StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Loads of thermal compound, that is.

From the Something Awful forums:

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MacBooks have at least a 1.83Ghz Core Duo processor. No one expects them to feel like an ice cube when running. However, it was revealed in this post at Apple's official messageboards by Jean Cyril that Apple had been a little excited with the application of thermal grease to the Core Duo, ATI GPU, and northbridge on the new MacBook logic boards, and that this is most likely the reason why they're getting too bloody hot. How excited? This excited.



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I looked around the internet and found the official Apple repair manual, which had this gem of a photograph:



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There's more to the thread, but those are the really interesting pictures. There are other pictures which show that the OP was able to drop the external (as in the outside of the case) temperatures by 15 degrees celsius - from about 54 to 40 degrees (edit) when he cleaned off Apple's brilliant work and re-applied it properly.

GG Apple

Oh and Apple is threatening to sue SA because someone posted a link to the full Macbook repair guide (WTF - god I love intellectual property) but I think the screenshot is kosher because excerpts are fair use.

And apparently someone found a way to gather the internal temperature readings over on the Apple forums.

Holy shit, that's a ton of thermal grease. Did Apple forget to read the AS5 instructions or what?

I would think that that would actually damage components of the computer which aren't designed to run coated in thermal compound. As for the temperature reductions, that makes no sense to me--it's probably screwing with the airflow inside the case as opposed to actually reducing the running temperature of its components.

That much of a blob of thermal paste would probably negate any thermal conductance of the compound by simply being too dense. The idea is to have a thin film in the first place that makes contact with a heat-sink or fan.

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My boss would crucify me for using thermal paste that way. Can tell that no techs were anywhere near the writing of that particular repair manual.

Master of Ossus wrote:I would think that that would actually damage components of the computer which aren't designed to run coated in thermal compound. As for the temperature reductions, that makes no sense to me--it's probably screwing with the airflow inside the case as opposed to actually reducing the running temperature of its components.

You would be right. I was half-asleep when I wrote that post and got sidetracked by checking the temperature difference, then forgot to finish my point and say that when he undid Apple's brilliant job and reapplied the thermal grease properly, he achieved those temperature differences.

White Haven wrote:My boss would crucify me for using thermal paste that way.

I thought what was especially ridiculous was "use a whole syringe for each chip".

But the crazy thing is that they're apparently doing this at the factory. Not always to the same degree, but still far more than should be applied.