2020 Air Heatsink Modification Thread

[kinchee87]

For those who have used a thermal pad on top of the heat sink, how easy will it be to remove? Are thermal pads designed to melt slightly under high temperature?

How to renew thermal pads

Use this guide to remove thermal pads from a motherboard or frame and apply new ones. When replacing a display assembly including the frame or you...

www.ifixit.com

 

[Fahrstuhl24]

Hello guys, I just made a account to show my results. I never owned a MacBook before and im very happy with my i7/512gb/8Gb I just wanted to get better thermals because with an external monitor and shadow streaming, the fans went crazy and the temps were hitting 100c. So I decided to go for the easy mod and put a thermal pad between the heatsink and the backplate. I don't want to lose the warranty.

I bought this thermal pad, because it can transfer the heat very well(8w/m*K). 30mmx30mmx2mm placed it in the middle of the heatsink, so there is enough space at the sides for airflow.

Premod I tested Cinebench an got 1068 points and the fans were audible.
After the mod and no fans audible:

100 Points more!!
I also tested Geekbench(sry no Premod data available) and got these results without fans audible:

Im very happy with these results and don't want to mod more. When I am now streaming games with shadow, the fans are completely silent and the temps around 80c. The backplate gets warm but not hot(like some people think) If I use the MBA mobile, I just do light task so the temps are not getting high.

Thank you for the tip with the thermal pad!
Cheers.

 

[vyruzreaper]

is there enough room to apply a 0.5mm copper sheet over the thermal pad the size of the heatsink? (heatsink-pad-copper sheet)

Interesting idea. I can try place more copper shims on top of the thermal pad. Problem is I went with .5mm shim between the die and heatsink so I was already tight on room. And I bought a beefy 2mm thermal pad. Maybe a 1.5 thermal pad would work?

Also, I am not a EE -> don't try adding copper shims on top of the thermal pad without doing some research first lol. That said, anyone wanna chime in on their thoughts about adding more shims above the thermal pad?

 

[SeñorNewton]

I got to running a Cinebench test today. Unfortunately, I did not run this pre-mod (only GB5). Regardless, below are my results. I ran the test 2 times with ~1 minute in between each. The first score was 1161 and second run netted 1156. Seems like sustained 1.8/1.9 @ 85C is doable with the mod.

Edit: Fans never went above 2.8k RPM

View attachment 917715

You've convinced me to try a thermal pad. I ran Intel's Power Gadget and Cinebench to try and get an Apple to Apple (get it?) comparison. I clearly have some heat to deal with.

Running Cinebench, my fans went to 6,200, temps went 100 C and stayed right up there, and my core avg was around 1.6.

 

[TenthDoctor]

I have not read this whole thread, but can if I use a laptop cooling pad, will That work for it? (I know I would need to use an adapter because most cooling pads connect via usb).

 

[Bones13]

Not sure @TenthDoctor, The cooling for this laptop seems to be dependent on air intake from the upper right edge area, across the heatsink, and out the upper left area with the fan there, pulling the air across the heatsink, and out. Pushing air up against the bottom of the laptop does not seem to be of use. Some of the folks here are using a thermal pad to bridge the heatsink to the aluminum bottom of the laptop, (encouraging heat exchange across the bottom) I would imagine that a "laptop cooler" might help if you modify your laptop in this fashion.

"Skinny" laptops always have some compromise in the cooling components. There are always tradeoffs. The Razor laptop I have definitely has an intake area, and an output area on the bottom of the laptop. The laptop "coolers" are designed for this type of device.

Seems like the 2020 MBA benefit most from a few mods (repaste/shim, and possibly the thermal pad application), along with not expecting a MBA to be a gaming, or heavy use device for busy applications.

I will repaste mine when it gets here in June, with a shim. I may test the thermal pads. I don't plan to do much besides some word/excel/powerpoint stuff, in addition to browsing etc. One of the reasons I chose to get a MBA is that I don't think it will play games, improving my productivity.

 

[TenthDoctor]

. Really? It can’t play games? I currently have a regular 2011 MacBook (not a pro), and am able to play games on it. So my new computer that I ordered will have worse performance? Will I be able to participate in zoom meetings, or will it only be good for email, surfing the Internet, and using a word processor?

 

[nill1234]

Games could be anything. Its definitely more powerful than your old macbook.

 

[TenthDoctor]

Games could be anything. Its definitely more powerful than your old macbook.

Thanks

 

[octoviaa]

Interesting idea. I can try place more copper shims on top of the thermal pad. Problem is I went with .5mm shim between the die and heatsink so I was already tight on room. And I bought a beefy 2mm thermal pad. Maybe a 1.5 thermal pad would work?

Also, I am not a EE -> don't try adding copper shims on top of the thermal pad without doing some research first lol. That said, anyone wanna chime in on their thoughts about adding more shims above the thermal pad?

