Question Choosing thermal paste/pad for my laptop ?

[retroforlife]

hey so I've got a Lenovo Legion Slim 5 16" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7, RTX 4060 and the paste is rock solid only had it for less than 3 months and temps seem to be getting way higher hitting thermal throttle temps I've been trying to find what paste or pad would be best to use since it seems to be direct die to heat sink and a lot of what I've read is saying a lot of pastes dry out super fast so unsure what I should buy never done a laptop before so I'm clueless any help would be appreciated

 

[geofelt]

Changing paste is usually wishful thinking.
And, opening up a laptop exposes you to causing damage where there was none.

I see many complaints about gaming laptops not performing well.
Usually gaming while plugged in.
One common cause is thermal throttling.
Laptop coolers must, of necessity be small and light.
The coolers are also relatively underpowered.
If you run an app such as HWMonitor or HWinfo, you will get the current, minimum, and maximum cpu temperatures. Set to see each individual core.
For intel processors, if you see a max of 100c. in red, it means you have throttled.
I think the number for ryzen is more like 85c-90c.
The cpu will lower it's multiplier and power draw to protect itself until the situation reverses.
At a lower multiplier, your cpu usage may well be at 100%
What can you do?
First, see that your cooler airways are clear and that the cooler fan is spinning.
Use a windows balanced power profile, not the performance profile.
Set a minimum cpu performance to something like 20%

It is counter-intuitive, but, try changing the windows balanced power profile advanced functions to a max of 90% instead of the default of 100%
You may not notice the reduced cpu performance.

 

[retroforlife]

Changing paste is usually wishful thinking.
And, opening up a laptop exposes you to causing damage where there was none.

I see many complaints about gaming laptops not performing well.
Usually gaming while plugged in.
One common cause is thermal throttling.
Laptop coolers must, of necessity be small and light.
The coolers are also relatively underpowered.
If you run an app such as HWMonitor or HWinfo, you will get the current, minimum, and maximum cpu temperatures. Set to see each individual core.
For intel processors, if you see a max of 100c. in red, it means you have throttled.
I think the number for ryzen is more like 85c-90c.
The cpu will lower it's multiplier and power draw to protect itself until the situation reverses.
At a lower multiplier, your cpu usage may well be at 100%
What can you do?
First, see that your cooler airways are clear and that the cooler fan is spinning.
Use a windows balanced power profile, not the performance profile.
Set a minimum cpu performance to something like 20%

It is counter-intuitive, but, try changing the windows balanced power profile advanced functions to a max of 90% instead of the default of 100%
You may not notice the reduced cpu performance.

it has definitely got worse after 3 months usage since i fully tested and checked temps updated bios drivers etc when i first bought it and already opened it to install a m.2 2nd drive since they said it perfectly fine and doesnt affect warranty same as the cooler if i dont damage anything just 8 screws i think and 2 fan plugs super simple with this laptop check google image pretty impressive how easy the layout it to work on

this is its current temps under light load using a browser and a few light programs using a under custom power profile much lower than the performance mode with fans running flat out your see what i mean on temps its got to be a contact issue or dry paste

View: https://youtu.be/vFdIgIKqfrc

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Some of the old favourites suffer with pump out effect. Noctua NT-H2 Thermal Paste is a good one.

 

[beyondlogic]

it has definitely got worse after 3 months usage since i fully tested and checked temps updated bios drivers etc when i first bought it and already opened it to install a m.2 2nd drive since they said it perfectly fine and doesnt affect warranty same as the cooler if i dont damage anything just 8 screws i think and 2 fan plugs super simple with this laptop check google image pretty impressive how easy the layout it to work on

this is its current temps under light load using a browser and a few light programs using a under custom power profile much lower than the performance mode with fans running flat out your see what i mean on temps its got to be a contact issue or dry paste

View: https://youtu.be/vFdIgIKqfrc

it has definitely got worse after 3 months usage since i fully tested and checked temps updated bios drivers etc when i first bought it and already opened it to install a m.2 2nd drive since they said it perfectly fine and doesnt affect warranty same as the cooler if i dont damage anything just 8 screws i think and 2 fan plugs super simple with this laptop check google image pretty impressive how easy the layout it to work on

this is its current temps under light load using a browser and a few light programs using a under custom power profile much lower than the performance mode with fans running flat out your see what i mean on temps its got to be a contact issue or dry paste

View: https://youtu.be/vFdIgIKqfrc

mx6 or mx4 tends to be the best.

best way to clean the cpu and gpu is isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs.

best way i find to spread thermal paste is using a

Clear Vinyl Gloves no powder.​

being extremely gentle with a finger spreading the paste evenly. ( do not apply pressure to die)

other method doing several lines across the die.

also when removing cooler make a note of every screw as there normal different lengths

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

only had it for less than 3 months...been trying to find what paste or pad would be best to use

it's possible that this type of user manipulation could void any warranty on the device.
you may want to check with the manufacturer first before attempting.

 

[retroforlife]

it's possible that this type of user manipulation could void any warranty on the device.
you may want to check with the manufacturer first before attempting.

they said it's fine I have there customer service messages just don't feel like waiting to get it sent off when it will take me 20 mins at most

 

[retroforlife]

mx6 or mx4 tends to be the best.

best way to clean the cpu and gpu is isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs.

best way i find to spread thermal paste is using a

Clear Vinyl Gloves no powder.​

being extremely gentle with a finger spreading the paste evenly. ( do not apply pressure to die)

other method doing several lines across the die.

also when removing cooler make a note of every screw as there normal different lengths

with how small the die is for the CPU and GPU it would take very very little since no IHS also the cooler on this is 4 heat pipes and two fans either side all held in place with the same screws about 7 also thermal putty on the vrm with some pads in places what I find interesting is there no springs or screw points near the chips only the out side

https://ibb.co/4ZhjS67

 

[beyondlogic]

with how small the die is for the CPU and GPU it would take very very little since no IHS also the cooler on this is 4 heat pipes and two fans either side all held in place with the same screws about 7 also thermal putty on the vrm with some pads in places what I find interesting is there no springs or screw points near the chips only the out side

https://ibb.co/4ZhjS67

yes but diffrent thermal pastes spread diffrently mx4 spreads easier and lasts longer without dry out.

mx6 is a bit more gummy.

they probly put it around the ouside as they dont want to much of that weight on the die just enough for it to touch.

 

[retroforlife]

yes but diffrent thermal pastes spread diffrently mx4 spreads easier and lasts longer without dry out.

mx6 is a bit more gummy.

they probly put it around the ouside as they dont want to much of that weight on the die just enough for it to touch.

ive ordered Noctua NT-N2 and will try the MX-6 after a month or so if i have issues with the first one there both solid for heat transfer but the thickness to keep contact between heating and cooling might be the issue ill have with this cooling design

 

[beyondlogic]

ive ordered Noctua NT-N2 and will try the MX-6 after a month or so if i have issues with the first one there both solid for heat transfer but the thickness to keep contact between heating and cooling might be the issue ill have with this cooling design

the shared heatpipes doesnt help theres technically only 1 dedicated heatpipe for gpu side the rest run across the chips