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Re-gooping c2d MBP: still roasting !

K

Kumbi

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 7, 2007
6
0
So, with the high temperatures I'm getting (55C idle, 90C load) on my c2d MBP, I've decided to crack it open to replace the thermal goop so many people are identifying as the culprit to the heat....

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1342/snv30202mp9.jpg
Original Apple goop

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2335/snv30207rj9.jpg
Cleaned with video head cleaner alcohol

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4817/snv30208no5.jpg
Amount of Arctic Silver 5 rubbed into each heatpipe mating surface with a lint free cloth (an old, clean shirt)

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/6822/snv30210ww5.jpg
Amount of AS5 put onto each die (not spread out) and squished together with heatsink

Temperature after 5 minutes of running two instances of "yes > /dev/null"
temperaturetm9.png


What do you guys think? Did I do something wrong somewhere ?
 
Threads like this are making it really difficult to decide which MacBook (Pro or no) to go for.

Are the Pros really that hot? I'd heard about the regular MacBooks being hot, that's why I was looking at the Pro... Christ.
 
Yeah they ARE this hot. Even after regooping the damn thing. This MBP is a 2006 Week 51, so it's a fairly recent model....
If you want some proof I might start the VNC server, and people can watch while I start the tests....
 
Kumbi said:
Yeah they ARE this hot. Even after regooping the damn thing. This MBP is a 2006 Week 51, so it's a fairly recent model....
If you want some proof I might start the VNC server, and people can watch while I start the tests....
Click to expand...

Correction, yours is this hot.

I have an old MacBook Pro Core Duo 2.16Ghz model where the processor usually hovers around 74°C when doing a lot of work. However, the surface is not at all that hot.

What are you normally doing to reach these temperatures? How are you working? Do you max both cores out all the time? (I mean, yes > dev/null is not really an indication of normal usage).

What surface do you put the MacBook Pro on?

Did you try a PRAM and SMB reset before reapplying the thermal conductor?

And how do you feel about voiding your warranty? Seriously, it would have been much wiser to just contact AppleCare and explain them the situation.
 
meh, i just get to 70 running VMWare and Defragging under windows whilst using Firefox in OS X, and I idle at low 50s

what i dont understand is how putting a small amount vs. a large amount would make such a difference. Obviously you can put too little, but if you put too much the excess would just be pressed out from between the HSF and the die and can be cleaned up. Have you ever wondered why apple puts so much in the beginning? Could it be the clearances on between the HSF and the actual die?

That SomethingAwful forum where hte original post was made used measurements with an infrared thermometer...while sure his outside case was cooler, could it be the lack of contact between die and HSF? thus not effectively transferring heat to the outside case/fans? Why not use a program that utilizes the actual on die temperature reading like smcFanControl or iStat?

that post on SomethingAwful has since been deleted/removed.

my guess is you're CPU's at 80C because its no longer making proper contact with the HSF. have you checked to see if the HSF makes contact?
 
Pressure said:
What are you normally doing to reach these temperatures? How are you working? Do you max both cores out all the time? (I mean, yes > dev/null is not really an indication of normal usage).

Did you try a PRAM and SMB reset before reapplying the thermal conductor?

And how do you feel about voiding your warranty? Seriously, it would have been much wiser to just contact AppleCare and explain them the situation.
Click to expand...

Playing Starcraft (via rosetta because SC isn't intel native), the CPU load climbs to 50%, and the temps are hovering around 75C. Not much diff from the 80+C under full load.

(I have a feeling the fans aren't running at full tilt - maybe I should kill the temp. sensor and put it back together, I can force the fans to run full tilt that way, and I'd rather have fan noise than roasting laptop)

About the warranty, I don't feel particularly bad because I haven't bought extended AppleCare. Besides, many people have already done (or tried to do) this to lower the temperatures of the MBP!

Apple will maybe take my laptop for a few days, scratch it up a bit, return it back with a sticker saying "checked, but within spec" (if i had sent the thing in instead)

P.S Nice sig, Pressure.

EDIT: @e12a, the bottom area where the heatpipes are, they're hot also. I think the heat is flowing instead of being trapped. (I may be wrong)
 
Yours is, mine has yet to go past 71/72C when running yes dev null for about 40+mins.

