PowerBook G4 Teardown...Temps

[tom vilsack]

Decided to take apart my PowerBook G4 15" 1.67 tonight because of heat (would get to about 150f during normal web page viewing)

Bit of a pain taking Logic Board out to get at cpu/gpu (yes i should have taken pics...me bad)....what a nightmare default thermal paste job apple did by default! It's like some worker just sprayed a load of paste where ever and locked it up!

Took some time cleaning off heatsink and cpu/gpu (qtips and more qtips)...long story short,I replaced both with nice grain of rice size bead of artic silver mx-2 and she is now running at about 120f during normal operating.

If you do try this...a couple points i noticed...when putting logic board back in place...double/triple check you have all connections ,12 above board before screwing back down...(i learned the hard way after right usb port didn't work...tear it down again ;-).....)....also take out both fans and give them a good cleaning while logic board is out....

 

[eyoungren]

Decided to take apart my PowerBook G4 15" 1.67 tonight because of heat (would get to about 150f during normal web page viewing)

Bit of a pain taking Logic Board out to get at cpu/gpu (yes i should have taken pics...me bad)....what a nightmare default thermal paste job apple did by default! It's like some worker just sprayed a load of paste where ever and locked it up!

Took some time cleaning off heatsink and cpu/gpu (qtips and more qtips)...long story short,I replaced both with nice grain of rice size bead of artic silver mx-2 and she is now running at about 120f during normal operating.

If you do try this...a couple points i noticed...when putting logic board back in place...double/triple check you have all connections ,12 above board before screwing back down...(i learned the hard way after right usb port didn't work...tear it down again ;-).....)....also take out both fans and give them a good cleaning while logic board is out....

I tore my wife's 12" PB down three times before I got it right. Went to replace the LCD which meant I had to take out the logicboard. There's a connector under there that I didn't get back in solid the first time. No start.

Second time I put a screw back in the wrong place. Too long and it poked out where it wasn't supposed to. I was lucky it didn't damage anything.

Third time I got it right, but at that point I had two broken parts. A keyboard key and a new latch later it's fine.

So your advice about checking things is solid!

 

[Swampus]

....what a nightmare default thermal paste job apple did by default! It's like some worker just sprayed a load of paste where ever and locked it up!...

It's not just Apple. This is something that every manufacturer can improve on. The first thing that I do when a computer is out of warranty is redo the thermal compound. It's always either poor quality compound, poor quality workmanship, or both. The factory workers making 95 cents an hour may not even understand the principle of it? Maybe they think more is better?

Anyone still running a G4 or G5 with the original compound should seriously think about doing this. Even if it was done correctly (it likely wasn't), the factory application doesn't last forever. Don't be afraid of it. If you're worried, use non-electrically conductive compound like the MX-2 mentioned here. With 20 minutes of research, even a complete novice will usually do a better job than was done at the factory.

Obviously, this was a smart move on your part. What a huge difference in those temps!

 

[tom vilsack]

Ya I just did same tear down to my sisters 3 year old compaq cq (see pic below)...was running unreal hot,so did a complete thermal paste cleaning/reapply,fan cleaning ect....now runs great...

As for the powerbook,I just bought as a computer to add to my collection (don't ask) so don't really need on a daily basis.... bought this one because both top and bottom ram slots both work (know issue for these powerbooks)

 

[tom vilsack]

Has anyone here tried putting a ssd into there powerbook? I know it would help boot times (not to worried about that,as mine boots in 20-30 sec)...but wondering what overall feel was like? Faster internet page load times? ect...

I would go with (Transcend TS64GPSD330) at newegg.ca ($99 +shipping)...just wondering if worth the upgrade?

 

[noodle654]

It's not just Apple. This is something that every manufacturer can improve on. The first thing that I do when a computer is out of warranty is redo the thermal compound. It's always either poor quality compound, poor quality workmanship, or both. The factory workers making 95 cents an hour may not even understand the principle of it? Maybe they think more is better?

Anyone still running a G4 or G5 with the original compound should seriously think about doing this. Even if it was done correctly (it likely wasn't), the factory application doesn't last forever. Don't be afraid of it. If you're worried, use non-electrically conductive compound like the MX-2 mentioned here. With 20 minutes of research, even a complete novice will usually do a better job than was done at the factory.

Obviously, this was a smart move on your part. What a huge difference in those temps!

Definitely second everything you said. I replaced the thermal paste job on my DC G5...turns out it didn't have enough thermal paste at all! Now my temps are a lot cooler. Did the same thing on my old mac mini, Mac Pro, and my old MacBook Pros.

 

[mayuka]

How can I determine what amount of thermal paste is just right?

If you search the internet you'll find dozens of different opinions on that topic. It really depends on the component. The graphics processor seems to be a completely different story than the cpu.

Also I would be interested in "normal" temperatures of your cpu. What application are you using for monitoring?

 

[tom vilsack]

-i use the grain of rice method...have done way to many ibooks,powerbooks,pc laptop,desktop pc's ect...always had good steady results using this method. (note: also i always make sure you clean both heatsinks and cpu/gpu with a good isopropyl alcohol 70% usp)

- i use istatnano 2.2 to monitor cpu temps,fan speed ect (not sure if updated anymore?)

ps: on a side note the same isopropyl alcohol makes for a great monitor/tv cleaner (with a good fiber cloth)...it's $ cheap and always had way better results then $$$ expensive cleaners)

 

[Wildy]

Has anyone here tried putting a ssd into there powerbook? I know it would help boot times (not to worried about that,as mine boots in 20-30 sec)...but wondering what overall feel was like? Faster internet page load times? ect...

I would go with (Transcend TS64GPSD330) at newegg.ca ($99 +shipping)...just wondering if worth the upgrade?

I'm hoping to fit mine over the weekend - I'll let you know how it goes.