GPU cracked pad?

[kazaam93]

So, I took apart my Dell Studio 1555 laptop to clean it out, and found literally a huge chunk of dust the size of my finger in the heatsink fan which was probably contributing towards the overheating.

I have AS5 paste coming tomorrow to put on the CPU

With regards to the GPU, I can't tell what is on the part of the heatsink that sits on top of the GPU die. It look like cracked clay and none of it is stuck to the GPU die

I don't know whether to leave the GPU or change it, and if i change it, what do i change it to? It is about 1mm thick

Sorry - I went a bit OTT on the pics, but would appreciate ALL the help I can get.I had to take the whole laptop apart to get to these parts so want to sort it ASAP and put it back together.

Id rather leave the GPU pad as it is if I can grt away with it- it is soft and looks fairly in tact though saying that I am not a technician, and this isnt my area of expertise

 

[dma0991]

You could remove the greyish clay stuff completely from both CPU and GPU. That is similar to TIM but of a thicker consistency and was made for easy application from the factory. Paste TIM works better and changing to AC5 should give lower temps, in addition to cleaning up the dust. The white sponge pad however is still needed and can usually be reused.

Just scrape off the remainder of the greyish stuff and do a thorough cleanup with IPA, apply TIM and it should work just fine.

 

[aigomorla]

1. remove that clay like material.
2. apply TIM on top of GPU
3. (important step) reattach heat sink and then remove it.
4. Inspect heat sink to see if the gpu die left a TIM imprint on the heat sink.

If it did leave a imprint... your all set and good, it means the clay wasnt a gap filler.
If it didnt leave a imprint, your in trouble as the clay was used to fill a gap, and you will probably need to use a thermal pad to fill in the gap.

^ this picture worries me because i dont see any metal... which is why i am hoping its not a gap filler.

A TIM imprint is something like this:

it means the die has contact with the metal surface.

 

[kazaam93]

1. remove that clay like material.
2. apply TIM on top of GPU
3. (important step) reattach heat sink and then remove it.
4. Inspect heat sink to see if the gpu die left a TIM imprint on the heat sink.

If it did leave a imprint... your all set and good, it means the clay wasnt a gap filler.
If it didnt leave a imprint, your in trouble as the clay was used to fill a gap, and you will probably need to use a thermal pad to fill in the gap.

^ this picture worries me because i dont see any metal... which is why i am hoping its not a gap filler.

A TIM imprint is something like this:

it means the die has contact with the metal surface.

It looks to me like there's no TIM on the graphics card- just the pad.

There's definitely TIM paste stuff on the CPU die and the corresponding contact on the heat sink.

The sell manual for this laptop says the pad doesn't need to be replaced if it's still the the same heat sink and GPU, which is the case here, so I am tempted to just leave it and only replace the TIM on the CPU.

Is it possible the pad in this case is a thermal pad for year dissipation AND to fill the gap?

My current plan is to leave the GPU as is and see how it runs

 

[kazaam93]

Edit- the GPU heatsink part does actually have an imprint of the GPU on it (logo etc) is visible on the pad. Take it this means I can remove the pad and put AS5 paste on the GPU die?

You can see the imprint in the first picture the GPU die has made on the heatsink

 

[aigomorla]

Edit- the GPU heatsink part does actually have an imprint of the GPU on it (logo etc) is visible on the pad. Take it this means I can remove the pad and put AS5 paste on the GPU die?

You can see the imprint in the first picture the GPU die has made on the heatsink

yes... however id still do a imprint test.

It should only take you a couple extra minutes to remount the heat sink and take it off.

So apply the AS5 paste on the GPU die... then clamp the heat sink, and then put it out.

if it TIM is imprinted on the heat sink, then your good to go.

You would of course need to reapply the time the second time when u clamp it on for good.

 

[kazaam93]

Just an update (albeit an irrelevant one to this thread)

Amazing how fast my 5 year old dell is running now Better than when I got it brand new

Put an SSD in, cleaned the fan, cleaned CPU die + heatsink and added AS5 thermal paste.

Running quietly, CPU and RAM usage is low as ever, and boots up in 10 seconds.

 

[aigomorla]

it should also run a lot cooler!