Going to tackle taking the M18xr2 Apart too re-paste GPU's and CPU

So what Paste do you guys recommend? ive always used Arctic silver on my desktop builds, but would like to hear more from you guys about the experiences you have had.

Also anyone know where i can grab a Triple pipe heatsink from the UK?


Really nervous about taking her apart, I have only ever done it on my own to access the 2 ram slots under the keyboard but watched a tech take it down to the GPU's when one failed.

Cheers brothers <3

 

Brother Throbin, I know you're going to do fine with the teardown. You're a smart guy and as long as you are careful (I know you will be) I suspect it will turn out wonderfully.

IC Diamond has been my standby for years and there are hardly any pastes out there that work as well or last as long. However, the exception is Liquid Ultra. It does a phenomenal job and seems to be more durable. It requires a little more caution, but since you are used to being careful with AS5 (both are conductive) you're already in a good spot. I was running Liquid Ultra only on my CPU, but last weekend I repasted the GPUs and added the GTX 580M dual vRAM heat-spreader support plates and it brought my already good GPU temps with IC Diamond down even further.

I don't know the phone number is UK, but Dell Spare Parts can fix you up with the 3-pipe. They one cost $21USD and should be a similar price in equivalent currently, not counting VAT and the other taxation atrocities you have to deal with.

Have a look at this post: [Death Match] Thermal Paste Showdown: IC Diamond vs Noctua NT-H1 vs Liquid Ultra

And, here is an application guide.

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Thank you Brother Fox another quick question regarding the GPU's What thickness of thermal pads are required?

 

I am using the stock pad. I believe most are 1.0MM. There is one thick pad (not sure of the thickness measurement) that measures about 1/4 inch square on each GPU. If your pads are not dried out or torn, don't change them. You can stack the pads to make the thicker one. I don't like the idea of stacking them, but you might be able to re-use that small pad for each GPU. Fujipoly makes excellent thermal pads. Buying a pair of new heat sinks will cost a little bit more, but is actually the better choice in my mind because you end up with spares. New heat sinks have always seemed to cool better than old ones for me. Alienware's stock thermal pads are outstanding quality... extremely effective and highly durable.

Here are the thermal pads I have had good luck with: Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 0.5 - Thermal Conductivity 6.0 W/mK

Only taking a wild guess without measuring, I am going to say the thicker pad is probably 3.0MM. The cost of one sheet of the 3.0MM pads is high considering all you need is two small pieces about 1/4 inch square.

Fujipoly Premium System Builder Thermal Pad - 1/4 Sheet - 150 x 100 x 3.0 - Thermal Conductivity 6.0 W/mK will just about cover the cost of one new GPU heat sink from Dell Spare Parts.

 

I'd strongly suggest IC Diamond... I had it on my old laptop for 3 years and its still quite good... You can get it off ebay for 5 quid a tube...

 

Brother Throbin..

I whole heatedly recommend Liquid Ultra for the CPU. Diamond for the GPU 's.

 

I throw my 2 cents in for Gelid GC Extreme. I have a thread on here about performance with it being beat to a bloody pulp and it still stood strong. Now that I will be taking on the R2 for a venture I'm going to wait for the Dual PSU before releasing updates on that paste but my Gpu's still to this date are showing temps identical to my first day pasting. http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-18-m18x/744023-m18x-r1-gelid-gc-extreme-experience.html Personally its my preference and it cleans easy and doesn't make your die look ugly as all get out either after burning it hard from extreme benching. But the best results for Gelid is that little is more. Too much and you defeat the purpose of the paste. Simple put a rice size blob on the die and put your heatsink on and you are done. Simple, easy, no worries about it causing mayhem with your board. Also to keep in mind is the climate, some people will see less help from this due to climate. If its dry in your area almost all the time stay away and go ICD, if its moist in your area like it rains more than 3 times a year then it would be perfect. But I am really the only one on this forum that is not using ICD or MX-4 on my m18x so not much pride sits on my side of the spectrum. Anyways all will work great ICD, Gelid, Liquid ultra. Just be careful with Liquid Ultra.

 

UPDATE:

So i thought rather than trying to find a heatsink on ebay i would go through Dell and see what they can do.

They are replacing my single pipe CPU heatsink with a three pipe for free and sending a tech out to do the work (saves me the trouble and will watch him like a hawk)
At the same time i am going to re-paste the 2 GPU's also with AS5 (got it on nextday delivery with TIM cleaner/purifier)

So yea i will report how it all goes down tomorrow so wish me luck Brothers.

 

Does the M17x R4 also have the option for a 3 pipe heatsink for the CPU? My CPU isn't even OCed and reaches 85C in games... I asked to send someone to repaste but Dell UK are refusing to do anything... How did u make them do it?

 

Hi Tom. I don't think so. I think there is only only heat sink option. You might want to check with someone in the M17xR4 Owner's Lounge just to confirm that is the case. With a 3630QM you should not have temperature issues. If you have not recently taken things apart for a thorough cleaning it might be time for that. If that doesn't provide an improvement, then doing a good re-paste might fix that for you.