2020 Air Heatsink Modification Thread

[twintin]

It is worth noting that all my temps are reported from MacsFanControl and is using cpu proximity. I noticed this reports about 4-5 degrees cooler than Intel’s Power Gadget.

There are like 18 temp sensors. What Intel Power Gadget reports is the package temp i.e. the temp inside the enclosure where the cores and the gpu resides. The proximity sensor is outside the package nearby and will of course always be little bit cooler.

That’s my interpretation of those readings.

 

[SeñorNewton]

Well.... new MX4 paste and I’m running down in the 40’s.


This is after removing the shims.
Fans are now off instead of idle (~2900 rpms)

It is worth noting that all my temps are reported from MacsFanControl and is using cpu proximity. I noticed this reports about 4-5 degrees cooler than Intel’s Power Gadget.

I have a Webex meeting in 15, and that app stresses the system more than any other video conferencing app. It usually ramps up the fans right up to 8,000.
I’ll report back

An hour straight running three monitors and Webex taking up one of those monitors proved to be a good stress test. No other apps seem to stress this processor like WebEx.

With stock paste and running this same setup for webex, my fans were right up near 8k, temps were pegged at 100 C, and thermal throttling was evident in Intel Power Gadget. Core Avg hovered around 1.0 while it was requested to be at 3.5 ghz.

Today’s WebEx meeting with new paste and no shims kept the fans right at 7k, temp still near 100 C, but it didn’t seem to throttle. My Core Avg hovered at 2.2 while it was requested to be 3.15 gHZ.

In short, it seems that the new paste did help keep me closer to the requested frequency and the fans weren’t maxed out.

I really should be doing this heavier lifting on my Lenovo X1, but I’m trying to see if I can stick with this. If I wasn’t such a whiner about the touchbar, I would have a MBP. However, I won’t leave the top row keys for the touchbar, so here I am asking too much of a MBA.

 

[SeñorNewton]

An hour straight running three monitors and Webex taking up one of those monitors proved to be a good stress test. No other apps seem to stress this processor like WebEx.

With stock paste and running this same setup for webex, my fans were right up near 8k, temps were pegged at 100 C, and thermal throttling was evident in Intel Power Gadget. Core Avg hovered around 1.0 while it was requested to be at 3.5 ghz.

Today’s WebEx meeting with new paste and no shims kept the fans right at 7k, temp still near 100 C, but it didn’t seem to throttle. My Core Avg hovered at 2.2 while it was requested to be 3.15 gHZ.

In short, it seems that the new paste did help keep me closer to the requested frequency and the fans weren’t maxed out.

I really should be doing this heavier lifting on my Lenovo X1, but I’m trying to see if I can stick with this. If I wasn’t such a whiner about the touchbar, I would have a MBP. However, I won’t leave the top row keys for the touchbar, so here I am asking too much of a MBA.

As a quick follow-up. Running all of this on just my MBA’s screen and not running two extra monitors rendered the machine silent and cool.

This might be helpful info for those that don’t dock to multiple monitors.

 

[excelsior.ink]

Today’s WebEx meeting with new paste and no shims kept the fans right at 7k, temp still near 100 C, but it didn’t seem to throttle. My Core Avg hovered at 2.2 while it was requested to be 3.15 gHZ.

In short, it seems that the new paste did help keep me closer to the requested frequency and the fans weren’t maxed out.

This is the first report of just replacing the thermal paste already improving the MBA thermals. I wonder why the new MX-4 paste was better than the old MX-4? Or was it the way it was applied?

Also, everybody seems to be using MX-4 paste which has a thermal conductivity of 8.5 W/(mK) but there is a better brand, Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, which has a thermal conductivity of 12.5 W/(mk ). There is also the liquid metal option but which is dangerous to use.

My MBA was not even shipped yet but I already have a tube of Kryonaut waiting.

Regarding the shims I think (but I am no expert) that the heatsink recession is actually needed in order to fit perfectly on the CPU. I think the shims are only adding more mass to the heatsink, which of course is improving the cooling a bit but it's not a matter of contact. However I have not checked yet this theory.

 

[violentlychill]

As a quick follow-up. Running all of this on just my MBA’s screen and not running two extra monitors rendered the machine silent and cool.

This might be helpful info for those that don’t dock to multiple monitors.

