Thermal pads?!

[HapticSimian]

Folks, your guidance will be the last thing keeping me from doing my nut in on this...

I've stripped a notebook in order to replace the thermal compound on the CPU and GPU. I've got a tube of Arctic Silver for that, so that's all dandy. However, there are 2 or 3 chips where the gaps between chip and heatsink are simply too big to fill with paste; notably the PCH chip which uses the left-hand palm rest to dissipate heat. I need to stick some new thermal pads on these, as the old ones had either hardened or broken apart, but I can't find a brick-and-mortar shop anywhere in the greater Jo'burg area where I can get some.

Perhaps my google-fu is just weak in this instance, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jimmy-Z]

How about this?

http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/77613900/8pcs_GPU_CPU_Thermal_Pad_Heatsink_Chip_25mmx25mm.html

I had the same problem finding thermal adhesive a while back... No one stocks these specialized items

 

[biena]

Sand the heatsink ?

 

[Yotch]

You might be able to get a free sample over here - they did send me one several years ago. Just search their website very carefully before requesting the sample as they have many, many different types of thermal tapes and pads and some products will be more suitable than others i.e. some conduct heat better while others adhere to the heatsink better etc. It took ~3 days to arrive. Just leave the Fedex account no. blank.
http://www.chomerics.com/sample/index.htm

 

[HapticSimian]

How about this?

http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/77613900/8pcs_GPU_CPU_Thermal_Pad_Heatsink_Chip_25mmx25mm.html

I had the same problem finding thermal adhesive a while back... No one stocks these specialized items

Thanks. Saw that, and I'll either order that or get some off eBay/Amazon if I can't get locally. I would however like to not limit myself to web browsing only for a month whilst I wait for the Post Office to lose my order.

Sand the heatsink ?

It's not a question of uneven surfaces, but rather one of gaps and movement. Have a look here, at the reverse of the palm rest:



One of the spots in question is visible just to the right of the touchpad's green circuit board in that picture - the little raised square. That allows the PCH chip to dissipate its heat into that entire aluminium sheet. However, being on the bottom of the plastic palm rest, there will necessarily be constant flex and movement. Paste simply won't cut it. There are a few small guys around the GPU as well which are meant to meet up with the GPU's heatsink but sit lower. There's simply no other solution than those damn pads.

I'm thinking I should pulse a few of the guys who do console repairs...