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I have 2 laptops, both with AMD, I've changed thermal grease (it was baked), temperature fallen not for much after I did it, it still pretty hot.
(Don't ask me about numbers of degrees, don't remember)
I'm sure that grease applied properly, I watched many videos about it, tried to remake several times: tried to apply more/less, but amount doesn't make difference, I smear it accurate.
I have Arctic MX-4.
Photo below - idle.
George J
Posted 2016-03-04T20:02:27.307
Reputation: 65
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The purpose of thermal paste is to ensure the surface of the heatsink and the heat spreader are making as complete a contact as possible. In the manufacturing process, microscopic gaps will be present which will allow air to be trapped between the surfaces. Air doesn't conduct heat very well, so thermal paste is used as a filler.
(Image and further reading here)
Thermal paste is not as good a conductor as metal to metal. As such, you should be careful not to use too much, it shouldn't be too much that it prevents a good metal-to-metal contact. Applying new thermal paste can help temperatures as over time it may settle differently or crack, creating gaps again. It won't magically cool better though, but may be more efficient at heat transfer.
Your temperatures aren't too excessive. In my experience, AMD processors run a bit hotter in general, but either way these temperatures are not critical. Remember to take into account ambient temperature in the room as well, as a standard fan and heatsink will not be able to dramatically lower the temperature of the CPU with a higher ambient temperature.
Ensure the airflow is sufficient, that you aren't using excessive thermal paste, that the temperature of the room isn't too warm and that the machine can get a good supply of cool air and it's not just recycling its own hot air (in the case of a laptop, consider a cooling mat under it with fans to draw cool air towards the machine).
Jonno
Posted 2016-03-04T20:02:27.307
Reputation: 18 756
There is a lot more to proper cooling... thermal grease is only a small piece of it. More importantly, do you have fans moving air over the heat sink? Is the airflow free from obstructions? – heavyd – 2016-03-04T20:05:21.230
@heavyd everything is clean, air flow is strong. – George J – 2016-03-04T20:06:03.130
Check the air-flow through the case: make sure all the fans are working and the outlets not blocked. Always run on a hard surface, never on a cushion. If necessary, buy a laptop cooler (aluminium plate with embedded USB-powered fans). – AFH – 2016-03-04T20:07:48.727
(My comment crossed with the others.) – AFH – 2016-03-04T20:08:34.263
@AFH I use them only on a table. – George J – 2016-03-04T20:11:15.367
I think you need to tell us how hot, "hot" is. This "hot" temperature could possibly be normal. If it really is overheating, and you already replaced the thermal paste, then the heat sink is not getting cooled properly. Just because fans are moving, does not mean there is actually enough airflow to cool it properly. – DrZoo – 2016-03-04T20:20:26.790
@DrZoo see photo above (it's in idle) – George J – 2016-03-04T20:34:07.757
For a laptop those are very normal idle temps. Your max temps aren't even that high either. – DrZoo – 2016-03-04T20:36:34.047
@DrZoo but why laptop is much hotter than when it was new, (fan is always working pretty fast) ? – George J – 2016-03-04T20:39:39.773
Do you know the temps it ran when it was new? If you've replaced the thermal paste and have ensured that the airflow path is clear of dust, my only guess would be that the fan is not running as high of an RPM as it used to. Also, what OS are you running? – DrZoo – 2016-03-04T20:49:46.997
@DrZoo I certainly remember it was much more colder and more quiet, fan works louder and air flow are good, so don't think it's about RPM. I use Ubuntu. Why do you asking about OS ? – George J – 2016-03-04T20:54:39.153
Let us continue this discussion in chat.
– DrZoo – 2016-03-04T20:55:37.753Just FYI if your CPU temperatures actually were high after replacing the thermal paste: the paste is still closer to an insulator than a conductor (it doesn't conduct heat like metal does, it's just a much better conductor than air). It works best when it is only filling the microscopic gaps between the CPU and heat sink, not as a thick layer, or filling gaps in a crusted old layer of paste. The old paste needs to be removed down to the meticulously clean surfaces of the CPU and heat sink before applying new paste. – fixer1234 – 2016-03-04T21:06:33.627
@fixer1234 I totally removed old paste, I tried to apply very thin layer, but it wasn't imprinted on copper sheet, so I applied a little bit more and checked if it makes imprint. – George J – 2016-03-04T21:10:19.680
Those temperatures are well within the thermal limits of the CPU. Why are you concerned? "more cooler" isn't specific, give us precise numbers, but those temperatures are really good on air for a laptop. – Ramhound – 2016-03-04T21:41:00.260
I agree with @DrZoo that the temperatures are not excessive. I haven't used an AMD CPU for some time, but they used to run hotter than an Intel of equivalent speed. Two reasons why your CPU may run hotter now: (1) as you add applications more and more background programs and services get added, with a consequent increase in the idle CPU consumption; (2) some applications may have tweaked the CPU performance settings so that it will run faster, and therefore hotter. Hence the question about the OS is relevant. – AFH – 2016-03-04T21:43:30.357
I agree with @fixer1234, you may have a bit too much thermal paste. Either way, your temps are completely fine. If your laptop doesn't feel burning hot, there's nothing to worry about. – DrZoo – 2016-03-04T21:55:17.623