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Thermal Pad for VRM and others

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There are so many thickness in thermalpad VRM or other thing, (But not for GPU & CPU), in store I diffrent thickness, 0,5mm and 1mm. what should i choose?? also some store told me to use thermal tape which is thinner for better heat transfer....I am confused...anyone has experience in this?
 
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Its depends on what your using it for. We need to know what its replacing and on what.
 
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Its for my laptop omen dh0105tx, replacing old thermal pads
 
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I think the best way to be sure would be to measure the current thermal pads. I would say it's always better for it to be a bt thicker then thinner, so if 1mm is used, you could always use 1.5mm but not 0.5mm.
 
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replacing old thermal pads
Why? They never need to be replaced just because they are "old". If you are having heat issues, it is more likely due to heat trapping dust build up inside the case or blocking vents, or a failing fan or something else.
 

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There are so many thickness in thermalpad VRM or other thing, (But not for GPU & CPU), in store I diffrent thickness, 0,5mm and 1mm. what should i choose?? also some store told me to use thermal tape which is thinner for better heat transfer....I am confused...anyone has experience in this?
Just use the same thickness as original. Usually it's 1mm on VRM (rarely 0.5mm on chokes, if it had any).

Why? They never need to be replaced just because they are "old". If you are having heat issues, it is more likely due to heat trapping dust build up inside the case or blocking vents, or a failing fan or something else.
There are tons of reasons, one of which is factory-installed pads are usually shit. Another good reason, is that 1-2 years down the road these cheap pads start secreting oily snot that may cause issues later(turning dust into black goo, corroding solder pads on BGA components etc). It's not just on laptops, it was pretty bad on Pascal and Polaris cards with thermal pads on VRAM. Back in a mining craze days it was a nice side-hassle, just washing cards with IPA and seeing happy faces of customers who got scared in the previous repair workshop with terrifying diagnosis, like "you have artifacts due to dead GPU", or "VRAM died from abuse" etc.
I do agree that you don't have to replace them "just because", but there are some exceptions that don't include heat.
 
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Desktop counterparts have better cooling system, where laptop everybit components counts, especialy gaming laptop which the temp when gaming can reach 92 degree and when idel is 46-50 degree.. I dont think factory thermal pads would last very long
 
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I think the best way to be sure would be to measure the current thermal pads. I would say it's always better for it to be a bt thicker then thinner, so if 1mm is used, you could always use 1.5mm but not 0.5mm.
That is dangerous, some pads are very stiff and don't squish much. So much that you can bend and break the pcb when you screw parts down with too thick thermal pads. Always aim for the correct size.

Desktop counterparts have better cooling system, where laptop everybit components counts, especialy gaming laptop which the temp when gaming can reach 92 degree and when idel is 46-50 degree.. I dont think factory thermal pads would last very long
Usually pads are designed to last a long time under the conditions they are used in. Most thermal pads have an acceptal temperature range that goes up to like 200°C. If your laptop is not 10+ years old I don't see a need to change them.
And in contrary to most pastes, aftermarket pads are rarely any better then the stock ones! If you want to improve the thermals you might need some rather expensive pads. Fujipoly makes good pads but at a premium cost.
 
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That is dangerous, some pads are very stiff and don't squish much. So much that you can bend and break the pcb when you screw parts down with too thick thermal pads. Always aim for the correct size.
Of course ideally it's always better to use the correct size. I haven't really seen super "stiff" thermal pad, even old ones are still a bit squishy. Unless something is super tight with very tight tolerances, I don't think an extra 0.5mm will bend and/or break a PCB.
 
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Of course ideally it's always better to use the correct size. I haven't really seen super "stiff" thermal pad, even old ones are still a bit squishy. Unless something is super tight with very tight tolerances, I don't think an extra 0.5mm will bend and/or break a PCB.
I was most worried about components on the pcb, when you flex it solder points can crack. I had it happen on a GPU with the thermal grizzly minus pads.
 
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Thermal Grizzly minus pad, do you think is good?
 
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Thermal Grizzly minus pad, do you think is good?
They get the job done. I used them on GPU VRMs and a few times on desktop mainboards for the VRMs.
 
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There are tons of reasons,
:( I know that. I never said there are no reasons. I said "just because they are old" is not one of them. That's why I asked the OP "why"?

Without additional information - hence the "why?" all your reasons are just speculations and "what ifs".
I dont think factory thermal pads would last very long
And there we go. Factory pads can easily last many many years - if not disturbed. That is, if the cured bond between the mating surfaces is not broken.

Yes, there are better TIMs out there. But if you "need" the few degrees a better TIM gives you to keep from crossing over thermal protection thresholds, you have other cooling issues you need to address first - like cleaning out dust and ensuring your fans are spinning properly. Perhaps consider a cooling pad.

While replacing TIM is not the most technically challenging task, it is, by far, not the most menial either. It is a task that requires manual dexterity as well as technical know-how. There are risks involved that can potentially cause much greater damage than good. Replacing TIM should not be attempted without cause. And I have not seen cause here - yet.
 
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You don't remove the "original thermal pads" just like you don't remove the stock cooler because it is "old" ... you remove and replace it because you want something better than the cheap stuff the component originally came with. Here are some instances where you would want to change thermal pads ....

a) They were never installed ... EVGA 1060 - 1080 SC and FTWs for example.
b) You are swapping out cooler for a water block
c) Your VRM temps are higher than shown in reviews (adjusted for ambients) and perhaps you have a poor mount due to a crease in pad or other reasons
d) You want to improve cooling versus the cheap / crappy pads that were installed at the factory

We use Fijipoly pads ... they come in many sizes, we usually buy sheets and cut to fit. Often tough to find out the actual thickness and when taking off the originals that have been under 40-70 pounds of pressure, they may not recover full thickness. Consulting water block manufacturers instructions is a good source of info.

What is "better" is eveidence by the heat transfer rate, the more heat they move, the better. They (Fujipoly's) come in various performance quality levels:

Thermal Conductivity 6.0 W/mK
Thermal Conductivity 11.0 W/mK
Thermal Conductivity 17.0 W/mK

Other manufacturers sell pads as low as 6.0 W/mK which is probably what you get from the factory.

Good info here:


The Thermal Grizzly Pads are only 8.0 W/mK
 
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you remove and replace it because you want something better than the cheap stuff the component originally came with.

d) You want to improve cooling versus the cheap / crappy pads that were installed at the factory
No. "Wanting" something better is not a valid reason for "need".

"Wanting" to improve cooling is totally different from "needing" to improve cooling. If temps are comfortably within normal operating temps, there is no "need" to replace the TIM - except to stroke your own ego by giving you bragging rights.

When the temps are within the "normal" operating range, making them cooler does NOT improve performance, make the system more stable, or increase lifespan. In other words, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

FTR, there is nothing wrong with "wanting" cooler temps. Just don't try to rationalize it, or justifying potential risky tasks by pretending cooler temps are "needed" when they aren't.
 
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