How about adding the copper shim on top of the heatsink, so the layer would be: heatsink->copper-shim->thermal-pad?
Or forgo thermal-pad and just went with the copper-shim: heatsink->copper-shim?
Thoughts?

 

[Saul Giordani]

Hello guys, I just made a account to show my results. I never owned a MacBook before and im very happy with my i7/512gb/8Gb I just wanted to get better thermals because with an external monitor and shadow streaming, the fans went crazy and the temps were hitting 100c. So I decided to go for the easy mod and put a thermal pad between the heatsink and the backplate. I don't want to lose the warranty.

I bought this thermal pad, because it can transfer the heat very well(8w/m*K). 30mmx30mmx2mm placed it in the middle of the heatsink, so there is enough space at the sides for airflow.
View attachment 918024

Premod I tested Cinebench an got 1068 points and the fans were audible.
After the mod and no fans audible:
View attachment 918025
100 Points more!!
I also tested Geekbench(sry no Premod data available) and got these results without fans audible:

View attachment 918027

Im very happy with these results and don't want to mod more. When I am now streaming games with shadow, the fans are completely silent and the temps around 80c. The backplate gets warm but not hot(like some people think) If I use the MBA mobile, I just do light task so the temps are not getting high.

Thank you for the tip with the thermal pad!
Cheers.

I'll do the same tomorrow as soon as the screwdriver arrives

 

[mymuyi]

Hello guys, I just made a account to show my results. I never owned a MacBook before and im very happy with my i7/512gb/8Gb I just wanted to get better thermals because with an external monitor and shadow streaming, the fans went crazy and the temps were hitting 100c. So I decided to go for the easy mod and put a thermal pad between the heatsink and the backplate. I don't want to lose the warranty.

I bought this thermal pad, because it can transfer the heat very well(8w/m*K). 30mmx30mmx2mm placed it in the middle of the heatsink, so there is enough space at the sides for airflow.
View attachment 918024

Premod I tested Cinebench an got 1068 points and the fans were audible.
After the mod and no fans audible:
View attachment 918025
100 Points more!!
I also tested Geekbench(sry no Premod data available) and got these results without fans audible:

View attachment 918027

Im very happy with these results and don't want to mod more. When I am now streaming games with shadow, the fans are completely silent and the temps around 80c. The backplate gets warm but not hot(like some people think) If I use the MBA mobile, I just do light task so the temps are not getting high.

Thank you for the tip with the thermal pad!
Cheers.

Great results... But does opening the backplate and putting some thermal pads indeed not damage warranty?
One more thing, can you please try a game like cs go and see if it's playable now?

 

[daystar]

My i7/512gb/8gb

Before and after copper shim&Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut:

Geekbench 5 +400 points on multicore.

Cinebench 20 +130 points and the clock speeds stayed at 2.2-1.9ghz and 85 degrees Celsius to the end. Before it was 1.75ghz and 100 degrees.

Thermal Grizzly minus pad 8 coming to heatsink in a couple of days and I will run the tests again with it

 

[DanSilov]

My i7/512gb/8gb
Before and after copper shim&Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut:
Geekbench 5 +400 points on multicore.
View attachment 918768

Well, looks like MBA can pull 4000+ on multi-core in GeekBench, which is not something I've seen yet. Great result, although your original scores have been good from the start.

 

[excelsior.ink]

My i7/512gb/8gb

Before and after copper shim&Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut:

Geekbench 5 +400 points on multicore.
View attachment 918768

Cinebench 20 +130 points and the clock speeds stayed at 2.2-1.9ghz and 85 degrees Celsius to the end. Before it was 1.75ghz and 100 degrees.

That's impressive. About 4400 is the score of the new 2020 MBP with a 10th gen CPU (the 1799 model).

 

[Fahrstuhl24]

Great results... But does opening the backplate and putting some thermal pads indeed not damage warranty?
One more thing, can you please try a game like cs go and see if it's playable now?

The thermal pads are easy to remove and nobody will notice it. I think opening the backplate is not a problem because u have to do it for normal maintenance ( Fan cleaning etc)
I will try csgo today!

 

[SeñorNewton]

How about adding the copper shim on top of the heatsink, so the layer would be: heatsink->copper-shim->thermal-pad?
Or forgo thermal-pad and just went with the copper-shim: heatsink->copper-shim?
Thoughts?

Did you ever get brave enough to toss in a shim on top of the heatsink? I thought about doing that why my Minus 8 ships, but I am concerned about a conductive piece of metal loose in the case.

 

[octoviaa]

Did you ever get brave enough to toss in a shim on top of the heatsink? I thought about doing that why my Minus 8 ships, but I am concerned about a conductive piece of metal loose in the case.

Thinking to use double-tape so those shims can stick to the backplate foam or I could use the thermal-pad which press the shims further to prevent it from moving. I've order 2mm thermal-pad from AliExpress but wonder whether it would be too thick: heatsink (with .3mm shims) -> .3 mm shims -> 2mm thermal-pad -> foam-backplate.

