How to change thermal paste on a MacBook Pro. Sharing my experience

If your MacBook starts to overheat, even without much load the cooler turns on at high speeds, then perhaps it’s time to replace the thermal paste on the processor. Thermal paste is a special heat-conducting mastic that ensures the tightest fit of the processor to the heatsink. The radiator, as you know, serves to remove excess heat from the processor. Thus, thermal paste serves to better cool the processor. After several years of operation of any computer, thermal paste may lose its properties, and the computer begins to cool worse. In this case, the thermal paste needs to be replaced. Let's look at the sequence of actions that are necessary to replace thermal paste in a Macbook Pro 13″ A1278.

We will need:

• Screwdriver set: Phillips, torx and three-blade;
• tweezers;
• thermal paste;
• soft cloth and alcohol to clean old thermal paste.

First of all, unplug the power cord and turn the MacBook upside down. Unscrew all the screws around the perimeter. They all unscrew with a cross-type screwdriver. Three screws are long, remember where they are located.

It is unlikely that you will be able to remember the location of every unscrewed screw. Therefore, it is advisable to draw an outline of the computer, motherboard and main blocks and arrange the screws in such a way that each screw is in its place. This is clear, and you can easily return all the screws to their places. Or just put them in some box in the appropriate places.

Remove the bottom cover and set it aside.

Disconnect the battery cable. It's important to do this first. The connector is quite large and inserts tightly. You need to pull it upward, away from the motherboard.

After this, unscrew the 2 screws that secure the battery. They have a 3-beam slot. If you do not have such a screwdriver, then you can try to unscrew it with something else from the available tools. The battery will interfere with removing the motherboard, so you must remove it.

When the screws are unscrewed, pull the battery up and towards you by the plastic tab. He will easily leave his place.

Now we disconnect all the cables going from the motherboard to the peripheral devices. Basically, they all turn off simply by pulling them up. But several connectors are disconnected incorrectly.

The LCD screen cable is held using a special metal frame. Pull it up by the tongue, and then pull the connector out of the socket away from the center of the motherboard, along the board.

The keyboard and keyboard backlight connectors are also not simple. First of all, they are small and fragile. Be very careful with them. Secondly, they have movable clamping panels, which must first be bent upward, and then the cables must be pulled out by pulling them away from the connectors, from the center along the board.

The camera cable, which is located closest to the cooler, is pulled vertically upward. Do not pull it horizontally along!

This is my first time changing thermal paste.

Disconnect the cooler cable by also pulling it upward. Unscrew the 3 screws that secure the cooler. We take the cooler out of the recess in which it is located.

After dismantling, the cooler can be cleaned; a certain amount of dust has probably accumulated in it.

In addition, unscrew 1 screw of the speaker, which is located next to the cooler.

In principle, RAM modules will not hurt, but just in case it is better to remove them too. Lightly pull the plastic tabs on both sides that hold the upper module, lift it above the board and pull it away from the connector. The same thing applies to the lower module.

It is necessary to unscrew the 2 screws that secure the power socket. It is located in the corner of the MacBook case.

We unscrew the small metal bracket on which the bottom cover of the laptop rests. This bracket will also interfere with removing the motherboard.

Now unscrew all the screws that secure the motherboard to the laptop body. They all have a star spline.

Lift the motherboard away from you. We act very carefully, because... 2 more cables are attached to it from below. They both detach when pulled vertically away from the board.

After this, the MacBook motherboard is completely at our disposal.

Place the motherboard on a flat surface with the processor and radiator facing up.

We unscrew the 3 screws that hold the radiator to the central processor. Now you need to clean the heatsink and processor from the old thermal paste. You can use cotton swabs soaked in alcohol. If the old paste is stuck, you can use a wooden toothpick to help it out a little. Never use metal tools to clean the processor or the area around it!

When you're done cleaning, there will be no traces of thermal paste, cotton wool, fingerprints, etc. should not remain on surfaces.

All that remains is to apply a thin layer of thermal paste to the processor and radiator. The purpose of thermal paste is to fill the microscopic depressions and bulges that are present on any surface. Therefore, it should not be laid in a thick layer. The layer should be minimal.

When finished, carefully place the heatsink onto the processor and secure it with the screws, tightening the screws gradually and one at a time.

After this, reassemble the computer in reverse order.

The first signs of malfunction of the MacBook Air 13` A1304 most often appear in the second year of operation. The efficiency of the gadget is significantly reduced: the device overheats, slows down, and freezes. If these symptoms occur, it is recommended to replace the thermal paste on the Macbook Air 13` A1304.

Signs indicating replacement

Over time, dust accumulates in every laptop, which leads to an increase in the temperature inside the gadget. Thermal paste helps cool components. If it is missing or unusable, such a phenomenon can lead to damage to the device.

The following signs indicate that the thermal paste on the Macbook Air 13` A1304 needs to be replaced:

• uncharacteristic noise and crackling when the laptop is operating;
• long process of processing computer commands;
• high body temperature;
• spontaneous shutdown or restart;
• presence of notifications about system errors.

