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    CPU - Thermal Compound question

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by jebelious, Apr 12, 2012.

  1. jebelious

    jebelious Notebook Enthusiast

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    Quick question really - My motherboard is being switched out tomorrow (finally after it failed last friday) and i was wondering, should i be buying some better quality thermal compound now for them to apply to the CPU when they move it over? will they apply the compound that i supply over their own?

    I am going to be watching them very carefully (as long as they do the swapout at my house) to ensure that they put everything back that they should and i want to make sure that i am going to secure the longevity of the CPU now to avoid isues later.
     
    jebelious, Apr 12, 2012
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  2. doniGforce

    doniGforce Notebook Geek

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    You're right for being careful. I had my motherboard replaced because they weren't being careful with it. The either come with some rubish thermal tape or cheap paste. Finally I ordered some IC Diamond paste in amazon and when the technician came for the third replacement he actually let me put the paste on myself. I put an X mark (paste on the GPU because it is square) and a line (paste on the proccessor because it is longer on one side) according to this video: How Thermal Compound Spreads - YouTube Good temperatures.
     
    doniGforce, Apr 12, 2012
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  3. jebelious

    jebelious Notebook Enthusiast

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    Going to nip out and get it today then if i can, i think £14 is worth the investment to protect the CPU for that much longer.
     
    jebelious, Apr 12, 2012
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  4. Voodooi

    Voodooi AFK for a while...

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    All systems from the factory have the cheap paste, so it's highly recommended to get quality paste.

    Top resellers such as GenTech are currently using IC24 if you're looking for a good thermal paste brand.
     
    Voodooi, Apr 13, 2012
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  5. c69k

    c69k Notebook Deity

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    Yes, IC7 helped a lot here too. Recommend.
     
    c69k, Apr 13, 2012
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  6. singkuy

    singkuy Notebook Consultant

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    any other reccomendations aside from ic7? it's a bit overpriced here.
     
    singkuy, Apr 19, 2012
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  7. flybass

    flybass Notebook Consultant

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    arctic silver used to be a big deal. that was 5+ years ago though
     
    flybass, Apr 19, 2012
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  8. RocketPower

    RocketPower Notebook Enthusiast

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    I had some leftover Arctic Silver 5 and it helped, regardless of how hip it is now.

    Based on posts in this forum IC is hard to use but well worth it.

    I ain't big on hipsters :p
     
    RocketPower, Apr 20, 2012
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  9. headphones989

    headphones989 Notebook Consultant

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    you're going to pay at least a good bit for any good thermal paste - any icdiamond stuff is good, arctic silver, or my favorite shin etsu (requires no curing time, so it's effective immediately)... it's worth it, and you can use the extra for your other stuff later, don't skimp - and make sure that the tech doesn't splat your stuff on - less is more (a super-thin layer is better than a medium-thick layer - you want the heat to transfer well, not get stuck in the thermal compound). if you're going to get a heavy usage GPU or CPU, you really should invest in a good thermal compound to preserve the suckers - otherwise go and buy some compaq crap.
     
    headphones989, Apr 20, 2012
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  10. jebelious

    jebelious Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have left the wife with instructions (hoping he does not use too much), i got the IC diamond 24 for this time round so shall see..
     
    jebelious, Apr 20, 2012
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  11. singkuy

    singkuy Notebook Consultant

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    I just had my highest temp reading on my m14 with a value of 94C. :( Thing is I have the i5 which I got because it is said to have way better temps than i7. I have turbo off btw. It's also quite hot in here cause it's summer but my temps just usually max out at 85. I am now bent on having that repaste done but no arctic silver and ic diamond that is readily available, Has anyone had experience with these variants of thermal paste?

    CoolerMaster thermal paste - Fans & Coolants - Accessories
    Tuniq TX-2 thermal compound - Fans & Coolants - Accessories

    1 usd = 42 pesos here.
     
    singkuy, Apr 20, 2012
    #11