 

[IngerMan]

Thinking to use double-tape so those shims can stick to the backplate foam or I could use the thermal-pad which press the shims further to prevent it from moving. I've order 2mm thermal-pad from AliExpress but wonder whether it would be too thick: heatsink (with .3mm shims) -> .3 mm shims -> 2mm thermal-pad -> foam-backplate.

I have .3mm Shims 20x20, MX4 and a Artic 1.5mm 140x140. Just waiting for my machine. I am tempted to do the mod before I even power it up but that would be a mistake if it did not work from the beginning.

I don't think the surface is flat enough to put the copper shim on top of the metal corrugated surface, it seems the best adherence would be the flexible thermal pad. This I am gathering from @kinchee87 posted photos.

 

[octoviaa]

I have .3mm Shims 20x20, MX4 and a Artic 1.5mm 140x140. Just waiting for my machine. I am tempted to do the mod before I even power it up but that would be a mistake if it did not work from the beginning.

I don't think the surface is flat enough to put the copper shim on top of the metal corrugated surface, it seems the best adherence would be the flexible thermal pad. This I am gathering from @kinchee87 posted photos.


View attachment 918837 View attachment 918838

You're right the surface of the heatsink definitely not 'flat' however if you see the video max-tech where he put waterblock just on top of the heatsink and it works, hence thinking to put the shims directly on-top of the heatsink.

 

[Mochi_D]

View attachment 918837

Is that the i5 or i7 model IngerMan?

 

[Bones13]

I am seeing people talk about "shims" in too general a way. All the "shim" talk earlier in this thread was about a 0.3-0.5mm thick copper plate placed between the actual CPU and the heatsink, where the two touch. New thermal paste is placed between CPU-shim and shim-heatsink. One has to remove the heatsink, and the old gunk, and "repaste" as part of using this kind of shim.

I see discussion above on a "shim" that would go above or below a cooling pad placed on top of the heat sink, If I am reading it correctly. I would need to learn more about that method.

At this point, the external cooler pad could do a few things - actually move some heat from the heatsink to the bottom panel of the MBA. It might be forcing more of the air movement through the heatsink open channels, improving cooling in that manner. Or some of both. There have been good reports of using a cooling pad that covers only some of the heatsink, yet allowing air flow over the top of the sink in some parts.

When my MBA arrives, I will be doing the repaste, with a shim. Testing first, then trying partial, and full pad.

Certainly accepting comments from those that have done the work already.

 

[Loog]

Seeing some great improvement with the shims and thermal pads. For an update I've backed out of the thermal pad on my 2018 MBA due to excessive heat on the bottom plate when working on video conferencing. The improvement for me over the shim was <10 points on Cinebench therefore the benefits of the device staying slightly cooler when on my lap has to be the compromise here.

There is no doubt that this mod does really help heat dissipation and is probably fine if you are working on a desk for most of the day.

Update on the custom drop in shims 22x16.5, all 0.3mm have sold and just a few 0.5mm are left. I'm looking forward to some reviews from around the globe on these. Some more beauties to be shipped to the USA in the next day or so.

 

[Bones13]

Seeing some great improvement with the shims and thermal pads. For an update I've backed out of the thermal pad on my 2018 MBA due to excessive heat on the bottom plate when working on video conferencing. The improvement for me over the shim was <10 points on Cinebench therefore the benefits of the device staying slightly cooler when on my lap has to be the compromise here.

There is no doubt that this mod does really help heat dissipation and is probably fine if you are working on a desk for most of the day.

Update on the custom drop in shims 22x16.5, all 0.3mm have sold and just a few 0.5mm are left. I'm looking forward to some reviews from around the globe on these. Some more beauties to be shipped to the USA in the next day or so.

I was wondering about the "comfort" quotient of laptop use if significant heat was shunted to the bottom of the case. I guess with a thermal pad, put the MBA on a fan type laptop cooler base, on a table, and game away?

As I watched the video up there just now, I was interested to see that a water cooler (almost as heavy as the MBA) worked a lot better. No doubt. Same with external cooling, but probably not a good idea.

The gentleman kept talking like Apple "crippled" the CPU for use in this device. I, for one, bought the MBA to be a light, small device that will run day to day tasks that I might do when running around. I purposely chose the MBA for this. The fact that Apple put a powerful processor in a small laptop, with a small cooler, and then put some rules on the CPU speed to prevent failure is expected. If you want full performance, find a water cooled laptop - they exist, but are not fun to throw into the backpack and lug about.

I plan the repaste and (+/-) thermal pad mods to help lengthen the life of the laptop, and quiet the fan somewhat, and hopefully make the MBA able to tolerate some video conferencing.

 

[Saul Giordani]

Hi, I've applied the thermal pad (thermal grizzly carbonate) on top of the heatsink, and I've noticed the cpu temperature has gone higher.

I have a VC in few minutes so I removed it and I'll do it without it, then I'll try again later. But I didn't expect this. Is it normal?