Do I need to repaste my thermal paste it's been 4 years since I bought my laptop

Recommendation
1

I’ve had my laptop for 4 years now and I’m wondering if it’s time to replace the thermal paste. Any advice?
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2

If you’ve exposed it to air during any repairs or upgrades, then yes, it’s time to clean off the old paste and apply new thermal paste.

3

Scout said:
If you’ve exposed it to air during any repairs or upgrades, then yes, it’s time to clean off the old paste and apply new thermal paste.

Does exposure to air really affect thermal paste that much?

4

@Tatum
If it’s still moist and soft, a little air exposure won’t hurt. But if it’s dry, you definitely need to replace it.

5

Jesse said:
@Tatum
If it’s still moist and soft, a little air exposure won’t hurt. But if it’s dry, you definitely need to replace it.

Got it, thanks!

6

@Tatum
It’s generally good practice to replace the paste every time you open up the laptop.

7

@Tatum
Also, if you’re doing heavy usage, remember the VRAMs are covered with a special putty that should also be replaced if disturbed.

8

If you’ve already removed the heatsink, then yes, you should replace the thermal paste.

9

Kai said:
If you’ve already removed the heatsink, then yes, you should replace the thermal paste.

Don’t forget to replace the thermal putty on the VRAM and possibly the GPU VRMs as well.

10

@Zander
True, although if they’re carefully peeled off, you can sometimes reuse the thermal pads or putty.

11

Kai said:
@Zander
True, although if they’re carefully peeled off, you can sometimes reuse the thermal pads or putty.

It looks like these weren’t carefully handled though.

12

Jordan said:

Kai said:
@Zander
True, although if they’re carefully peeled off, you can sometimes reuse the thermal pads or putty.

It looks like these weren’t carefully handled though.

Yeah, that looks more like thermal paste to me. Thermal pads and putty don’t have that appearance.

13

Yes, especially now that you’ve taken the heatsink off.

14

The moment you remove the heatsink, it’s time to replace the thermal paste. If it was still intact and your temperatures were fine, it wouldn’t be necessary unless you noticed a significant increase in temperature.

15

Generally, you don’t need to change the thermal paste unless you start experiencing thermal issues. But once you’ve detached the heatsink and exposed it to air, replacing the paste is definitely necessary.

16

@Reece
Thanks for the tip!

17

You’ll get different opinions, but if the paste is still moist and spreadable, it might be okay. However, after 4 years, it’s likely dried out and less effective. Replacing it now could help lower temperatures and improve performance.

18

@Noor
Definitely needs replacing since it’s been exposed to air now.

19

Sawyer said:
@Noor
Definitely needs replacing since it’s been exposed to air now.

Absolutely agree. It’s a must to replace old thermal paste to maintain good heat management.

20

Remi said:

Sawyer said:
@Noor
Definitely needs replacing since it’s been exposed to air now.

Absolutely agree. It’s a must to replace old thermal paste to maintain good heat management.

Well said!