Professional repairs and quality spare parts

Not all service centers can provide high-quality repairs to Apple equipment. We employ qualified specialists who use only professional equipment and high-quality materials to prevent and eliminate breakdowns. Our service price is the lowest in Moscow. At the same time, we necessarily issue a guarantee for all work performed.

Do not try to fix the problem yourself

Do not neglect the services of good craftsmen. If you think that replacing thermal paste on a MacBook Air 13` A1304 on your own will not cost much, you are mistaken. Disassembling your laptop yourself will only lead to bigger problems. Only timely contacting the service center will prevent significant damage to the device. Call our company, the craftsmen will do everything quickly and provide a guarantee for the work performed.

We are an honest service, with fair prices and a guarantee, check it out for yourself!

The prices indicated on the website are final, without any “tricky” extra charges.

We always provide free diagnostics for any
Apple devices

6 month warranty on all modular repairs and 3 months on soldering!

Why do you need to regularly clean your MacBook from dust?

Dust is a problem with all laptops and computers with active air cooling. If the radiator is clogged, in heavy tasks, be it video processing or games, the chips heat up to 80-90 degrees Celsius.

At such temperatures, thermal paste loses its thermal conductivity properties. Video cards, processor, chipset and bridges heat up more, the fan picks up speed and begins to hum, and the chips burn out due to insufficient heat dissipation.

Cleaning your Mac from dust should be done once a year, at least for the sake of your own comfort of use, not to mention the significant savings of money during subsequent repairs.

In a MacBook, air is actively circulated, in which dust particles are present, no matter how clean the room you are in, unless of course you are working in a sterile laboratory or operating room.

Over time, it settles in layers on the fan blades, which at high speeds leads to imbalance of the bearings and a crackling sound appears, as if an airplane is taking off, and most importantly, it gets clogged between the fins of the radiators, forming a barrier, preventing cold air from penetrating inside and Cool down your MacBook components.

Applications and programs that previously worked quickly begin to slow down and glitch. The processor overheats and resets the operating frequency to the minimum, going into throttling (Throttling is a mechanism for protecting the processor from thermal damage when overheating)

These were the most harmless signs. It is much more serious if the MacBook randomly reboots and turns off. This happens when the temperature reaches 95-105 degrees, so the overheating protection is triggered.

If you do not clean your Mac from dust in a timely manner, the video card, processor, and other components that are not designed for constant operation at high temperatures may fail. According to the rules, you need to clean your Macbook from dust once a year.

Features of the MacBook cooling system.

The air intake slot through which cool air enters the MacBook is located directly under the screen cover. It opens when you open the laptop.

Depending on the model, year of manufacture and screen size of the MacBook, different heat exchangers are installed in them. Basically, in Macs Pro 13 and Air (11, 12, 13), a small, single-section, with one cooler is installed, which simultaneously removes heat from the processor and built-in video card.

The MacBook pro 15 and pro 17 use a two-section design with two coolers, because... The high power of processors and video cards can no longer be cooled with just a radiator.

Cleaning and replacing thermal paste yourself is highly not recommended! Without the necessary instructions, experience and tools, when removing the OS from a MacBook, you run a very high risk of damaging the chips and transistors on the motherboard. Inexpensive preventative cleaning of your MacBook from dust at a service center can quickly and very easily turn into a serious repair, involving soldering or a whole replacement of the motherboard!

What is “Thermal Paste” and why is it needed?

Thermal paste is a substance consisting of many components. It is used between two contacting surfaces (radiator - chip), to remove the air gap between two surfaces.

In simple terms, it is applied to the chip (processor, video card, chipset, bridges) so that the heat they emit is better transferred to the radiator and, accordingly, vice versa, so that the cold radiator cools better, reducing the temperature of the laptop.

Thermal paste, unfortunately, does not last forever and it requires replacement, because... after about a year, maximum two, it dries out, losing all heat-dissipating properties and, accordingly, the MacBook begins to heat up more. Replacing thermal paste on a MacBook using the "PlanetIPhone" service takes 30 minutes.

Cleaning the MacBook keyboard.

Over time, preventive cleaning of the MacBook keyboard is necessary. Otherwise, the keys will stop pressing and will stick due to dirt and dust accumulated under them. This is an inevitable process. Also, cleaning the MacBook keyboard can be done after a small amount of liquid gets in, avoiding its repair. The main thing is to contact the existing malfunction in time for help.

Let's summarize.

If you don't regularly clean your MacBook Pro from dust, the cooling fins become clogged and internal components fail. Cleaning your Mac is necessary at least once a year so that the laptop can serve you for a long time and without failures. At the PlanetIPhone service center, cleaning a MacBook Air from dust and replacing thermal paste takes 30 minutes. You don't have to worry about her condition.

Advantages of the "PlanetIPhone" service center.

• - The lowest price in Moscow for cleaning a macbook from dust. The price already includes labor, original spare parts and warranty.

