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terraphantm

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2009
3,814
663
Pennsylvania
I've noticed my rMBP's temperatures get pretty high with even a little load (90ºC+) and I'm pretty sure it throttles in some of these instances. I've heard Apple uses some pretty crappy thermal paste, so I wouldn't mind spending a few minutes replacing that. But would Apple void my warranty if discovered? Or is it only one of those things that wouldn't be covered if I screw up?
 
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bobcan

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2007
680
5
Sunny but Cold.. Canada
Hmmmm.. Not so sure, but __ ..

Code:
.. would Apple void my warranty if discovered?

Hmm.. Truthfully, I do NOT know the Answer _ but YES, I am sure it would!! ;)

Quite a step from Swapping RAM or a HD/SSD.. but someone wiser than me will enlighten us soon.. I am sure as well!! :apple:
 

Gav2k

macrumors G3
Jul 24, 2009
9,216
1,608
Yes it does void your warranty only cmbp's allow for ram and hdd upgrades keeping your warranty intact.
 

terraphantm

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2009
3,814
663
Pennsylvania
Code:
.. would Apple void my warranty if discovered?

Hmm.. Truthfully, I do NOT know the Answer _ but YES, I am sure it would!! ;)

Quite a step from Swapping RAM or a HD/SSD.. but someone wiser than me will enlighten us soon.. I am sure as well!! :apple:

My gut feeling is that at a minimum, the logic board would no longer be covered... and that's the only thing I'm worried about now since my display and battery have already been replaced under warranty.
 

snaky69

macrumors 603
Mar 14, 2008
5,908
488
I've noticed my rMBP's temperatures get pretty high with even a little low (90ºC+) and I'm pretty sure it throttles in some of these instances. I've heard Apple uses some pretty crappy thermal paste, so I wouldn't mind spending a few minutes replacing that. But would Apple void my warranty if discovered? Or is it only one of those things that wouldn't be covered if I screw up?

One could argue it doesn't void your warranty, unless you break anything in the process, then you're on your own.
 

Bending Pixels

macrumors 65816
Jul 22, 2010
1,307
365
Yes - it will void your warranty....and you run the risk of damaging your MBP in the process

As to it getting hot, what program(s) are you running at the time when it gets hot? Games, video rendering, 3D programs, Flash video will cause the CPU to work harder (something it's supposed to do) and generate more heat. If you're doing any of these, the 90ºC is normal.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,419
43,308
Of course, you're completely disassembling the computer, remove the heat sink and re-applying the thermal grease. All sorts of things can go wrong from that operation and apple's warranty against manufacturer defects is voided.
 

terraphantm

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2009
3,814
663
Pennsylvania
Well I am confident I can do the procedure without damaging anything. But I recognize that if something does go wrong within the next year (time left on my AppleCare), apple would have no way of verifying I didn't mess up. So I guess I'll see if I can wait until the warranty is gone.
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
Yes it does, but if you invest in some Shin-Etsu paste you can put the factory paste back on. Just remember to put 5x more paste than necessary and Apple won't notice :D

I use Gelid GC Extreme for excellent results on any Mac, polish the die plates on the heatsink with a bit of Chrome polish to get the contact areas with CPU and GPU nice and shiny but make sure you get all the polish off and clean with isopropyl after and let dry.

I get normally an 8C average idle drop on the retinas, but you really do have to know what you're doing tearing down a MBP. They are not easy to tear down stuff like HP Probooks...
 

terraphantm

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2009
3,814
663
Pennsylvania
I get normally an 8C average idle drop on the retinas, but you really do have to know what you're doing tearing down a MBP. They are not easy to tear down stuff like HP Probooks...

On the rMBP at least, it looks pretty easy. Logic board doesn't have to be removed to remove the heatsink.

I'll think about it. I actually do have plenty of Shin-Etsu paste, so I may be able to get it to look factory ish
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
On the rMBP at least, it looks pretty easy. Logic board doesn't have to be removed to remove the heatsink.



I'll think about it. I actually do have plenty of Shin-Etsu paste, so I may be able to get it to look factory ish



It's easy for me cos I've done every Mac there is. Being careful and methodical is my best advice, take your time and don't rush. Use the ifixit and technicians guides to help you. If you're worried about doing while under AppleCare then wait - I do plenty after the 3 years are up with excellent results. You will probably find dried up paste all over the place it's usually a mess I prefer to remove the board and wash it down with denatured isopropyl but unlike 91% it's very flammable.

You will have more TDP headroom after with the thermal system optimised perfectly. Done many for gaming but machines that do renders too which have actually cut render times and they run cooler, the fans spin up less and are faster to spin down. That's thermodynamics not courtesy of Apple!
 
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GoldfishRT

macrumors 6502a
Jul 24, 2014
611
349
Somewhere
It voids your warranty for certain.

But once the warranty is out go ahead. Apple's termal paste application is quite less than satisfactory.

Once my repair warranty runs out in a few weeks on this the first thing I'm doing is throwing some good quality compound on it. Not that I've had any thermal throttling but it can't hurt.
 

Gav Mack

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2008
2,193
22
Sagittarius A*
It voids your warranty for certain.



But once the warranty is out go ahead. Apple's termal paste application is quite less than satisfactory.



Once my repair warranty runs out in a few weeks on this the first thing I'm doing is throwing some good quality compound on it. Not that I've had any thermal throttling but it can't hurt.


For iMac, mini and notebooks they are an absolute shocker - I will not use swear words. The retinas can cope mostly compared to the older unibodies, which in the case of the 2011 15-17 is probably the most likely reason why users are having to pay when their gpu breaks. Polishing the die plates shiny also a great thing to make the bond flat as most aren't.

Only decent thermal bond I have ever found is in the Mac Pro 3,1 with the faster harpertown Xeon cpu's, liquid silver compound but cleaned off I still got lower than stock.
 
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