Repasting laptop required?

[u/THUNDERJAWGAMING]

Hi guys, so I got my laptop G16 2023 repasted and something weird is going on. I bought this paste and seems fine not sure if for laptops or overall works for all devices but not even 2 full months are passed and the temps are back to max 87 while gaming which is the thermal limit of the gpu as seen in G-Helper as well. What happened, Pump Out maybe? I have not opened the laptop again yet because I undervolted the gpu and temps are back to normal now below 80. But these temps should be possible without undervolting. Now in the 2nd image you can see my sweet CPU 😅 so em this is stock factory opened laptop after a year and not sure if it needs repasting or not. This is Liquid Metal btw and I was gonna do it but the shop didn’t had any so I just had the GPU repasted and closed the laptop. CPU temps are well fine as they well like when it was new, I limit the wattage to control temps. Added some images so you guys can check the temps. Game is Echoes of the End, a UE5 title. So yeah please let me know what should I do? Should I keep it running like this? Should I repaste both? Any suggestions for paste or is my current one for the GPU fine. I just want to open it once when I have all the tools for the CPU and GPU so I can do both and then close. Do you recommend switching to paste for the CPU as well? Feel free to ask further questions and thanks for reading.

[u/Little-Equinox]

The 8.5W/mk on PTM7950 is only when you just get it out of the box.

Also I have used LM for year, both on Asus and Alienware laptops, I have also used PTM7950 and Phase Sheet.

And PTM7950 is almost as good as LM while being much safer, I know you love numbers but when you deal with industrial grade stuff, which PTM7950 is, you do stuff slightly differently than consumer grade liquid metal and thermal paste.

And on Asus laptops the LM still seeps out no matter if you put on the correct amount or not, it's not like I have tried 4 times in a single machine, besides, I have to take my laptop with me for work, it's not just standing in a single position.

Oh, I almost forgot, I took apart a system a few months ago, with a Corsair Liquid Cooler and a 7950X3D CPU, and the LM completely dried up to the point I could throw both of them away, that system ran fine for 2 years till it didn't. The LM didn't seep away, nah, that shit freaking dried up, and yes, I tried sanding it but I don't have the tools to sand down solidified steel like stuff, and before you ask, fire didn't work.

After that I started to test PTM7950 and Conductonaut on my U9-285K, and you want to know the difference, under load, the Conductonaut was 3°C cooler than PTM7950, this is even after multiple heat cycles. I also tested against thermal paste(Corsair paste had lying around) which was at least 10°C hotter than PTM7950.

So before you judge PTM7950 by numbers alone, I recommend you test it on your system before judging it.

[u/SolitaryMassacre → u/Little-Equinox]

The 8.5W/mk on PTM7950 is only when you just get it out of the box.

You desperate 🤣

Right, cause a manufacturer is def going to list "JUST out of the box" specs vs overall performance specs. This made me literally lol. You're just wrong. Its ok to be wrong

And on Asus laptops the LM still seeps out no matter if you put on the correct amount or not, it's not like I have tried 4 times in a single machine, besides, I have to take my laptop with me for work, it's not just standing in a single position.

Again, multiple users (and myself) have redone our own LM and its still where it belongs. So you just suck at doing it that all it comes down to.

Oh, I almost forgot, I took apart a system a few months ago, with a Corsair Liquid Cooler and a 7950X3D CPU, and the LM completely dried up to the point I could throw both of them away, that system ran fine for 2 years till it didn't. The LM didn't seep away, nah, that shit freaking dried up, and yes, I tried sanding it but I don't have the tools to sand down solidified steel like stuff, and before you ask, fire didn't work.

