Re-application of Thermal Paste

[Yebubbleman]

I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012). I post about it here more than I ever thought I would (sorry?).

My plan is for it to continue to serve me as a Windows 10 system for many years after it no longer is viable as a macOS system. It isn't experiencing any thermal issues. The MagSafe connector often gets very hot, but the system's thermals seem quite well considering it is a nearly eight year old machine.

I've seen many systems start to fall apart due to the thermal paste eventually losing effectiveness. In order to keep this machine lasting as long as it can, would now be a good time to open up the machine and re-apply thermal paste (and perhaps remove whatever dust is in the way of the heatsink/fans)? If so, is there a particular thermal paste that is recommended for laptops (as opposed to desktops), let alone Mac laptops circa 2012/Ivy Bridge?

 

[aangvento]

About the magsafe port, both 1 and 2 are known to build up metallic residue (that dirt that just collects there no matter what you do). With it turned off, clean the port with some alcohol and some cotton. Or those blue cotton sticks too. This should help it warm up less, even if will likely not change the charging time.

Another suggestion is... MacOS handles 8 years old machines much better than Widnows, and same for 10 years old machines (how old it will be when catalina doesn't get updates). U would recommend you patching it into big sur when it is stable or switching to a Linux distribution (Ubunto is pretty close to MacOS). Windows will likely make the computer quite slow.

About the actual question; it is always a good time to open up a computer if you feel like it. If you know what you are doing or want to learn, replacing the thermal paste is easy and a nice way to lose your fear. Follow a disassembly guide in ifixit, I could get you a link but it should be just typing "ifixit MacBook 13 2012" on google.

All thermal pastes work the exact same. I would recommend getting a good quality one, like grizzled or noctua. But they all should work pretty much the same, won't make a big difference for you. Just make sure to cover the die, the "mirror" part of the CPU. If you don't cover all of it it might burn. You can put some of it on the middle and spread with a credit card if you feel unsafe. Don't use too much but it's better to have too much than too little. Don't worry about making a thick cover on it because the heating should squish the excess out and make it thin.

Ah! And use some alcohol to wipe all of the old paste off. Should be a bit hard once it is likely super dry. And try to keep static free with a wrist band and a clean workspace.

I hope I helped!

 

[Yebubbleman]

About the magsafe port, both 1 and 2 are known to build up metallic residue (that dirt that just collects there no matter what you do). With it turned off, clean the port with some alcohol and some cotton. Or those blue cotton sticks too. This should help it warm up less, even if will likely not change the charging time.

Ah! I've always wondered if it was possible to clean that. I may try that on my newer 13" [the MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) in my signature]! Thanks for the tip!. By blue cotton sticks are you referring to standard cotton swabs?

Another suggestion is... MacOS handles 8 years old machines much better than Widnows, and same for 10 years old machines (how old it will be when catalina doesn't get updates). U would recommend you patching it into big sur when it is stable or switching to a Linux distribution (Ubunto is pretty close to MacOS). Windows will likely make the computer quite slow.

Windows 10 actually is a lot better these days. Plus I have access to both the LTSB 2016 and LTSC 2019 versions, so I don't have to worry about feature-creep or a version of Windows 10 coming out that doesn't run well on 2016-era Ivy Bridge drivers. Plus, I want to ensure that whatever I run, I have full driver support for. I can't guarantee that in a Linux distro, sadly.

Also, I can't upgrade this Mac to Big Sur; Catalina is the end of the line for it (hence switching to an OS that will continue to be patched for at least the next 6-9 years). Trust me, I'm good on Windows 10!

About the actual question; it is always a good time to open up a computer if you feel like it. If you know what you are doing or want to learn, replacing the thermal paste is easy and a nice way to lose your fear. Follow a disassembly guide in ifixit, I could get you a link but it should be just typing "ifixit MacBook 13 2012" on google.

I know how to open this sucker and how to reapply thermal paste. I've definitely done my fair share of computer repairs (both personally and professionally). The question wasn't HOW to do it as much as SHOULD I do it and is now a GOOD TIME to do it?

All thermal pastes work the exact same. I would recommend getting a good quality one, like grizzled or noctua. But they all should work pretty much the same, won't make a big difference for you. Just make sure to cover the die, the "mirror" part of the CPU. If you don't cover all of it it might burn. You can put some of it on the middle and spread with a credit card if you feel unsafe. Don't use too much but it's better to have too much than too little. Don't worry about making a thick cover on it because the heating should squish the excess out and make it thin.

I have historically used Arctic Silver, but I'll look into Grizzled and Noctua! I've also definitely applied thermal paste to a laptop CPU before. It's not my favorite activity, but I've definitely done it before. Again, the question was more a matter of "is now a good time to do it?" considering the machine's age and the fact that I'd, ideally, like to run it into the ground.

Ah! And use some alcohol to wipe all of the old paste off. Should be a bit hard once it is likely super dry. And try to keep static free with a wrist band and a clean workspace.

Yeah yeah yeah...I know!

I hope I helped!

The bit about the MagSafe port cleaning is super cool; I'm definitely going to look into it! Also Grizzled and Noctua! Thanks!

 

[smbu2000]

It seems to dry up pretty quickly (the one that is included from the factory). I remember on my old late 2013 13" rMBP (purchased in early 2014) that I replaced the thermal paste and cleaned out the fans/heatsink around 2017 or so. After doing that the computer ran cooler and was quieter as it didn't have to ramp up the fans as much as before.
It definitely made a difference doing both. The paste was completely dry by then.

It's good to clean out the Magsafe port as well, as was suggested above. I remember another rMBP that I picked up (15" 2015 I believe) that wasn't charging. When I flipped the Magsafe cable the other way it started charging. I used IPA to clean out the Magsafe port on the charger as well as on the rMBP. After that it worked fine as normal again. It was quick and easy to do as well.

 

[aangvento]

@Yebubbleman

I would recommend using cotton swabs. Just cotton won't do anything. You will also likely not be able to take most of it out, especially out of the aluminium. So keep this in mind. It is a drawback of magnetic connectors.

You have a point. if you need official drivers, Linux is not the way to go as they might arrive late or not arrive at all. And you can still patch the computer to BS (why would you choose this name, apple?!) but not through the apple store officially. But it's official support is to be dropped in 2 years most likely, unfortunately.

Now, back to the actual question: Usually it won't make a difference, but I know no thermal paste that can hold it's integrity for more than 3-4 years. I am quite sure that the cheap stuff they used in the computer by default is a dry piece of white blocky-stuff by now. So yeah, I would recommend doing that. It will not make your computer run like new again, as you might know. But it should help it go a couple of C degrees cooler. Which might be a needed refresh if it is melting on your hand or to squeeze a little more performance. The cheap stuff used on laptops is built not to be good but to last a bit more (Or it's what they say. It's that way because it's cheaper). So it should be better than when you first bought the laptop.

Artic is also quite good. One of the best too, not a wrong choice. If I had it in hand, I would use it without thinking twice. I thought you didn't have experience in the subject, that's why I recommended those. But If I had Artic, I would not buy any of those until I was out of paste. The difference between the good brands is not that significant, really.

And I couldn't agree more with @smbu2000 : It is super important to clean the fans too. They are likely going to make a much, much bigger impact in your thermal solution than replacing the thermal paste. You don't even have to pull them out in this MacBook if I remember correctly if you have enough patience to keep poking it with a crush until it's clean.