Your testing has been very helpful. I think I am going to jump on an i5 model. I'm also a whiner about the touchbar, I've got a work model with one for a year now and I still never adjusted. Every time I'm hunting on the damn thing for volume control.

 

[SeñorNewton]

This is the first report of just replacing the thermal paste already improving the MBA thermals. I wonder why the new MX-4 paste was better than the old MX-4? Or was it the way it was applied?

Also, everybody seems to be using MX-4 paste which has a thermal conductivity of 8.5 W/(mK) but there is a better brand, Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, which has a thermal conductivity of 12.5 W/(mk ). There is also the liquid metal option but which is dangerous to use.

My MBA was not even shipped yet but I already have a tube of Kryonaut waiting.

Regarding the shims I think (but I am no expert) that the heatsink recession is actually needed in order to fit perfectly on the CPU. I think the shims are only adding more mass to the heatsink, which of course is improving the cooling a bit but it's not a matter of contact. However I have not checked yet this theory.

I used MX4 because that is all I have seen mentioned. I did not do any independent research, so that is on me.

I will purchase Kryonaut and let you know what it does. I’ll take an extra 30% thermal transfer, and hope the heatsink can do something with it.

I definitely will not be going with liquid metal, because my p job is a mess.

 

[ignatius345]

I just got my 2020 Air. It's still futzing with "analyzing" my Photos library, doing Spotlight indexing, etc, and the fans seem to kick in quite a fair bit during all that. Hopefully it settles down in a day or two, but so far it feels like it is definitely running hot a lot more than other recent Mac laptops I've had.

 

[SeñorNewton]

I just got my 2020 Air. It's still futzing with "analyzing" my Photos library, doing Spotlight indexing, etc, and the fans seem to kick in quite a fair bit during all that. Hopefully it settles down in a day or two, but so far it feels like it is definitely running hot a lot more than other recent Mac laptops I've had.

While this MBA synced mail and photos, it took 2-3 days to finish all of the MDS workers to plow through all of the text. I wouldn't judge the fan/heat situation for a few days for sure.
[automerge]1589423035[/automerge]

As a quick follow-up. Running all of this on just my MBA’s screen and not running two extra monitors rendered the machine silent and cool.

This might be helpful info for those that don’t dock to multiple monitors.

Follow-follow-up: Is it possible that heat/cool cycles make MX4 work better? I switched to my Lenovo to do some work-specific Windows work and closed the MBA (cooling it). I then opened up the MBA again for another WebEx session with all the same apps and the temp and fans were lower.

I am not saying this heat/cool was impactful with a total of 2 test runs, but it got me thinking about what could have happened to improve performance. I don't log and stalk metrics, but I do keep Activity Mon and Intel Power Gadget Open out of sick curiosity. All of my observations and comparisons are reliant on the faulty human brain, so keep that in mind...

I have another dozen or so WebEx sessions over the next two days to get some more runs for comparison.

 

[ignatius345]

While this MBA synced mail and photos, it took 2-3 days to finish all of the MDS workers to plow through all of the text. I wouldn't judge the fan/heat situation for a few days for sure.

Fair point. I'd migrated my old account in using Migration Assistant and naïvely assumed that would lessen the burden, but Spotlight and Photos still take for-effing-ever to churn through everything.

 

[srkirt]

At the moment while I don't get a copper fin heatsink this is the best system I have found to keep the heat at bay. I have to get plates, heat sinks and Grizzly Kryonaut paste. This last test I have left as a mirror the aluminium heatsink underneath and the copper plates too. I'm working with Cool Master paste because I don't have any more...
I find the results acceptable.

 

[violentlychill]

While this MBA synced mail and photos, it took 2-3 days to finish all of the MDS workers to plow through all of the text. I wouldn't judge the fan/heat situation for a few days for sure.
[automerge]1589423035[/automerge]


Follow-follow-up: Is it possible that heat/cool cycles make MX4 work better? I switched to my Lenovo to do some work-specific Windows work and closed the MBA (cooling it). I then opened up the MBA again for another WebEx session with all the same apps and the temp and fans were lower.

I am not saying this heat/cool was impactful with a total of 2 test runs, but it got me thinking about what could have happened to improve performance. I don't log and stalk metrics, but I do keep Activity Mon and Intel Power Gadget Open out of sick curiosity. All of my observations and comparisons are reliant on the faulty human brain, so keep that in mind...

I have another dozen or so WebEx sessions over the next two days to get some more runs for comparison.

