Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Re-applied the thermal paste on my MacBook Pro... AMAZING results!
- Thread starter spercharged69
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Does anyone know if that SpeedIt thing is reliable?bericd said:
It reports between 26ºC and 31ºC for my MacBook Pro, and that can't be right, because even the case is much hotter than that.
Maybe there's something wrong with the sensors in my MacBook and that's why the fans hardly ever come on.
iGary said:
so how does that explain what the OP saw? suddenly the chips and heatsink are being pushed together better because he's using less thermal grease? as I commented on the other thread, in every PC installation guide, they always say to use as small of an amount as you can to completely cover the chip. I've put too much on before and seen my temps go up 3-4C (and by too much I mean a few mm's, not the glob that Apple's service guides show)
This isn't a problem with Apple's design of the heatsink and cpu, it's a common issue known to PC builders everywhere that they're not supposed to glob on the thermal paste. If you really want to, I'd like to show you the temperature differences when I glob on thermal paste on my overclocked PC and when I smooth it down to a paper-thin amount (i'd like to, but i won't, my 33% overclock is quite happy the way it is
)
You don't want any thickness to the thermal grease (if possible).
Putting a great big glob of thermal grease is OK, most will be wasted as it is squeezed out.
Think of thermal grease as a resistor. Two ways to reduce the "resistor" 1) high quality thermal grease 2) minimal thickness of the grease between heatsink and die (and no voids).
Putting a great big glob of thermal grease is OK, most will be wasted as it is squeezed out.
Think of thermal grease as a resistor. Two ways to reduce the "resistor" 1) high quality thermal grease 2) minimal thickness of the grease between heatsink and die (and no voids).
Kingsly said:
Sure, it's not going to get you anywhere though. The reason I did this myself is because two different "geniuses" at two different Apple Stores told me my MBP was operating "within spec" and it's a portable computer, not a laptop. Also, I got the same results by calling Apple. In all of these instances I was able to cite sources from their own forums of people drastically decreasing the operating temperatures of their computer by correctly installing the logic board on the heat pipe.
Arcus said:
That's what the last photo in the series is. It was taken with a flash so it looks like there's more on there than there is. The correct way to use thermal paste is apply a dot about half the size of a grain of rice and then scrape it smooth with a razor blade or credit card. Less is more in the world of thermal paste.
Sutekidane said:
Ok, are my fingers reliable then? The area directly above the F6 and F7 keys while my MBP was idling before I fixed it was too hot to hold my finger against for any more than a few seconds. Now it's barely even warm. The same goes for the bottom of the MBP. Before it was too hot to use on my lap without having it sitting on a lunch tray or some other hard surface. Now I don't even notice it. I was sitting on my couch playing WoW and it hardly even got warm. The fans kicked on, and hot air came out the vents- how the cooling is supposed to work.
So whether or not the speedit kernel extension is reliable or not is irrelevant. With the processors not making proper contact to the heat pipe, the heat radiates inside of the case. With proper contact to the heat pipe, heat is expelled through the vents in the back of the MBP... Which is a much more efficient way of cooling the processor than heating up the case.
Sutekidane said:
I can't give them any credit for this. These machines are assembled by Apple's exact specifications. Have you seen the page from the MacBook Pro repair manual that shows a teaspoon of thermal paste on each contact on the heat pipe? Applying thermal paste correctly is a very basic concept, as is how and why thermal pastes works in the world of thermal conductivity. There is absolutely no excuse for something like this to slide.
If you're idling in the mid 40C range, and are only seeing 70C under load there's no reason for you to take apart your MBP. The improvements, if any, won't be worth the risk of damaging your MacBook's logic board or case. At best you'd see a 5C difference, whch isn't even enough for you to notice.
Well, when I said give apple a little credit, I was referring to iGary claiming that the heatsink isn't close enough to the processor. I acknowledge that the application of the thermal paste is terrible. Even at my temps, I can't really touch the bottom or about the F keys for very long. I'm going to do it anyway, because it's not really much of a bother for me. My fans rarely turn on, usually only when playing WoW. I wish apple did their notebooks like PCs with regards to cooling. I mean, I know they want quiet, but I really wish that users had some control over this.
Bunsen Burner said:Welcome to the club. Good job.
I think there should be a moment of silence to reflect upon and thank Jean-Cyril from Apple's boards for bringing this to our attention.