MBP 2.16 C2D

Do a PRAM/SMC reset and maybe even re-install OSX because your preferences may be screwed up. You could also try SMC fan control

Thanks for the pics though, anyone know what chip that is between the processor and GPU?
 
daneoni said:
Yours is, mine has yet to go past 71/72C when running yes dev null for about 40+mins.

MBP 2.16 C2D

Do a PRAM/SMC reset and maybe even re-install OSX because your preferences may be screwed up. You could also try SMC fan control

Thanks for the pics though, anyone know what chip that is between the processor and GPU?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's the Northbridge. The goopless chip that says intel is the Southbridge.
 
Why not just install a Fan Control software, like Fan Control? I had a fun time with my hot MBP, but since i installed this, the temperature has had a hard time breaking 70C, even under a heavy load. The normal temperature it runs under now is 47C, and thats with iTunes playing, surfing the internet, and some other programs open. And the only thing i had to change is the base speed of the fans to 2000, no thermal paste or any sort of invasive operation.
 
The highest temperature I've ever seen my mbp reach is 71C. Mine usually stays around 48C or less usually. I've only seen it get to 71C once or twice. It stays at 48ish with the fans on 2000 rpm (standard setting i believe).
 
ran the dev/null test and after waiting some time for the fans to compensate the temperature is at 70C.

you could also try folding@home.

edit: still running, and fans have gradually increased even more, sending the temp down to 69.
 
I reapplied mine and the highest it will go is 65 at full load, but most of the time it idles at 42. I have the first version of the MBP and before I would get constant 60-74 degress, but after reapplying it is so cool. The bar above the keys now never gets hot at all and it is very comftorable in my lap. You should make sure you applied it correctly.
 
you put on too much heat sink goop. The material itself merely allows heat transfer, but ONLY via an EXTREMELY THIN layer. The point of putting the goo on is to fill in the microscopic gaps between wafer back and the heatsink, that's it. if the layer is too thick, you will dampen the heat flow and your processor will retain heat.

However, since the temperature was high before you even messed with it, the possible problems include:

fan not coming on / not moving enough air
blocked airway when trying to cool
heatsinks warped, not making full contact to chip die
possibility heat sink had too much goo when originally built (highly unlikely)

You might have voided the warranty by opening it though
 
I took apart the MacBook Pro once again to re-apply the goop, I used a penknife blade to carefully spread the goop on all 3 chips. Spent a half-hour checking application, and tilting the motherboard around to check that the paste was really as thin as it'd go. Now I idle at 44C and full load at 75C.

Is that an improvement?
 
Kumbi said:
I took apart the MacBook Pro once again to re-apply the goop, I used a penknife blade to carefully spread the goop on all 3 chips. Spent a half-hour checking application, and tilting the motherboard around to check that the paste was really as thin as it'd go. Now I idle at 44C and full load at 75C.

Is that an improvement?
Click to expand...

I'd definitely say so, Mine runs 74-78 maxed out running Parallels with a bunch of apps in coherence mode, Camino, Word, Excel, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and a about 10 other windows I forgot to close.. Some running video. :p

edit: O yea, it runs that hot because the fans aren't at full speed. I use SMC FanControl and it reports the fans at 4400rpms. I tell it to go to 6000rpms and it cools down to like 68.

You can just picture my "WTF" face when I use expose to show all the windows on screen. It doesn't help me either that OS X doesn't stutter at all. It keeps running as if I had only 1 window open.. It's annoying :rolleyes:

BTW, does that ATI chip come off or is it soldered? If its plugged does anyone think I could pop a better one in? I didn't go that deep in when I opened my laptop so I don't know.
 
GPU and CPU are soldered. If GPU was socketed, i'm sure we would have seen mods by now anyway.
 
Kumbi,

I'd recommend instead of just putting a drop on the die / heatpipe and hoping it spreads properly to use a thin spreader of some sort to put a thin layer on the die. That way you know you're going to cover the whole die for good transport and not have it spreading out too far.

That's the way I did my re-app and it supplied fantastic results.
 
Hey guys, I'm back !

What do you recommend as a "thin spreader"? I'd prefer anything to a razor blade, I cut myself 3 times while regooping it for the 2nd time, and the temps have only gone down 5 or so degrees....
 
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