Thermal Paste Guide for Macbook Air Rev. A???

[iGrant]

Hey Guys,

I have had my Macbook Air about a month now, still loving the laptop but I definitely see the need to replace the thermal paste with something better, I have Artic Silver 5 left from when I did it on my Mac Mini Core Solo to Core Duo upgrade.

Does anyone have a picture of how much thermal paste needs to be applied??? I know there is a guide in this forums but the pictures won't load (I'm a very visual person so this would be helpful)

Thanks
iGrant

 

[GoCubsGo]

A member here has taken apart a Rev B, which is not entirely unlike the Rev A and shows the thermal paste. A search of these forums also discusses how much (or little) to use.

I would check out this sticky and iFixit to see if you can't figure out it as the sticky also provides a link on how to deal with the heatsink.

 

[Christer]

I'd say that the most common recommendation would be "about the size of a grain of rice". Some people recommend more, others less. I usually use a non-conductive paste (Arctic Cooling MX 2), which allows me to not worry all that much if there's slight spill-over around the edges of the die.

If you're unsure (and have the paste to spare), try it out: Make an application of paste, put the heatsink on and tighten it up and then simply take it off again and check if you're happy with the spread of the paste on the chip. Ideally, you want just enough paste to cover the shiny surface without any paste bleeding over the edges.

 

[xparaparafreakx]

I applied my using a credit card and spreading it til it was nice and thin.

A grain of rice also seems like a good idea.