to resolder it down, or replace the chip, what options do u think i should take?
July 21st, 2010 at 11:41 am
Rob,
If you have nothing to lose, you can try this method: http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/2010/04/06/fixing-compaq-presario-v6000-motherboard-no-video-issue/
This method will help to reflow the chip. Proceed at your own risk!
July 21st, 2010 at 11:49 am
and also can u point out the exact chip?
July 21st, 2010 at 11:51 am
and actually it does turn on and loads once in awhile, but sometimes it tuns out to be garbled hard drive n bios- but linux will load but windows wont… any idea
August 25th, 2010 at 4:32 am
Hi Laptop tech
i guess you probs know about the problems surrounding DELL and their use of the NVIDIA 8400 and 8600 chipsets? I own an M1530 XPS , and i bought it specifically for gaming , and not knowing much about laptops i thought it would be safe to go through Dell , as i thought they had a good rep?? obviously i was wrong lol.
From what i can see on the forums they installed faulty chipsets in all their models , now….mine is out of warranty , they havent answered my queries and i was wondering if you would know……
* Is it likely that my GPU or motherboards are fried
because……i cannot turn the laptop on anymore….it simply will not start up , and when u run the FN & POWER diag check , the first LED flashes which according to Dell is something to do with the processor “The Microcontroller is handing control of the system to the processor. This code will persist if there is no processor detected”
Is this likely to be the main motherboard?
and if so , will trying to apply new thermal paste help here or is it already buggered???
fast response would REALLY be appreciated
August 28th, 2010 at 11:30 am
Jamesy,
Most likely it’s either bad memory or motherboard failure.
First of all, try reseating memory modules. Try removing memory modules one by one and test the laptop with each module installed into different slots.
If reseating/replacing memory doesn’t help, probably this is motherboard failure.
CPUs do not fail very often. I would say on a few hundred failed motherboards you’ll see only one or two failed CPUs.
If the motherboard (or video chip) already failed, re-appling thermal paste will not help.
August 29th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
thanks for the advice….i will check that out. i already tried reseating the memory but i didnt try it with just 1 module at a time in each slot , so i will give it a go and let you know of the impending failure lol
according to the Dell forums , all the motherboards were put together with faulty nvidia chipsets built in , on the 8400 ad 8600 ranges