A lot of people believe that heat/cool cycles over time help thermal paste settle and cure. It's definitely a bit disputed though if this actually happens to much effect or just mostly placebo.

 

[dcicer1]

Today I tried to restore everything to the factory state, cleaning the heatsink with a metal cleaner .. it's back bright! I only applied the MX4 between heatsink and die, the performances are the same, with the copper shim the temperatures dropped more quickly when the load on the processor ran out, but at maximum performance the heatsink could not take away the heat.

I am a 3D CAD designer, the next step is to recreate the heat sink, this time in unpainted copper.
The dimensions will be wider and, if possible, I will extend the heatsink until it almost touches the fan. Obviously it will remain a passive heatsink, but at least it will be bigger and will help the fan to take away more heat than now.

 

[srkirt]

Today I tried to restore everything to the factory state, cleaning the heatsink with a metal cleaner .. it's back bright! I only applied the MX4 between heatsink and die, the performances are the same, with the copper shim the temperatures dropped more quickly when the load on the processor ran out, but at maximum performance the heatsink could not take away the heat.

I am a 3D CAD designer, the next step is to recreate the heat sink, this time in unpainted copper.
The dimensions will be wider and, if possible, I will extend the heatsink until it almost touches the fan. Obviously it will remain a passive heatsink, but at least it will be bigger and will help the fan to take away more heat than now.

Hello, there is something inexplicable in your case ... something is not right ... it is not that you put a lot of pasta? Do you notice that the copper of the sink housing protrudes a bit? Have you tried to sandpaper and in a flat place file the copper with a little of the glass-ceramic liquid? I started like you and ended up foaming the entire tunnel from where the air enters to where it leaves, so there were no gaps in the batteries or in the cover, in fact I have to press to put the screws. I have also tried the longest heatsink and there is hardly any space and hidden components that would suffer without air. You just have to cover all the holes well and do, like me, put some fins on the sink.
A greeting from Barcelona.
[automerge]1589537446[/automerge]

Hello, there is something inexplicable in your case ... something is not right ... it is not that you put a lot of pasta? Do you notice that the copper of the sink housing protrudes a bit? Have you tried to sandpaper and in a flat place file the copper with a little of the glass-ceramic liquid? I started like you and ended up foaming the entire tunnel from where the air enters to where it leaves, so there were no gaps in the batteries or in the cover, in fact I have to press to put the screws. I have also tried the longest heatsink and there is hardly any space and hidden components that would suffer without air. You just have to cover all the holes well and do, like me, put some fins on the sink.
A greeting from Barcelona.

Take a test, place four € cent coins in each corner of the heatsink so that the air runs more. Everything else did not work ...

 

[dcicer1]

Hello, there is something inexplicable in your case ... something is not right ... it is not that you put a lot of pasta? Do you notice that the copper of the sink housing protrudes a bit? Have you tried to sandpaper and in a flat place file the copper with a little of the glass-ceramic liquid? I started like you and ended up foaming the entire tunnel from where the air enters to where it leaves, so there were no gaps in the batteries or in the cover, in fact I have to press to put the screws. I have also tried the longest heatsink and there is hardly any space and hidden components that would suffer without air. You just have to cover all the holes well and do, like me, put some fins on the sink.
A greeting from Barcelona.

Hi, a passive dissipation remains a passive dissipation. So far I think we all agree. The real difference is the heatsink and not the fan in this case. By connecting the heatsink to the fan via heatpipe, obviously the current heatsink would be more than enough. (My turbo boost processor does not exceed 14W)

Now, the PC is structured in the simplest possible way, but also in the least effective way. The addition, by Apple, of a fan in the MBA, is one more thing and at this point they could also avoid it. Trying to totally disable the fan, this does not have a real dissipating effect on the Mac. I would have liked them to add a larger heatpipe or passive heatsink.

I have done various tests, (I design LED street lighting fixtures, so I have some dissipation skills).
The new processors of the 2020 model do not require active dissipation (or at least it is not necessary), but rather a more efficient and larger heatsink.

The final test, as I said, is to have a CNC made custom heatsink ... the only problem is that it would have a relatively high cost and currently I don't feel the need to replace the heatsink currently.

If someone wants to try their hand at creating a custom heatsink, we can talk about it and start a collaboration to reach a common goal.

