So I am using a 2009 macbook (out of warranty) and I have done many upgrades like installing an SSD, changing the RAM, etc. I tried opening it up to change thermal paste but I couldn't find where to change it. How do I change thermal paste?
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2009 MacBook, Should I Change Thermal Paste?
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The previous answer may be a little misleading, as to give you a more detailed answer we need to know which MacBook you have. The procedure for removal of the heat-sink is different depending if you have an early/mid 2009 (pre-unibody) or the late 2009 A1342 unibody model.
With the early/mid 2009 (A1181) models you gain access on removal of the top casing, and the heat-sink is located on the upper side of the logic board - not exactly an easy task to remove the heat-sink to renew the thermal paste, but at least one doesn't have to remove the logic board. Not so on the unibody model - although access is simple by removal of the bottom casing, the logic board must be removed to gain access to the heat-sink on the upper side of the board.
I've worked on both models many times and far prefer the late 2009 A1342 unibody model, even removal of the logic board is relatively straight forward by following iFixit instructions.
One last point. It's always good practise to renew the thermal paste after several years use as it goes hard and flakey and becomes less effective at conducting heat away from the CPU and onto the heat sink. But my experience shows that if one doesn't have relatively easy access to the heat-sink for repasting, it's often easier to remove the fan for thorough cleaning and removal of dust/debris which results in a cooler running computer.
Incidently the photo in the previous post appears to show the logic board from the late 2009 A1342 unibody model. As it's been removed one can see the upper side, and the 'black thing' that was referred to is in fact the heat-sink.
With the early/mid 2009 (A1181) models you gain access on removal of the top casing, and the heat-sink is located on the upper side of the logic board - not exactly an easy task to remove the heat-sink to renew the thermal paste, but at least one doesn't have to remove the logic board. Not so on the unibody model - although access is simple by removal of the bottom casing, the logic board must be removed to gain access to the heat-sink on the upper side of the board.
I've worked on both models many times and far prefer the late 2009 A1342 unibody model, even removal of the logic board is relatively straight forward by following iFixit instructions.
One last point. It's always good practise to renew the thermal paste after several years use as it goes hard and flakey and becomes less effective at conducting heat away from the CPU and onto the heat sink. But my experience shows that if one doesn't have relatively easy access to the heat-sink for repasting, it's often easier to remove the fan for thorough cleaning and removal of dust/debris which results in a cooler running computer.
Incidently the photo in the previous post appears to show the logic board from the late 2009 A1342 unibody model. As it's been removed one can see the upper side, and the 'black thing' that was referred to is in fact the heat-sink.
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^^^ I did it on the 2008 MacBook white and while it was a pain, it wasn't too bad. I did it mainly because I wanted to clean the fan and since I was there already I figured I should go a step further and do the thermal paste as well.
Made a very noticeable difference in fan noise when I was running Linux. But ultimately I just retired the machine because it was too old and slow - no hardware h.264 acceleration.
I have not bothered with either my late 2008 13" unibody aluminum MacBook nor my 13" 2009 MacBook Pro, and haven't felt the need for it as the fan doesn't ramp up much, even while playing video. (These both have the nVidia GeForce 9400M, which does full hardware acceleration of h.264.) I replaced a dying fan in the 2009 MBP about 7-8 years ago but I didn't replace the thermal paste at that time, and it's still OK.
BTW, when I attempted to remove that fan initially, there was one screw that simply wouldn't budge, no matter what I tried. In the end I just too a drill to the screw and broke the screw to get it out. So, when I put in the new fan, it was missing a screw. I just left it like that but it hasn't been a problem.
Made a very noticeable difference in fan noise when I was running Linux. But ultimately I just retired the machine because it was too old and slow - no hardware h.264 acceleration.
I have not bothered with either my late 2008 13" unibody aluminum MacBook nor my 13" 2009 MacBook Pro, and haven't felt the need for it as the fan doesn't ramp up much, even while playing video. (These both have the nVidia GeForce 9400M, which does full hardware acceleration of h.264.) I replaced a dying fan in the 2009 MBP about 7-8 years ago but I didn't replace the thermal paste at that time, and it's still OK.
BTW, when I attempted to remove that fan initially, there was one screw that simply wouldn't budge, no matter what I tried. In the end I just too a drill to the screw and broke the screw to get it out. So, when I put in the new fan, it was missing a screw. I just left it like that but it hasn't been a problem.
Do you need to change the thermal paste? Is the machine overheating and ramping up the fan too quickly?
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