Just did this with a 2015 15 inch. Very easy. One thing to watch for is the brackets holding the heatsink over the CPU have spring tension to press down when installed. They could easily send your screws flying across the room if you're not careful when removing them.
I just stumbled on this episode. Yes, I agree. My Macbook Pro (Retina, Early 2013, A1398) kept freezing up after only a couple of seconds of TH-cam video. The top of the keyboard was also very hot, very quickly (from a cold boot up). So I got myself a good quality thermal paste and did the job myself. Now, the computer runs very cool and the top of the keyboard only slightly warm to the touch even after hours of watching TH-cam. It's like a new machine now. :-)
It doesn't help much since with any paste since these have inadequate heatsinks and will hit 100C under full load, but it does help a lot when doing regular tasks and idling.
Thanks so much for this video dude! I have a 2013 MBP that was constantly getting hot and kicking the fan on, especially when using Lightroom. I cleaned it up and added some new thermal compound and it really has made a big difference!
1. When undoing screws of any tentioned rectangular/square component (like the CPU cooler, PC Case Fan, or this Heat Sink), do it in a zigzag like he does when putting it back on. Go across diagonally and evenly loosen the tention until loose, then remove screws. Do the reverse when fastening/installing. 2. Use Isopropyl Alcohol (I use 99% but many people just use 70%+ and is fine. Just make sure it's all dry before doing next steps) with some lintless fabric or towel to clean the die and heat sink contact surface. Clean Coffee Filter is actually good for this. Lintless, cheap. 3. Go slow and just put a tiny dollop of thermal goop near the center of each die. Let the compression do the spreading. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SPREAD THAT THING. 1. there is no need 2. you increase chance of air pockets forming during application.
The reason the pea method works on desktop CPU’s is because the heat sink has much higher pressure when mounted. In laptops and GPU’s, you are free and recommended to apply more as it won’t have as much mounting pressure. Plus, applying more thermal paste is nowhere near as detrimental as applying too little.
The pea method (a circular drop) only makes sense when you’re applying paste to a square surface area. The pressure will evenly push the paste outward in a circular fashion. On a rectangular shape, like in this video, there won’t be enough paste to cover the cpu. So you have to apply a line
Pro tip: While you have the machine open, grab yourself the can of compressed air and clean out the cooling fan. If you're doing this for a customer, they'll appreciate you going the extra mile.
The best upgrade you can make for your MBP is to open the case up once every six months and use a canned air spray to get rid of the dust. Instantly running 10 degrees cooler. Changing the thermal paste didn't really do much, and the laptop failed to start up again the first time as I added too much of it. The thermal paste should be as thin as paper.
I know this post is old, but do and SMC reset as well as a pram reset and your system should turn on and boot up fine, i had same issue after repasting and scree. Wouldn't even turn on, reset the system management controller and voila it worked great.
I did this with some liquid metal and was amazed to see my temps drop nearly 25 degrees under load. (I don't suggest this to most people as the liquid metal does react, albeit very slowly, but it does degrade the cooler)
From what I’ve seen online, spreading is necessary when replacing thermal paste on cpu/gpu without heat spreader (ihs), this applies to gpus and mobile cpus. The pea method works when using desktop cpus with ihs.
@Annon Moose sorry you're misinformed. Direct die applications need the thermal spread. If you have an ihs then you can use the pea method without too much of an issue. Been doing computers for the past 15yrs and I can confirm you do not want to leave areas of the die exposed as you can make a proper Hotspot that is infact detrimental to performance at the very minimum. Worst case for example, you end up fring the igpu accidently. Ask me how I know. Everyone compares thermal paste applications but it's all done on ihs'. Direct die applications are very different story since the whole die produces heat.