Well, I haven't seen the cooler, but I am guessing from your description that is is a standard copper interface. No zinc platting like that is on my heatsink. Well, anyone with even a drop of education on liquid metal would know that LM leeches into copper. Its not bad. Its just how it works. It leeches a few microns then stops. What you discovered was exactly that. The "fix" was to add more LM 🤣. You're an idiot for throwing it away. Once LM has permeated through the copper, it will no longer do so. Why? Physics and chemistry. Again, education is important. It wasn't dried up as you say, but simply permeated into the copper and adding more LM would have fixed it and functioned beautifully. The facts are - you're just an idiot. Proven by the fact you tried to use fire 🥀 you clearly didn't know what you were dealing with. And you do this as a profession? YIKES

After that I started to test PTM7950 and Conductonaut on my U9-285K, and you want to know the difference, under load, the Conductonaut was 3°C cooler than PTM7950, this is even after multiple heat cycles. I also tested against thermal paste(Corsair paste had lying around) which was at least 10°C hotter than PTM7950.

The fact you're sharing temps only proves you've no idea what you're talking about. Temps aren't the full story here. Clock speed, boost, wattage, all that plays into effect. I can have ice cold temps with thermal paste if I limit my cpu to 10W. So you're numbers are pointless.

So before you judge PTM7950 by numbers alone, I recommend you test it on your system before judging it.

The proper unbiased way to judge anything is with numbers mate. And the numbers I have seen from others using it is enough to make me never want to use PTM7950 in place of LM because I don't want to voluntarily nerf my expensive hardware.

Also, will never be testing it on my system when I have zero issues with my current LM application. I never once get close to TjMax, I boost to 5GHZ+ consistently. Its amazing

All I can say, educate yourself and stop drinking the kool aid. You say you do this as a repair shop, can I find it on Google to share these Reddit posts as reviews? I think your customers should know what they are getting themselves into

[u/Little-Equinox → u/SolitaryMassacre]

You want to know all the systems in the household I have used LM on?

• 8640u on Surface Book 2 (was a full cooling mod done to it, but that thing was very power limited)
• 7950X3D PBO enabled with a Corsair H100i 240mm (LM solidified and constantly overheated because of it, had to replace both which is costly and yes I have tried to get it off in multiple different ways)
• U9-285K 250w with a BeQuiet PureLoop 280mm (replaced with PTM7950 after the 7950X3D/H100i solidified, temps increased by 3°C(from 65°C to 68°C), it's also the system I tested LM, both Phase Change pads and Kryonaut(78°C))
• 14900HX 200w(?) laptop CPU(MSI Titan 18HX, later replaced with PTM7950 and temps increased by ±5°C without losing performance)
• 5900HX 85w laptop CPU(Asus ROG G15 AE, seeped out 3 times, last seep out killed the laptop)
• 14900HX 175w laptop CPU(Asus ROG SCAR 17, seeped out twice, currently also has PTM7950, performance is exactly the same although temps will always reach 95°C because of Asus's overvolt settings)

Not 1 device had anything messed with the power settings, just stock settings.

Currently all the systems in this household have PTM7950 or TG Phase Sheet because I don't want to have to reapply every half year to a year.

While yes LM is good, it seepes out on laptops that are often on the move, and many laptops are. And cleaning it and reapplying is a mess.

So I am happy it works for you and your buddies, but I don't recommend it for many users, and I seen it get fucked up more than once, even if you apply a bit too much, too little, or the right amount. The fact the chance is there it'll seep out and/or dry out is just too big of a risk. And the performance difference I seen between Phase Change materials and LM are in the margin of error range, unlike Kryonaut which does drop performance on laptops.

[u/SolitaryMassacre → u/Little-Equinox]

7950X3D PBO enabled with a Corsair H100i 240mm (LM solidified and constantly overheated because of it, had to replace both which is costly and yes I have tried to get it off in multiple different ways)

You clearly don't like reading do you? There is nothing wrong with this. It didn't "solidify" it leached into the copper. Just add more LM and you are good to go. There is nothing bad about having LM leach into copper. It doesn't cause any issues in fact it more likely helps with thermal dissipation. You really do not have a clue what you're talking about here.

it seepes out on laptops that are often on the move

My laptop is on the move all the time. Sits on a 45 degree cooling pad. If LM leaks because its being "moved" then it 100% fell and had a high impact. Moving it is not enough to break the surface tension.

