Applying thermal paste

[Daggerstrike]

How hard is it to apply thermal paste to a laptop? I am planning on buying a Sager NP7339 from XoticPC and I saw that the IC Diamond paste was an extra $35. I heard that IC Diamond can scratch the CPU and that most companies usually botch the paste jobs anyway. As someone completely inexperienced at this, would it be easy to learn? Last thing I would want to do is void the warranty and ruin the system. Speaking of, would such an action void the xoticpc and/or a squaretrade warranty (which I would be buying to go with the laptop)?


P.S. If it's relevant, I'd probably be using Tuniq TX-4 since I heard it's really good.

 

[ThatVietGuy]

Try using the laptop first before you crack it open and void the warranty. Take temps and if they get too high then worry about using new paste.

To answer the question, though, no, it's not hard to apply thermal paste to a laptop. It can just be more tedious vs. a desktop due to the the construction of some laptops.

 

[Daggerstrike]

Try using the laptop first before you crack it open and void the warranty. Take temps and if they get too high then worry about using new paste.

To answer the question, though, no, it's not hard to apply thermal paste to a laptop. It can just be more tedious vs. a desktop due to the the construction of some laptops.

1. So it would void the warranty for xoticpc and a third party warranty if I cracked open the case and put my own thermal paste in?

2. I was wondering about
about the paste in the first place because I've heard that the sager can get really really hot under load and I want to do as much as possible to drop the temps.

3. So if I was to try applying it myself, it would be possible (given my experience level of 0), but it would be time consuming, right?

 

[Turb0Yoda]

It's somewhat easy to replace depending on laptop... Some you simply have to pop open the bottom and unscrew the fan. Others need to be completely taken apart...

 

[ThatVietGuy]

Try using the laptop first before you crack it open and void the warranty. Take temps and if they get too high then worry about using new paste.

To answer the question, though, no, it's not hard to apply thermal paste to a laptop. It can just be more tedious vs. a desktop due to the the construction of some laptops.

1. So it would void the warranty for xoticpc and a third party warranty if I cracked open the case and put my own thermal paste in?

2. I was wondering about
about the paste in the first place because I've heard that the sager can get really really hot under load and I want to do as much as possible to drop the temps.

3. So if I was to try applying it myself, it would be possible (given my experience level of 0), but it would be time consuming, right?

I know some laptops have a sticker on the bottom overlying a screw that has to be broken if you want access to the innards. Break the sticker = break the warranty. I don't know if this is the case for the laptop you're looking at.

And just because you hear about some "fact" on the internet about a laptop/manufacturer doesn't necessarily make it true. That's why I said to get the laptop first, use it, and then see for yourself if replacing the paste is necessary. And I agree with the other poster - forget using the $35 upgrade.

As for how long it would take you it depends on how the laptop is constructed. I know on my MSI all you have to do is take off the bottom panel and the heatsinks are in plain view. Some laptops require complete deconstruction to get to the chips (though this is more the case with cheaper, non-gaming laptops).