@@kenjifox4264 you can either spread a thin layer and let the mounting pressure push the excess out or you can use an additional amount how you choose so you get complete coverage. Only difference will be the amount of wastage really. As long as the thermal paste has low viscosity and easily speads under pressure you won't have any contact issues by using an excessive amount. It will just push out when being tightened and leave the correct amount to fill the gaps. It's always better to have a little too much than not enough specifically in a direct die application! Have fun with whatever task you are upto kenji! And always take your time
8:20 actually, when applying thermal paste directly to the die, you should spread it out manually, as any part not contacted will create a hotspot that will either kill the cpu or force throttling.
Dude, why no new paste thermal test? Was it worse? Was it better? The same? Why should we replace the paste if we do not have a repeattest showing better thermals?
Luke, I must say this did help reduce my CPU up to 20 degrees, and in Cinebench, my Macbook 15" 2.5 GHZ went from 1352 to 1440 a small improvement! Thanks again!
I guess you are using MacBook Pro 15’’’ mid-2015, if you rerun test again, after the thermal paste was applied for a week, you gonna find the score drops back. If you run the test right after applying new thermal paste you can have very good result, because it is still wet.
Thank you for this! I just did this to my MacBook Pro retina (the exact same as in this video) and it was really easy to follow, I choked on seven years worth of dust but hey it was worth it haha
I still have my 2013 Retina 15.7 in and I paid for the upgrade to 16GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache and I’m glad I did because it’s pristine today and I don’t need anything more than it does still today.
"Still got a whole tube of thermal paste I can use on other things!" He said, walking around the house looking for things he can use his thermal paste on. Picture frame on the wall... TV... Cat... 😂
I have an old MacBook Pro 2010, I almost removed out everything, and replace the thermal paste. And get everything back!!! Do not want to think this again. Luckily it works, cost my 5 hours! I can say you are lucky to do on this Mac.
Oh, and be very careful if you are using a metal based thermal compound not to use too much or it will squeeze out onto the motherboard when you reattach the heatsink and cause short circuiting problems. I'd avoid metal based thermal compounds altogether so that can never happen.
A screen protector is also a good idea on early Retina models. There was an issue with the anti-glare coating wearing off and leaving an impression of the keyboard on the screen.
I have an early 2015 macbook pro and it wasn't covered under warranty. I had an issue where the screen wouldn't turn on and the keyboard wouldn't work (I now realize this is a super easy fix but apple was quoting me like $1000 for a new screen). When I took it into the Apple Shop, they looked at the keyboard marks on the screen and said this was an issue they fix for free. Got a whole new screen and paid next to nothing. Doubt they would or even could still do this as this was over 4 years ago but it may be worth looking into.
@@Poire33 yes sir, and without a thermal camera and some testing, it may be worse? mac knows there stuff. but i am working on my down lap top now. we will see
*Jony Ive believes this. The problem really is that Ive for quite a few years had too much control over the design of their devices, use-ability or thermal performance be damned, and now that he's gone, they're already making choices for the better.
Yeah I also was surprised by that, and the gap between GPU surface and heat tube is huge there, so thermal paste won't work there. I used thermal pad for that, but honestly without noticable effect anyway :D
4:00 if you want to skip the waffle. Thermal paste dries with heat over time in every kind of electronic device - not sure that Apple specifically use "crappy" paste.
I use gelid GC extreme thermal paste, it's been in both my MacBook Pro non retina 2012 and windows desktop i7 2600k overclocked to 5.6 GHz for close to 6 years and hasn't dries out yet since this thermal paste is for overclocking.
Typically manufacturers choose thermal paste that LASTS a long time, because people aren't going to change it. So they prioritize long lifespan rather than peak thermal performance. They are not above saving a few cents here and there...hence why you sometimes see poor applications like the one in this video.
Done this, was so simple, being a techy. The original thermal paste in my mid2014 was well not much left, put on thermal paste over CPU and GPU now much cooler 10-15 degrees cooler. Really helped. I Also replaced my battery as well while i was at it.
I talk slowly because I want people to understand what I am saying, 60% of my audience are non-native English speakers, so I need to make sure I give them the best possible chance of understanding my content.
