Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

6

Time Required

                          15 - 20 minutes

Sections

1

  • Heatsink & Thermal Paste
  • 6 steps

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Introduction

Pictures and text written by ouimetnick.

What you need

Step 1

              Heatsink & Thermal Paste
  • Simultaneously slide the battery latches (outlined by the red box) to the dock connector in the middle.
  • This will release the battery. Just slide the battery away from the computer.
  • Remove all screws and slide the panel off the laptop.

Simultaneously slide the battery latches (outlined by the red box) to the dock connector in the middle.

This will release the battery. Just slide the battery away from the computer.

Remove all screws and slide the panel off the laptop.

1024

Step 2

  • Pull the fan cable straight away from its socket.

Pull the fan cable straight away from its socket.

Step 3

  • Loosen screw 1
  • Do not completely loosen a screw.
  • Loosen each screw a little bit. Going from 1 then to 2 then to 3 and then to 4. Keep doing this until they are all loose.
  • Loosening one completely with out the other screws loosened may damage the logic board
  • Lift the heatsink up, until it won’t rise any farther.
  • Pull the heat sink out.

Loosen screw 1

Do not completely loosen a screw.

Loosen each screw a little bit. Going from 1 then to 2 then to 3 and then to 4. Keep doing this until they are all loose.

Loosening one completely with out the other screws loosened may damage the logic board

Lift the heatsink up, until it won’t rise any farther.

Pull the heat sink out.

Step 4

  • Using cotton swabs, clean off the old thermal paste off the die of the CPU and the heat sink.
  • Use the strongest isopropyl alcohol you can find.
  • You want to dip the cotton swabs into the alcohol and clean off the paste.
  • Keep doing this until the white cotton remains white. this indicates it is as clean as possible.
  • Dry the heat sink and die with another cotton swab. Make sure than none of the carbon fibers are left on the die or copper plating.

Using cotton swabs, clean off the old thermal paste off the die of the CPU and the heat sink.

Use the strongest isopropyl alcohol you can find.

You want to dip the cotton swabs into the alcohol and clean off the paste.

Keep doing this until the white cotton remains white. this indicates it is as clean as possible.

Dry the heat sink and die with another cotton swab. Make sure than none of the carbon fibers are left on the die or copper plating.

Step 5

  • And screw the screws in securely.
  • You want it tight, but not to tight because you will crack the logic board rendering it useless.

And screw the screws in securely.

You want it tight, but not to tight because you will crack the logic board rendering it useless.

Step 6

  • Side the back cover on.
  • Screw the screw in.
  • Pop the battery back in.

Side the back cover on.

Screw the screw in.

Pop the battery back in.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                                                                                      11 other people completed this guide.

Author

                                      with 5 other contributors 


                    Nicholas Ouimet

Member since: 10/16/2009

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Rory Gamble - Sep 18, 2016

Reply

Followed this guide hoping to reduce the loud fan noise from my E6400. You missed out the important step of applying new thermal paste after removing the old stuff. Also, you don’t mention the other two chips under the heatsink (presume the GPU and northbridge/chipset). On mine these had spongy, compressible pads where I would have expected thermal paste or a thermal sticker. I wasn’t sure whether to remove these or not, since they are quite thick - it seemed unlikely that normal thermal paste could bridge the gap. After putting everything back together the machine is still very noisy so it seems that the cpu temperature is not causing the high fan speed.

Nicholas Ouimet - Nov 8, 2016

Step 4 shows how to clean the old thermal paste off the processor. The rubber squares are thermal pads. Take care not to rip or damage them, or they will need to be replaced.