Greetings from Rimini

 

[srkirt]

Hi, a passive dissipation remains a passive dissipation. So far I think we all agree. The real difference is the heatsink and not the fan in this case. By connecting the heatsink to the fan via heatpipe, obviously the current heatsink would be more than enough. (My turbo boost processor does not exceed 14W)

Now, the PC is structured in the simplest possible way, but also in the least effective way. The addition, by Apple, of a fan in the MBA, is one more thing and at this point they could also avoid it. Trying to totally disable the fan, this does not have a real dissipating effect on the Mac. I would have liked them to add a larger heatpipe or passive heatsink.

I have done various tests, (I design LED street lighting fixtures, so I have some dissipation skills).
The new processors of the 2020 model do not require active dissipation (or at least it is not necessary), but rather a more efficient and larger heatsink.

The final test, as I said, is to have a CNC made custom heatsink ... the only problem is that it would have a relatively high cost and currently I don't feel the need to replace the heatsink currently.

If someone wants to try their hand at creating a custom heatsink, we can talk about it and start a collaboration to reach a common goal.

Greetings from Rimini

573/5000



If it is passive, but when you put the fan at 8,000rpm it becomes a wind tunnel and begins to be active. The test you have with me, in my maximum tests it does not reach 95º !!! and I get a performance out of an i7, when I render video with Da Vinci at 1080P it does it without reaching 90º. So the coins because the lid does not allow it to flow over the sink, believe me, it was the first thing I noticed that spacing the sink from the lid lowered my temp. And if you are handyman, you make your fins like me and you will see what a difference. I cannot complain about being an MBA 2019.

 

[BLiT_Racing]

I used MX4 because that is all I have seen mentioned. I did not do any independent research, so that is on me.

I will purchase Kryonaut and let you know what it does. I’ll take an extra 30% thermal transfer, and hope the heatsink can do something with it.

I definitely will not be going with liquid metal, because my p job is a mess.

I just wanted to chime in again and say "please do not use Kryonaut on your MacBook. The paste begins to degrade and will dry out in applications above 80* C." You won't see a significant difference between Kryonaut and another reputable high-end paste. If you don't believe me, please see for yourself.

Thermal Paste Round-up: 85 Products Tested

This much-needed update to our thermal paste round-up now includes 85 contenders. It's one of the most comprehensive comparisons available, so we hope you find it useful!

www.tomshardware.com

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Thermal Paste

The Kryonaut Thermal Paste has been specially developed for the extreme applications and the highest demands of the overlocking community.

www.thermal-grizzly.com

---------------------------------------

Hi, a passive dissipation remains a passive dissipation. So far I think we all agree. The real difference is the heatsink and not the fan in this case. By connecting the heatsink to the fan via heatpipe, obviously the current heatsink would be more than enough. (My turbo boost processor does not exceed 14W)

Now, the PC is structured in the simplest possible way, but also in the least effective way. The addition, by Apple, of a fan in the MBA, is one more thing and at this point they could also avoid it. Trying to totally disable the fan, this does not have a real dissipating effect on the Mac. I would have liked them to add a larger heatpipe or passive heatsink.

I have done various tests, (I design LED street lighting fixtures, so I have some dissipation skills).
The new processors of the 2020 model do not require active dissipation (or at least it is not necessary), but rather a more efficient and larger heatsink.

The final test, as I said, is to have a CNC made custom heatsink ... the only problem is that it would have a relatively high cost and currently I don't feel the need to replace the heatsink currently.

If someone wants to try their hand at creating a custom heatsink, we can talk about it and start a collaboration to reach a common goal.

Greetings from Rimini

dcicer1, I was actually talking about this exact solution with another member a few days ago. The thing that makes me hesitant is my lack of CAD skills. If you're interested, I'd love to discuss this further with you in another thread or PM.

 

[vyruzreaper]

Good news! I got all my parts and doing the mod this weekend I'm keeping my MBA over the MBP. MBP is a better machine but it's not worth the $500+ (I only need 256SSD) with it's outdated form factor especially if we are less than a year away from 14, mLED, and ARM. Better to spend my extra $$ then.

Anyway, Ill do before/after benchmarks and photos

 

[srkirt]

Doing tests with the original cover removed and put on the protective cover and found the best cooling.
With this configuration I do not notice heat in my belly and I work at 45º without a fan. Tests, tests and more tests ... hahahaha

 

[srkirt]

1080P with several windows and Macs Fan in automatic, nothing is heard and it is at 60º. When I have to render a video I will try to capture it. Think that the pasta is cheap ... Cool Master ... when the Kyronaut arrives to see how it goes.

