Do CPUs overheat due to thermal paste?

[Merisho]

SOLUTION:
Answer lies in overclocking. This video have helped me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GiF1rrWK7U
After this fix I had maximum temp of CPU 84 Celsius and average 71-74 during gaming with higher presets than before.

Hello everyone. I have faced with CPU overheating while playing 4 year old game at medium presets and a little bit above. Below are my suggestions, but actually question is: Can damaged/dried out/insufficient thermal paste cause overheating of all CPUs (up to 95 Celsius) after 1-1.5 hours of common gaming?
Laptop is bought 2 days ago, assemble date is June 2016.
Thank you all in advance.

My specs are:
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501VW-FY063T

My suggestions:

1. Integrated GPU is working instead of dedicated. I have checked my dedicated video adapter and it has temperature up to 80 Celsius in game. However I still have suspicions integrated video does all the job. Does it make sense?

2. CPU fan works fine. I can hear it.

3. After I have placed some books under the laptop heating became less, but still reaches 90+ Celsius after 1-1.5 hours of gaming. So can thermal paste thing cause this?

 

[The Paladin]

Thermal paste will dry after about 2-3 years of being properly applied to a cpu and heatsink, the heat generated by the cpu/gpu causes this yes.
on a laptop things are further complicates that the fan or fans it has force air down pathways out of the plastic , often the same air flowing from cpu hot flows over the gpus heatsink before exiting the system, re-application of thermal paste does help a great deal, but nothing you can do about design engineered laptops.... why I prefer a desktop for my gaming.

 

[Nick_50]

Thermal paste can dry out but I wouldn't expect a laptop only 7-8 months old to have this problem. There is a chance that there was not enough or too much applied but you have no way of knowing without taking everything apart which I wouldn't do on a 2 day old laptop.

I think you would be able to tell pretty easily if the graphics are running from the integrated just because of the poor frame rates during gaming, what games are you playing and what frame rates are you getting?

If you aren't happy with the laptop I would return it and see if you have the same problem with another one.

 

[kango69]

If its a new laptop the thermal paste will be fine.
It's just a problem with some laptops, they don't handle cooling well enough to keep the components cool.
Here is another thread with a user having the same problems as you.
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2957453/brand-asus-zenbook-pro-overheating.html
I would recommend a laptop cooler.
http://www.techradar.com/news/5-of-the-best-laptop-coolers-2016

 

[Merisho]

Thermal paste can dry out but I wouldn't expect a laptop only 7-8 months old to have this problem. There is a chance that there was not enough or too much applied but you have no way of knowing without taking everything apart which I wouldn't do on a 2 day old laptop.

I think you would be able to tell pretty easily if the graphics are running from the integrated just because of the poor frame rates during gaming, what games are you playing and what frame rates are you getting?

If you aren't happy with the laptop I would return it and see if you have the same problem with another one.

I am playing Prototype 2 (2012) and I didn't test fps but look and feel that it's definitely 50+

 

[velo3100]

It can do if the laptop is old and the paste has dried or if there is too much.

 

[aquielisunari]

RETURN that laptop to the place of purchase. Period. No question.

Is this multiple questions? from other people? Regardless of where and how this question was put together we are not the ones to help fix that issue. Return it.

Yes, dried out thermal paste can cause issues. NO. That laptop's thermal tape would not be dried and useless in that short of a time window.

 

[cbag]

Thermal paste will dry after about 2-3 years of being properly applied to a cpu and heatsink, the heat generated by the cpu/gpu causes this yes.
on a laptop things are further complicates that the fan or fans it has force air down pathways out of the plastic , often the same air flowing from cpu hot flows over the gpus heatsink before exiting the system, re-application of thermal paste does help a great deal, but nothing you can do about design engineered laptops.... why I prefer a desktop for my gaming.

How common is it for thermal paste to dry out? Mine has been going strong for almost 5 years and I haven't noticed it running any hotter. Are you talking about the thermal pad instead?

 

[Viking2121]

I've used Artic Silver for years and the longest I ever kept it on a system was my Phenom II x6 1100T, it was on that system for 3 years until I sold it. It wasn't dried out but I also do not live in a dry climate like Arizona or California. I can't say anything about other paste, but they can dry out.

I typically work on OEM computers where the paste is dry and chips off, same with GPU's often needing replaced, but them systems are normally in excesses of 5 years old with paste that was great to begin with.