Just today removed the liquid metal from my Framework 16 (batch ~17) and attempted to install the PTM7958 thermal pad that Framework mailed to me almost a year ago. I used too much force in pressing the green pad down, resulting in some of the thermal pad not adhering to the die:
First question is, is it safe to turn on my Framework 16 now? I’m concerned about my CPU getting too hot.
Second question is, how much performance am I possibly losing by using this thermal pad as it’s installed now verses removing it and starting over with a new thermal pad?
Third question, how much more difficult would it be to remove the currently installed PTM after I tried turning on the laptop and burning it in, verses replacing it before turning the laptop on?
the whole silicone glas looking layer needs to be covered for best result, Any areas that doesn’t have any thermal paste will cause issue of heat build up and you will see higher CPU temps since cooler isn’t being able to forward the heat on missing spots over to cooler.
Do you have the pieces that didn’t adhere? Just take them and stick them roughly on the non covered spots.
The PTM is solid at room temp, but liquifies once heated. If the majority of the die is covered, a single heat cycle will be enough to distribute it over the rest as long as it’s roughly centrally placed.
To give another example, for applying non-PTM paste, a common practice was to do a rice grain sized blob in the center of the die and squish it down by reinstalling the heat sink itself.
I don’t really see any issue with your application, even with the gap left there, it’s probably enough to squish over for full coverage after a heating. If you’ve ever looked at an example of someone removing a heatsink with PTM already, you’ll see most of it ends up along the edges of the die anyway, since the actual amount needed is much less than what’s on the pads.
Note for future reference or anyone else. Put the PTM in the freezer for a while before attempting to apply it. Freezing it will make it more firm and it will be easier to handle when applying.
Thanks all for your help @JakeSully@Qyygle@jared_kidd . I didn’t think to save any of the pieces that didn’t adhere, unfortunately. I still haven’t booted up yet, so the thermal pad should still be solid, if that matters.
On the other hand, if I decide to boot up with the thermal pad the way it is now, how difficult would it be to remove the melted PTM if I’m not happy with how it’s working?
I couldn’t wait for framework to ship the PTM to me (laptop was throttling with fans blasting while idle), so I ended up buying both of those. Exact stuff I bought are here and here. As far as I can tell, both are the same stuff. But I just ended up using the Thermal Grizzly.
Probably. I would just put it back together and power it on and see if it seems better. Maybe run a benchmark to make sure. If the thermal pad is not sufficient, it will just throttle like it was before.
Thanks, that was what I needed. I did some more digging and found some leftover bits of the PTM and did my best to put them on. It looks rough but hopefully it’ll work about as well.
I was surprised that the PTM I had installed on the first pass had already melted, even though the laptop hadn’t been turned on. Not a problem, just wasn’t expecting it:
I still haven’t booted up yet, so the thermal pad should still be solid, if that matters.