 

[vyruzreaper]

Update on video conferencing:

My build: 2020MBA i5/16/256

Google Meet/hangouts web -> 5 people on call
Opera with 11 tabs
Safari with 2 tabs
Slack

90C fans at 2700RPM

Baseplate got a bit hot and it was a little uncomfortable but not piping hot. Happy to report no noise.

Zoom sucks. Webex Sucks. Seems like running VC APPS (not web based) causes the max fans and heat.

 

[IngerMan]

Update on video conferencing:

My build: 2020MBA i5/16/256

Google Meet/hangouts web -> 5 people on call
Opera with 11 tabs
Safari with 2 tabs
Slack

90C fans at 2700RPM

Baseplate got a bit hot and it was a little uncomfortable but not piping hot. Happy to report no noise.

Zoom sucks. Webex Sucks. Seems like running VC APPS (not web based) causes the max fans and heat.

Are you running a external display or just the laptop when video conferencing? Curious.

 

[vyruzreaper]

Are you running a external display or just the laptop when video conferencing? Curious.

Just using the laptop. I use my iMac with external monitors at home. Was hoping that the MBA can handle light work (excel, ppt, web, VC) for when Im on the go or wanting to work around the house during the lockdown.

 

[DanSilov]

I've recently received new and shiny MBA 2020 i7/16GB/1TB to replace my much loved and trusted MBA 2015 i7. But I was very disappointed to find out the extent of the throttling issue — my single-core Geekbench scores varied between 1100s and 900s after multiple runs, which is a big difference, considering that my old MBA 2015 consistently pulled ~850 on the single core. Soon I found this thread and decided to try the copper shim mod.

Modification process

After I've removed the back cover and the heatsink, I've discovered the familiar blob of the black paste that everyone here has seen already.

From the looks of it the paste started to dry out already and cracked a bit. I don't think this will be a good heat conductor in the long run.

Removing the paste I've noticed what some have mentioned here — it is very thick.

Then I've applied some Arctic Silver on both dies in a thin layer (half a grain of rice). Initially I wanted to test just the thermal paste replacement, without the copper mod. But below you can see the result of placing the heatsink on top of the CPU that has been covered with Arctic Silver.

The gap is so big that it doesn't even touch the CPU! And here I am thinking that heatsink has to touch the CPU die.

So I've added copper shims to the mix. I've had some 15x15x0.3mm, and it turned out to be more than enough. As soon as I've placed the heatsink with the shims, it immediately stuck to the Arctic Silver.

Testing

I wanted to be thorough, so I made a lot of tests before and after the mod, under similar conditions. My macOS is fully fresh, I didn't migrate to it just yet, so there are no apps, nothing.

I've idled before every Cinebench run and before the first Geekbench run until temperatures reached low values. I've also tested with the maximum fan speed (8k) with TG Pro to see how that affects the results, because the system usually increases the fan speed quite slowly.

Here are a lot of screenshots for those of you who'd like to see some context. All results are summarized in a table below.

Before

Idle

Geekbench 1st run

After

Idle

Geekbench 1st run

Results

	Single-Core (before)	Multi-Core (before)	Single-Core (after)	Multi-Core (after)
Geekbench (1st run)	1169	2621	1265 (+8%)	3397 (+30%)
Geekbench (2nd run)	1006	2473	1174 (+17%)	3046 (+23%)
Geekbench (3rd run)	1078	2606	1176 (+9%)	3022 (+16%)
Geekbench (max fan)	1238	3212	1264 (+2%)	3765 (+17%)
Cinebench	-	903	-	1056 (+17%)
Cinebench (max fan)	-	1029	-	1141 (+11%)

Single-core results are significant, but multi-core results are dramatic! What's more, during the tests I could clearly see that the CPU temperature doesn't jump to 100°C instantly with the copper shim added (I'll attach some extra screenshots in the post below).

Single-core performance is practically maxed with the copper shim, and the temperature doesn't reach full 100°C during the first half of the Geekbench test anymore.


