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    How much will a repaste help my performance/temps?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by T8TRG8TR, Dec 21, 2013.

  1. T8TRG8TR

    T8TRG8TR Notebook Guru

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    Like many M14x R2 owners I was having throttling issues due to my temps. I've been overclocking to avoid those issues, but I regularly hit 80-95 degrees when gaming (because of this, I never game for long). I was just playing Bioshock Infinite, and even on medium-low I only see 20-40 fps and got up to 94 degrees (GPU temp). I know I should be getting much better performance. Will a repaste help me significantly? I know it should lower temps, but by how much? Also, would this directly effect performance (my fps), or just temps?

    EDIT: Also would cleaning my fans help much?
     
    T8TRG8TR, Dec 21, 2013
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  2. bstapley

    bstapley Notebook Consultant

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    I have the new 2013 Alienware 14, so my temps won't be the same as you, but when I re-pasted, it saved me about 10C on the CPU and 5-8C on the GPU. Your results may vary......
     
    bstapley, Dec 23, 2013
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  3. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    Yes, cleaning the fans will help but if the temperature doesn't drop much you will indeed need to repaste.
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Dec 24, 2013
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  4. copper7op

    copper7op Notebook Consultant

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    R1 user here, I repaste every 6-8 months, using a premium paste (Don't use a cheap paste on a 2000$ laptop). My laptop is 2+ years old and has always run perfect.
     
    copper7op, Jan 3, 2014
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  5. spike55

    spike55 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I like the idea of this for my laptop, but how good of an Idea is that for a newbie. I did change out the powerplug on the mb of my m15x, but it definitely made me sweat!
    no excited about going through that again. What would be the best way to get rid of the old paste and what are the things to watch out for?
     
    spike55, Jan 4, 2014
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  6. copper7op

    copper7op Notebook Consultant

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    You can get a kit from ebay that includes quality paste, as well as a proper swab (it looks like a wet-nap but with isopropyl alcohol) and is great for cleaning them off.
     
    copper7op, Jan 6, 2014
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  7. spike55

    spike55 Notebook Enthusiast

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    any suggestions on what is considered top brand paste? I have heard of IC Diamond being very good?
     
    spike55, Jan 8, 2014
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  8. CptXabaras

    CptXabaras Overclocked, Overvolted, Liquid Cooled

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    Just repasted my m14 with mx4 got a 10 degrees improvement on the CPU and 5-6 on Gpu. A little pita because you have to tear the whole thing apart to remove the heatsink, but worth the hassle
     
    CptXabaras, Jan 26, 2014
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  9. aaronmjr

    aaronmjr Notebook Enthusiast

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    I generally see about an 8-10 degree improvement from stock or old paste. It's worth a try! Also, the fan cleaning will absolutely make a difference if there is a decent amount of dust in there. We don't smoke, and after 8-10 months there is a typically a solid chunk of dust and lint in the exhaust for our shared family laptop... Think your clothes dryers lint trap.... This instantly lowers temps and has the fan running only about half as much.
     
    aaronmjr, Jan 29, 2014
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