17 r3 repasted, worse?

I repasted using 1.5gm of Prolimatech PK3 on the cpu and gpu.
The cpu temps are largely unchanged (-2 to -3 degrees at best), but the gpu temps shot from 60-65 to 60-70 (sustained load), and i am pretty sure that i didn't overdo it with the paste.

Any ideas??

 

What method of application did you use?

My first though is an air bubble or other contaminant. Also, when screwing the heat-sink back on, did you slowly tighten each screw to ensure even pressure? Uneven pressure could effectively squeeze the paste out of one side of the core leading to this kind of result.

In any case, it looks like you're going in again!

 

i went with a continuous zigzag method, and yes i tightened them slowly in the correct order.
the temperatures aren't critical or anything, and the paste is high quality so drying out won't happen for a good while, it's just unusual to see that happen.

i used up all 1.5 grams so i can't repaste again anyway, i'm all out of quality paste and getting more will have to be through overseas shipping, which i just can't afford atm.

 

There's your problem

 

Holy crap, I missed that bit!!

I have a 1.5gram tube of Grizzly, I re-pasted my laptop and have most of it left..........

 

I repasted three systems with one 3.5g Arctic Silver tube and still have a fair amount left - the die areas of the CPU and GPU's are smaller than some others but it does sound like over-liberal use of TIM.

It's been a while since I applied a TIM that wasn't liquid metal but a small blob in the center worked well enough if I recall - the heatsink spreads it out nicely. There are about a million videos on Youtube, which show the process far better than I can describe.

My first repaste had very similar results and it was caused by using too much paste (The second attempt also failed by spreading it first with a credit card and then applying the heatsink... I learned by the third attempt)

 

how much (approximate) would you say is used to repaste the 17 r3 cpu + gpu??, 0.5gm??

 

Oh wow thats really too much paste. I always do the lin emethod for the CPU and the cross for the gpu. I put back on the heatsink after but first press it firmly straight from above so the paste will spread evenly already for a bit before I screw it. I screw it on in a crosspattern losely first and then do the same again but fully tighten it. This will make sure the paste is spread out quite nicely.

 

well there are limitations to what i can do right now, the repasting wasn't done by me personally, and this is due to the laptop still being in warranty and fiddling with it myself might void it, so i gave it to a repair shop licensed by dell and asked them to use my thermal paste if it won't void the warranty, and it seems they overdid it, so next time i'll make sure i give very clear instructions.

Temps with the stock Dell "paste" were 81~89 (95 spike/peak) for the CPU, and 60-65 (70 spike/peak) for the GPU, after repaste the CPU temps are a bit better at 77~85 (90 spike/peak) for the CPU, but the GPU gone up to 60-70 (which is still in the safe zone).

note: temps were during an extended gaming session.

 

"size of a grain of rice" has always been the amount of paste I use and I've been repasting/building machines for over 10 years with no issues due to paste amount.

 

even on gpu??, and wouldn't that fail to cover the whole die surface?

 

Yep, the most common mistake with re-pasting is applying too much. Remember, the paste is only there to fill in MICROSCOPIC gaps and imperfections, the die and heat-sink are in direct contact anyway. It's not meant to be a paste sandwich!!!

 

Check out this video. Shows you how much he applied (pea size) and how far it spreads. Now the only question is, how close does our heat sink sit to the die when fully screwed in. But regardless 1.5g is way too much. If you're putting in more paste than dell's factory paste, you might drown your cpu/gpu.

 

Precisely. Well said.