I know i'm supposed to do that but i'm always afraid to open my laptops that way, especially since i've started using macbooks... I LOVE my 2015 Retina MacBook Pro and i'll end up doing it anyway, cause it's my daily driver and it runs too hot for my taste... Thanks for the video, it will be a tremendous help !
Don't listen to this guy, you shouldn't replace the thermal paste on your macbook. Engineers know very well how to design the heatsink and what thermal paste is the best choice. I've never heard of macbook breaking due to overheating, there were problems with some gpu models but it was a welding fault.
Nicola Serra Don’t spread ignorance. A properly cooled computer is known to last longer. Regardless of how good the engineering is, thermal paste needs to be replaced every couple years. Your comment is the equivalent of telling people to never fill the coolant in their car because the engineers knew what they were doing when they built it.
Great video. This didn't even occur to me. My wife's macbook pro has been FAN-tastic for awhile anytime she does practically anything. I followed the vid and did the thermal paste (had some Arctic Silver left over from my desktop build) and it worked great. Thanks!
Sometimes when there are "blank spots" on the top cover of a chip, where there's no thermal paste, you'll find that these are the spots where the thermal paste came off onto the heat sink. But that's not entirely the case in this video--the shiny area on the CPU cover that Luke points out, really doesn't have a corresponding patch of thermal paste on the heat sink, so this area really wasn't being thermally cooled as well as the areas where the paste is present. This shows why it's a bad idea to just place a small ball of thermal paste onto the center of a chip (or even to just partially spread it out, as Luke does here for some reason) and then expect that it will spread out to cover the entire surface of the chip's top cover when you screw the heat sink down into place--instead, you should always spread thermal paste across the whole top, shiny raised cover of a chip to get the best heat transfer from the chip to the heat sink. The clamping force of the heat sinks in many (most?) laptops isn't enough to always thoroughly spread out thermal paste that's been applied as just a ball or a patch that only partially covers the chip's top cover, so you should always use a small spatula to spread out the paste as a thin coating, across the entire surface of the chip's top cover--it doesn't need to be thick at all, since the main purpose of thermal paste is to fill in tiny scratches and other irregularities on the heat sink to maximize thermal transfer from the chip to the heat sink.
to remove the thermal paste use isopropyl alcohol (rally cheap available everywhere) on a soft lint free cloth. That removes every trace and does not react with the components.
Hi Luke, Just did the thermal paste upgrade since my (Macbook Pro 15 mid 2014 2.2 ghz - integrated graphics) was running really, really hot when literally browsing and watching videos... It seems to be a lot better now, but what app do you recommend to see if it's actually helped? Many thanks
instead of taking your laptop apart if youre not comfortable. You can always install smcfancontrol and have your fans always spinning. downside to that is well your fans are always on but upside is. your laptop runs at 40-50 degrees
I will do it tomorrow. My MacBook Pro is 6 years old. I hope not find a crocodile in it. Hey Luke, you forgot to run Cinebench afterwards to compare the performance and overheating. Thanks for the video.
Use a high alcohol % isopropyl alcohol to help clean the old thermal paste! Also don’t spread the thermal paste around, this could introduce air pockets which would bring the heat transfer rate down, the heat sink will spread it for you as you put it back on!
not true Explain why Luke's mac in the video above had shiny spots on the die from the factory? Surely it should have spread out from the heat sink, right? Also, explain why most pastes come with a spreader? See: MX4, Arctic Silver, Thermalright, etc.
Hey Luke, love your channel and like all your vids. I have the MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) I will do the repasting, any other upgrades you recommend? It sucks the ram is built in, I am considering 1tb ssd upgrade. But there is nothing else I can do to future proof this model right? Cheers mate, nick
The reason I made the video was to demonstrate how easy it is on these particular MacBook pros. The 2016- present require logic board removal to access the heatsink
always fully spread the paste on a cpu that had no lid like this one. do not leave any empty spots before putting the heatsink back on. all the way to the edges!
