[Dr David Thork]

So my PC has been a bit ill of late. Idling at around 65-70 degrees C and then juddering like crazy if I try to run a game. The fans are blasting away, the whole thing is a hot mess.

I ordered some thermal paste and some new thermal pads. Today is the day.

I pulled my computer to bits. Its an AIO so I had to remove all muh heatpipes. Dell's thermal paste was all flaky and dry. I remove it from both the processor and GPU, add some Arctic something v4 something paste, cut up and stick on the new thermal pads on the other thingy-ma-bobs and reattach muh heatpipes. I give the fans and vents a good hoover out, as well as any other dust bunnies lurking.

Fire her back up and my idle is now 45 degrees and she runs games the way she did when I got her. Idle and the fans are barely audible which will bring back my sanity. I probably should have done this last year!

I was going to get a new computer this year (current one is 4 years old now) and whilst it has had some upgrades (RAM and nvme drive) I never hold onto a PC that long. However, prices of chips are stupid and availability is scare so this has bought me another year. Unless Apple make something I fall in love with in September. But I think I got another year and I might just get a new phone instead in September.

Anyhoo ... never re-thermalled a GPU until today. Was pretty easy.

[Fortuna]

You need a case with a dust filter bro.

[juner]

Its an AIO

You need a case with a dust filter bro.

hmm

also thork probably did not even properly apply the thermal paste. i envision him following the guide from the verge.

[Fortuna]

Yeah, implying he needs a new PC.

[Dr David Thork]

Yeah, implying he needs a new PC.

One more year. No point buying when prices are like they are. Will get far more for far less next year. Hence restoration project.

also thork probably did not even properly apply the thermal paste. i envision him following the guide from the verge.

The computer turns on and the temps are significantly lower. I'm going to call that properly applied.

[Pete Svarrior]

It's actually pretty hard to apply thermal paste "wrong". Put on too much and it'll just get squeezed out by the heatsink - as long as it's not conductive, it'll be ugly but functional.

Put on too little and... well, you've probably still done better than the shitfuckery that comes out of OEMs' buttholes.