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    When should i re-paste my M14x?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by acesolo, Oct 23, 2012.

  1. acesolo

    acesolo Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello everyone,

    Iv had my M14x since June 2011,and although i don't suffer any slow down while gaming,i was wondering if its time i did a repaste given iv had it for over a year?

    Cheers.
     
    acesolo, Oct 23, 2012
    #1
  2. saurey

    saurey Notebook Guru

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    Do it. Now is as good a time as any.
     
    saurey, Oct 24, 2012
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  3. BatBoy

    BatBoy Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Unless its a concern due to temps (which you've indicated otherwise), why mess with it? ;)

    If you are a pro and have no hesitations with ripping down the system to do this, then sure. If not, I'd wait until an issue with temps starts to present itself. The 14x is a complete tear down in order to get at the GPU (instructions are here: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/M14x/en/SM/heatsink.htm#wp1188106).
     
    BatBoy, Oct 24, 2012
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  4. Alienware-Natalia_J

    Alienware-Natalia_J Company Representative

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    I agree with BatBoy, re paste if you start noticing issues with the temp, before that, why bother...but if you are going to do it anyway, be very careful, if you don't feel you are tech savy enough, then you might want to ask a friend to assist you. Good luck :)
     
    Alienware-Natalia_J, Oct 24, 2012
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  5. thauch

    thauch Notebook Consultant

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    Does this void the warranty if you repaste?
     
    thauch, Oct 24, 2012
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  6. headphones989

    headphones989 Notebook Consultant

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    hmmmph you're probably fine to not repaste until any problems arise (what are your current temps?)... sounds like you're still good though - usually repasting should occur when you get a new laptop and the temps are to high - but repasting will definitely elongate the lifetime of your hardware if you can do it properly (if you can't and your temps are fine - either get a professional to do it or just let it be). had my m14x r1 for about a year and since the temps didn't rise too high i let the paste be. oh - if you want to OC your hardware repasting is a good idea if your temps rise too high (but get a professional if you aren't sure about your abilities),
     
    headphones989, Oct 25, 2012
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  7. Alienware-Natalia_J

    Alienware-Natalia_J Company Representative

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    No, it doesn't, unless you break something, that's why you have to be very careful :)
     
    Alienware-Natalia_J, Oct 25, 2012
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  8. empekay

    empekay Newbie

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    Apologize beforehand about necroing this thread, but I would like to share some insight about re-pasting.

    I have a M14x-R1, I7-2630QM @2.00ghz, 6GB DDR, Nvidia GT 555m 1.5gb.

    For the past few months, my laptop was overheating quite bad. GPU temps while gaming on LOWEST settings was running 95-97c and CPU was around the same. FPS was horrid, lucky to get 20 fps in Tera on lowest settings. Went out today and purchased some IC Diamond paste from my local PC repair shop. First, getting to the GPU/CPU isn't the easiest thing to do, you basically have to take the laptop apart completely. When I removed the heatsync, the factory paste was not even on both processors, just run-off on the side. I re-pasted both CPU/GPU, cleaned out some dust bunnies around the exhaust of the fan and put the laptop back together. Started Tera again with MSI afterburner on max settings, and Tera on max settings I hold 62-65 FPS and neither CPU or GPU got above 62c, it actually holds around 56c, even in GPU intensive areas.

    By far the best 9 bucks and an hour of time you could do to your laptop.
     
    empekay, Jul 18, 2013
    #8