• - Urgent repair service - “A technician will visit your home” (Free in Moscow)

• - Before any manipulations, a free diagnostic of the MacBook is always performed to identify all faults and problems.

• - For repairs and cleaning, a guarantee is provided for up to 6 months.

• - Discounts and promotions. When you fill out an application on the website, you receive a 5% discount on all services.

• - Use only original components!

Replacing thermal paste on a MacBook - you've heard about it, but you don't know why, when or why. It's quite simple: your computer gets warm and slows down, seemingly for no apparent reason. And the whole point is that it’s time to do some preventive maintenance on the laptop - you need to clean the cooling system and replace the thermal paste on the MacBook. After reading the article, you will know how such work is performed at the Kvatron Service Center. You will also find out what the cost in Moscow is for replacing thermal paste for a MacBook pro, air or other Apple models.

Thermal paste for MacBook - what is the essence of the problem?

Thermal paste, or, in other words, thermal paste for a MacBook, is an organosilicon substance with high thermal conductivity, used to ensure good heat transfer between the radiator and the processor, video card or other electronic chips that generate heat intensively. Replacing MacBook thermal paste is required in cases where the thermally conductive composition loses its plasticity and, as a result, thermal conductivity properties.

The essence of the problem is that laptop freezes are most often caused by its overheating, caused by poor heat dissipation from very hot electronic components. This is the first sign that the thermal paste for your MacBook needs to be replaced. Indeed, what could be worse than a situation where the computer heats up, slows down, or freezes at the most inopportune moment? And the reason is usually quite simple - the laptop has not been cleaned for a long time.

How to choose thermal paste for MacBook?

Replacing thermal paste on a MacBook air or pro of various modifications requires serious qualifications. It is necessary to completely disassemble the device and the cooling system. Choosing thermal paste for a MacBook is also not an easy task; here the quality of the composition is of paramount importance, otherwise all the work will go down the drain. It is better to entrust preventive maintenance of your device to trained specialists who have both tools and consumables. In this case, replacing the MacBook pro or air thermal paste will lead to the desired results.

How to replace MacBook pro thermal paste at a service center

Replacing thermal paste by a technician in a MacBook pro or MacBook air of any modifications is carried out according to the proven scheme:

• input diagnostics of laptop status;
• disassembling the case to access the motherboard;
• cleaning the device from dust;
• removing old thermal paste;
• replacing thermal paste in the MacBook cooling system for any pro or air model;
• laptop assembly and testing.

The cost of replacing thermal paste for MacBook pro and air at the Kvatron Service Center is average in Moscow, with a guarantee of quality work. After the work is completed, a warranty card is issued.

For example, the price of replacing thermal paste for a MacBook pro 2011 will be 900 rubles. When carrying out complete preventive maintenance of the cooling system, the cost of work increases, but so does the reliability of the laptop! Replacing thermal paste on a MacBook pro 2011 with dust removal will cost RUB 3,000. But your old device will “fly” like a new one, without heating up when solving its usual tasks.

© 2017 KVATRON Service Center – Replacing thermal paste for Apple MacBook

You will need

• - Screwdriver set: Phillips, torx and three-blade.
• - Tweezers.
• - Thermal paste.
• - Soft cloth and alcohol to clean old thermal paste.

Instructions

First of all, unplug the power cord and turn the Macbook upside down. Unscrew all the screws around the perimeter. They all unscrew with a cross-type screwdriver. Three screws are long, remember where they are located.
Remove the bottom cover and set it aside.

Disconnect the battery cable. It's important to do this first. The connector is quite large and inserts tightly. You need to pull it upward, away from the motherboard.
After this, unscrew the 2 screws that secure the battery. They have a 3-beam slot. If you do not have such a screwdriver, then you can try to unscrew it with something else from the available tools. The battery will interfere with removing the motherboard, so you must remove it.

Now we disconnect all the cables going from the motherboard to the peripheral devices. Basically, they all turn off simply by pulling them up.
The screen cable is held using a special frame. Pull it up, and then pull the connector out of the socket away from the center of the motherboard.
The keyboard and keyboard backlight connectors are also not simple. They have clamping panels that need to be bent upward, and after that the cables can be easily removed from the connectors.

Disconnect the cooler cable by pulling it upward. Unscrew the 3 screws that secure the cooler. We take the cooler out of the recess in which it is located. Now it can be cleaned; there is probably some dust accumulated in it.
In addition, unscrew 1 screw of the speaker, which is located next to the cooler.

In principle, RAM modules will not hurt, but for convenience it is better to remove them too.

Now unscrew all the screws that secure the motherboard. They have a star-type slot.
In addition, you need to unscrew the 2 screws that secure the power socket. It is located in the corner of the MacBook case.

Lift the motherboard away from you. We act very carefully, because... 2 more cables are attached to it from below. They both detach when pulled vertically away from the board. After this, the motherboard is completely at our disposal.

Place the motherboard on a flat surface with the processor and radiator facing up. We unscrew the 3 screws that hold the radiator to the central processor.