After so many years, I still can't believe that for this model, Apple engineers was like: Dang it, let's just cover part of the GPU die by the tube and it will be OK.
Leo Ren It’s actually the PCH which doesn’t need any cooling, Intel integrated it on to the CPU package to save space on the “U” processors, on the 15” MacBooks it isn’t integrated and is fine sitting with no cooling...
I hear this 'cheap thermal paste' stuff all the time but why is it ALL manufacturers would skimp on the cost of this when it causes so many foreseeable problems, it would be easier to go cheap on some other spec.
Typically manufacturers choose thermal paste that LASTS a long time, because people aren't going to change it. So they prioritize long lifespan rather than peak thermal performance.
great video i learned a ton from this. I have a computer My question is what is the best Curved monitors in the 30 inch plus range to pair with this type of mac for the best display. I had a Samsung 32-inch Curved Full HD Monitor in White. It was really bad, it had glare issues and the display was extra large on the monitor. I tried adjusting the ( display setting on the mac computer and the samsung monitor.But to no avail) , and it made my eyes hurt.
and the cooler does not have that high clamping force , as dont most of apple coolers , and people forget that spreading the paste is needed when clamping force is low , its not a pc with a thick lid
Thanks Luke didn't realise it was so easy would have done it a long time back, has certainly helped not only running cooler but also cools down quicker after running something a little stressful. I used Arctic MX-4 on MacBook Pro early 2015 3.1GHz i7. Cliff : currently running CPU 54C deg now ambient is 32C. As pointed out the GPU section doesn't really have much of a heatsink room for an aftermarket one maybe.
How about squirting your thermal paste on piece of plastic or other surface, then use a toothpick to dab small amounts on the CPU surface. That way, you control the amount and placement instead of getting a large amount where you don't want it. Great video, I will have to do this to my early 2015 13" MacBook Pro. Could you post a link to the site to order the thermal paste?
Yeah, I don’t see the point of applying thermal paste to the igpu if the het sink doesn’t touch it. There was already paste on there when he removed the heat sink, tho.
It would be really cool if you made a video on all the upgrades you can do for the retina Macs. I am looking to keep my retina for a long time because of the lack of io on the new Macs.
I just reapply a fresh Arctic Thermal paste just an hour ago and now I smell similar to a burning soldering iron. Not sure if this is normale due to new thermal paste?
I really don't know wether I should paste the PCH chip or not ? I see Luke pasted both the CPU and the PCH but in other parts I read that doing that will put the PCH in contact with the heat pipe and increase its temperature. Also , when I opened the Mac for the first time, it didn't have any paste on the PCH.
Great video! I just replaced the factory 1tb ssd on my Mid 2015 Mackbook Pro with a SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 2TB . It works great so far, but was wondering if I should add a thermal pad to the SSD.... please advise
Good video, but I thought you said you don't want to see any reflection in the CPU and you didn't seem to check if there was any exposed CPU. I saw some of the CPU mirror when you put the heat sync back on. Just a thought.
This helps, but unfortunately there are no decent ventilation around fan anyway, so overheating still be there, just not as severe as before. Drilling few holes around fan from the bottom of the Macbook Pro will decrease CPU temperature by ~15C easily. :D
I don't understand, why did he not spread out the thermal paste evenly across the whole CPU surface with the spudger? Isn't uneven thermal paste distribution part of what he didn't want in the first place?
Luke - I am a non-techie but I want to do this on my 13" 2014 MB Pro Retina (Model: A1502) while I upgrade the SSD. Three questions: (1) which tool kit do you recommend that I get from ifixit? (2) I am thinking about upgrading the SSD using either a Samsung 970 Evo or Samsung 980 Pro coupled with a Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD adapter Card; which of these two Samsung SSD's would you recommend that I go with? (3) I have 8gb Ram; can I upgrade the RAM as well? Level of difficulty? Thanks very much in advance!