BB
It says on your website that you are trying to make Apple aware of this problem through official channels. Have you gotten in touch with any of the engineers as yet; gotten any response whatsoever. Love to get some feedback on your progress.
Can anyone that has actually taken apart their MBP say anything about how the heat pads are attached to the heat pipe, and also how the individual chip boards are attached to the mainboard? Do the heat pads tilt or otherwise move at all? do the chip boards? I'm curious because I'm wondering how Apple might have accounted for variations in height and/or position of the components during production. Is everything just rigidly fixed?
-RendIt
-RendIt
kkapoor said:
It's been weeks since I put that up and I've given up on Apple regarding this. Umpteen CSRs, three Customer Relation types, six product specialists, three data captures sent and an untold number of phone calls. All I get, ultimately, is the run around. Folks are pleased to help, but that help is, in reality, nonexistent. Nothing happens. Apple is like a juggernaut, a huge luxury liner moving in a straight line. As long as there is plenty of room and time, the thing can turn. But if a quick change of direction is required, there is simply too much mass to allow it.
As far as I'm concerned, Apple has turned into the nameless, faceless, beaurocratic morass they were lampooning in their 1984 Superbowl commercial.
BB
Rend It said:
Rigid is as rigid does. I was hoping to see some type of spring loaded mechanism, anything that would allow for production variances, but no such thing exists. Either at the chip boards or heatpipe/sinks. That said, the system is working very well. That said, such could account for folks not seeing improvements after the clean up.
I did not remove the heatpipe and it's hard to tell if the sinks are cast with the pipe or are separate pieces. I'm thinking it is all one piece, but am not certain by any stretch. Wish I could give you more concrete answers. Hopefully, someone else will chime in...
You know, in a way this is kind of fun, some kind of whodunnit. But I started feeling like a beta tester some time back and all I wanted was a properly functioning notebook that I didn't have to bleed for.
BB
Bunsen Burner said:
Yeah, I love fixing stuff, even when it's not mine, apparently. I remember back in the day when I got the Rev. A 15" AlBook. I had the white spots, pooling screen, bad battery, defective latch, etc, etc. But, two trips to Apple back in '04 made it all better. Couldn't be happier with it. Unfortunately, I won't be able to afford one of the Intel models for another couple years. C'mon Leopard!
-RendIt
MacsomJRR said:
The only job for thermal paste is to provide an interface through which to efficiently transfer heat from one object to another. This is why it is also called "thermal transfer compound".
-RendIt
Apple should train people at the genius bar to replace it. Many people can testify that reapplying the thermal grease does indeed cool the case and the cpu better than before. I have been running my 2.16 MBP for about a week after reapplying the thermal grease and could not be anymore happier. I wish for all MBP users who have hot cases like I used to to be happy as well
somehow i think i reapply the thermal greese on wrong for the second time. After the second time go around my macbook on cold boots reports 35c then afte about 20-30 minutes it's at around 45c and if i do some work it hovers around 65C then if i tax the cpu at 100% load it jumps all the way up to 90C then fan spins up fast and drops temp to aroun 79C
is this right? Do you think i should remove everything again and remove the AS5 and redo it? I useda hald a grain size of AS5 on each chip and spread it evenlly around with a credit card. Not sure if that's the proper way to do it.
My temp is slightly lower than before but still seems kinda high. Was wondering if anyone have the same issue with reapplying hte greese. Only thing i can think of is the AS5 i got from frys is ulter crap and i should jsut use the regular Artic silver greese i have around.
is this right? Do you think i should remove everything again and remove the AS5 and redo it? I useda hald a grain size of AS5 on each chip and spread it evenlly around with a credit card. Not sure if that's the proper way to do it.
My temp is slightly lower than before but still seems kinda high. Was wondering if anyone have the same issue with reapplying hte greese. Only thing i can think of is the AS5 i got from frys is ulter crap and i should jsut use the regular Artic silver greese i have around.
howesey said:
I think iGary's point is that if the heatsinks are under higher pressure it would force out any excess thermal paste however much you put on there.
The heat paste is only there to fill in the tiny gaps no more.
personally I don't think my mac book gets too hot, I can always touch the speakers etc. In fact at the moment the mouse pad area is very cold.
Update:
Just tried that temp tool and its reporting 56degress when idle so looks like my mbp is cooler than some.
Just tried that temp tool and its reporting 56degress when idle so looks like my mbp is cooler than some.