I don't know, if this is an oversight on Apple's part or a simple way to save a few extra bucks during the assembly — putting some think paste and screwing the heatsink that doesn't touch the CPU is faster and safer, of course — but it just shows that that CPU in MBA 2020 can behave much better even without the complete redesign of the cooling system.
[automerge]1589581897[/automerge]
And here are a couple more screenshots showing the temperature charts during the Cinebench testing. It's obvious that with the copper shim installed the temperature doesn't rises so dramatically, which in the real life scenarios might keep the CPU cooler for much longer.

Before the shim mod

After the mod

 

[RiaKoobcam]

I've recently received new and shiny MBA 2020 i7/16GB/1TB to replace my much loved and trusted MBA 2015 i7. But I was very disappointed to find out the extent of the throttling issue — my single-core Geekbench scores varied between 1100s and 900s after multiple runs, which is a big difference, considering that my old MBA 2015 consistently pulled ~850 on the single core. Soon I found this thread and decided to try the copper shim mod.

Modification process

After I've removed the back cover and the heatsink, I've discovered the familiar blob of the black paste that everyone here has seen already.

View attachment 915469

From the looks of it the paste started to dry out already and cracked a bit. I don't think this will be a good heat conductor in the long run.

View attachment 915470

Removing the paste I've noticed what some have mentioned here — it is very thick.

View attachment 915471

Then I've applied some Arctic Silver on both dies in a thin layer (half a grain of rice). Initially I wanted to test just the thermal paste replacement, without the copper mod. But below you can see the result of placing the heatsink on top of the CPU that has been covered with Arctic Silver.

View attachment 915472

The gap is so big that it doesn't even touch the CPU! And here I am thinking that heatsink has to touch the CPU die.

So I've added copper shims to the mix. I've had some 15x15x0.3mm, and it turned out to be more than enough. As soon as I've placed the heatsink with the shims, it immediately stuck to the Arctic Silver.

Testing

I wanted to be thorough, so I made a lot of tests before and after the mod, under similar conditions. My macOS is fully fresh, I didn't migrate to it just yet, so there are no apps, nothing.

I've idled before every Cinebench run and before the first Geekbench run until temperatures reached low values. I've also tested with the maximum fan speed (8k) with TG Pro to see how that affects the results, because the system usually increases the fan speed quite slowly.

Here are a lot of screenshots for those of you who'd like to see some context. All results are summarized in a table below.

Before

Idle

View attachment 915478

Geekbench 1st run

View attachment 915473 View attachment 915474


After

Idle

View attachment 915481

Geekbench 1st run

View attachment 915479 View attachment 915480


Results

	Single-Core (before)	Multi-Core (before)	Single-Core (after)	Multi-Core (after)
Geekbench (1st run)	1169	2621	1265 (+8%)	3397 (+30%)
Geekbench (2nd run)	1006	2473	1174 (+17%)	3046 (+23%)
Geekbench (3rd run)	1078	2606	1176 (+9%)	3022 (+16%)
Geekbench (max fan)	1238	3212	1264 (+2%)	3765 (+17%)
Cinebench	-	903	-	1056 (+17%)
Cinebench (max fan)	-	1029	-	1141 (+11%)

Single-core results are significant, but multi-core results are dramatic! What's more, during the tests I could clearly see that the CPU temperature doesn't jump to 100°C instantly with the copper shim added (I'll attach some extra screenshots in the post below).

Single-core performance is practically maxed with the copper shim, and the temperature doesn't reach full 100°C during the first half of the Geekbench test anymore.


I don't know, if this is an oversight on Apple's part or a simple way to save a few extra bucks during the assembly — putting some think paste and screwing the heatsink that doesn't touch the CPU is faster and safer, of course — but it just shows that that CPU in MBA 2020 can behave much better even without the complete redesign of the cooling system.
[automerge]1589581897[/automerge]
And here are a couple more screenshots showing the temperature charts during the Cinebench testing. It's obvious that with the copper shim installed the temperature doesn't rises so dramatically, which in the real life scenarios might keep the CPU cooler for much longer.

Before the shim mod

View attachment 915487

After the mod

View attachment 915486

Great, thorough post. Thanks so much for all the effort you went to.

 

[IngerMan]

I don’t get the difference in the heat sink. @SeñorNewton hardly had any Apple paste with little gap, then @DanSilov had a lot of paste like a previous poster. Is it the difference between i5 & i7 or has the process changed in time.

@DanSilov how long ago did you order your machine & delivery and where did it come from. Same question to you @SeñorNewton.