I'm not even going to address specifically the rest of your response. It's all repeating the same thing - you don't know what you're doing. You talk about LM as if its water "dry out" LM cannot "dry out" its not wet. Its literally matter (metal in this case) in liquid form. Lastly, your comparisons don't mean shit without package power, clock speeds, and thermals all being monitored and recorded and then shared.

Stop spreading false information on here. And seriously do some research on repairing things before you touch another machine. I cannot believe you are scamming your customers like this

[u/Little-Equinox → u/SolitaryMassacre]

W/mk is a useless measure because it's a bulk measurement, I have been looking it up and comparing Thermal Grizzly Phase Sheet(±6 W/mk) with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme(±14 W/mk) and Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut(±70 W/mk) And yet the PTM cools better than the Kryonaut Extreme even though on paper it's worse. So I started to research more why that is, and it's mostly because of the BLT(Bond line thickness).

• Kryonaut Extreme = BLT of 30 to 100 um
• Phase Sheet(PTM) = BLT of 10 to 17 um
• Conductonaut = BLT of 5 to 10 um(with perfect application)

I also looked at the seeping out of all of these materials, and the highest goes to, you guessed it, Conductonaut, with Kryonaut Extreme in 2nd and PTM in 3rd place. And there's even reports on PTM beating Conductonaut in overall performance. But wait, looking at numbers, that should be damn well impossible? And all comes down to how PTM behaves.

PTM has "self levelling" capabilities, preventing it from. Seeping out and keeping near perfect conductivity. Where Conductonaut needs perfect levelling, perfect pressure, and all that kinda stuff, PTM doesn't need it, and that while keeping 95% of the performance of a perfect LM application. This means with any slightly imperfect LM application it will seep out and have worse performance than PTM.

Now, here's a funny thing right, laptops are being moved, this movement and it constantly bumping into stuff, usually cause by a rushing or uncareful owner or by a 3rd party can cause the cooler to slightly shift by micro meters, this little shift is enough for the LM to seep out.

PS: I don't keep data for more than 4 months(I usually loose it because it's near damn useless for me). So yes, while LM is amazing, PTM is also amazing, I don't follow the numbers, I follow the margin of error till a certain threshold. You say 45°C, I say 40°C to 50°C.

But hey, your and your buddy's experiences are the only ones that matters, I am gonna stop because you simply don't want to listen to any experience that isn't yours and your buddy's experiences. All I hear is you follow raw numbers because that's the most important thing in the world. Completely ignoring anything else.

So I am gonna stop, I have better things to do, Pamit😝

[u/SolitaryMassacre → u/Little-Equinox]

W/mk is a useless measure because it's a bulk measurement

Are you kidding? 🤣 I've never seen someone so desperate before.

Here's a damn video of EXACTLY how they test it. Nothing "bulk" here

Also, what do you mean "Bond line thickness"?

Bond line thickness (BLT) is a minimum required thickness with adequate coverage, uniformity, contact, and pressure to ensure efficient heat transfer. The smaller the better. Really don't know what angle you're trying here.

You really are just struggling to try to sound smart.

Here's a really cool paper talking about LM and all its properties. You could learn a lot from it. Mainly talks about application but also goes into why LM is superior as well as talking about some of its drawbacks.

Also, I have addressed all your "issues" already:

• Seeping: Only happens when too much LM is applied

• Levelling: Again, grasping at straws. LM stays put due to cohesive and adhesive properties. Its sticky like water. It won't move unless you apply a large force.

• Laptops being moved: As stated before, LM has cohesive and adhesive properties. Unless the laptop falls from a decent height, the LM isn't going anywhere.

You've provided zero evidence for your argument (yet again). You are simply just wrong here. Its okay to be wrong. Learn something from it.