GPU thermal pad/paste hybrid

[vinuneuro]

I came across this post, and it seems simple and effective enough, if his temps really did drop to those levels. My only concern is the part (the integral one of his solution) where he cuts out the portion of the thermal pad where the gpu makes contact and fills it in with thermal compound. It'd seemingly be the best of both worlds as the compound is there to conduct heat more effetively while the remainder of the pad fulfills its original role as a spacer. However, the poster below him suggested that when thermal compound is applied thicker than an extremely thin layer, as used conventionally, it will act as an insulator. Is there truth to this, because the results seem to be fantastic even when the MX-2 was applied as thick as the pad (1mm?).

I solved the problem for me and I think it's worth sharing the information!

If your T60 overheats it is a hardware problem!

Why this? Well, my T60p with ATI FireGL V5250 had also the problem getting to hot and even shutdown due to heat. I searched many forums and found out about tpfancontrol and compiled me a version with some modifications, but it did not solve the problem.

I also found out about NHC and RMCLOCK. Nothing really helped.

So I opened my T60p and disassembled the cooling device with the 2 heatpipes. There are 2 thermo pads as gap fillers to cool the graphics card. These are the crucial parts!

So if your T60 is getting to hot and especially the temperature of the graphics card exceeds 75°C I bet those pads are the cause and the assembler of your T60 did not handle the stuff correctly.

Since I had no spare thermo pads I tried this solution:

1. Disassemble your T60p until you can remove the cooling device with the 2 heatpipes.

2. Remove it carefully and ensure that the thermo pads stick to the heat pipe.

3. Clean the CPU, the graphics chips and the cooling device (I used fuel to remove all fat). The copper must be shiny again.

4. The thermo pads show squares where the graphic chips are pressing agains the thermo pad. Use a sharp knife or a razor blade and cut that square out and remove that square.

5. Use a good (the best!?) thermal conductive paste (e.g. MX-2) and add some to the copper where the CPU will contact it. Then fill the cut out squares of the thermo pads until it fully compensates the hole.
(Maybe it also works if you use new thermo pads...)

6. Insert the cooling device - avoid any sliding around - and fasten the screws to the CPU. Then fasten the clamp over the graphics chips.

Start the labtop and run CPU intensive then gfx intensive and later both intensiv programs and watch the temperature.

If you are content with the result assemble your labtop and enjoy.

My T60p temperatures after surgery:

idle: CPU 42°C GPU 59°C
100% load: CPU 71°C GPU 72°C
gaming: CPU 68°C GPU 75°C

hope this helps you

SF

I agree with your diagnosis that this is probably a hardware problem and the OP's money will be better spent fixing that than buying a notebook cooling pad.

Just one caution - thermal paste should be a wafer thin coating between the chip and the copper heatsink. Any thicker and it acts as an excellent insulator!

[JR956678]

However, the poster below him suggested that when thermal compound is applied thicker than an extremely thin layer, as used conventionally, it will act as an insulator. Is there truth to this, because the results seem to be fantastic even when the MX-2 was applied as thick as the pad (1mm?).

If the termal compound used was Artic Silver or something similar, it's designed to be used in a layer less than .001" thick. It seems to me that this approach would be much thicker than that.

The thermal pads on the stock heatsink are - themselves - thermally conductive, but designed to be used in thicker layers that normal thermal grease.

[vinuneuro]

How is that poster achieving temperatures that low using the thermal grease that thick?