A friend gave me one you show with two fans as it does not turn on but I saw one time trying all keys combinations that it showed colorfull screen asking for password but I was not able to pass from there as it seems the one she gave me is uncorrect. Then it only starts the fans when pressing power key and they stay on until I press power key again or until battery drains. Can you suggest a solution to this problem? Thanks!
Sitting here watching this video stuttered on a 2012 MBP retina due to throttling issues because of this exact thermal issue. Kernal Task at 300% How Meta.
I have this 13” with 16gb of RAM and 256 ssd. Thinking of finding a 2015 - 15” with a bigger ssd and dedicated graphic card. Any thoughts on this? Would it be worth it? I just email, social media, pay bills, type and manage documents, and do household stuff. No video/photo stuff, no games, nor any audio/music stuff. But I love the bigger screen and the bit of ‘futureproofing’. Or should I set my sights on the next new MBP for down the road? Thx
Surprising that the GPU gets hardly no contact with copper plate to wick away heat. I presumed the lil die next to cpu is a GPU, i'd make a custom block so both chips have adequate coverage.
I have late 2013 that I wanna resurrect. What upgrades should I do to make it faster in 2021? How many more years will it run after the upgrade? What's a bad temperature? How to test temperature so I can tell I need to do this upgrade?
Where the cinebench benchmark after thermal paste replacement? You can't say switch thermal paste without show off the difference in video. Please, can you insert the results after?
Just did this with a 2015 15 inch. Very easy. One thing to watch for is the brackets holding the heatsink over the CPU have spring tension to press down when installed. They could easily send your screws flying across the room if you're not careful when removing them.
Pro Tip: It also helps to speak to the Thermal Paste in a gentle and reassuring tone, so that it may relax and do it's job better!
I just stumbled on this episode.
Yes, I agree. My Macbook Pro (Retina, Early 2013, A1398) kept freezing up after only a couple of seconds of TH-cam video. The top of the keyboard was also very hot, very quickly (from a cold boot up). So I got myself a good quality thermal paste and did the job myself.
Now, the computer runs very cool and the top of the keyboard only slightly warm to the touch even after hours of watching TH-cam.
It's like a new machine now. :-)
Where's the post new paste CineBench test?????
I figured it wouldn't make much difference, more a piece of mind thing vs. a real upgrade like a faster SSD NVME
@@abc123fhdi It does make a difference. The cpu turbo boosts more and keeps better base clocks. Basically doesnt throttle as much
Yeh where is it? Bet it got a lower score ;-) VIDEO FAIL !
I assume it doesn't help much, otherwise he'd have posted it.
It doesn't help much since with any paste since these have inadequate heatsinks and will hit 100C under full load, but it does help a lot when doing regular tasks and idling.
Thanks so much for this video dude! I have a 2013 MBP that was constantly getting hot and kicking the fan on, especially when using Lightroom. I cleaned it up and added some new thermal compound and it really has made a big difference!
When I applied the new thermal paste, I actually saw a better results after I reset the SMC too.
1. When undoing screws of any tentioned rectangular/square component (like the CPU cooler, PC Case Fan, or this Heat Sink), do it in a zigzag like he does when putting it back on. Go across diagonally and evenly loosen the tention until loose, then remove screws. Do the reverse when fastening/installing.
2. Use Isopropyl Alcohol (I use 99% but many people just use 70%+ and is fine. Just make sure it's all dry before doing next steps) with some lintless fabric or towel to clean the die and heat sink contact surface. Clean Coffee Filter is actually good for this. Lintless, cheap.
3. Go slow and just put a tiny dollop of thermal goop near the center of each die. Let the compression do the spreading. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SPREAD THAT THING. 1. there is no need 2. you increase chance of air pockets forming during application.
The reason the pea method works on desktop CPU’s is because the heat sink has much higher pressure when mounted. In laptops and GPU’s, you are free and recommended to apply more as it won’t have as much mounting pressure. Plus, applying more thermal paste is nowhere near as detrimental as applying too little.
The pea method (a circular drop) only makes sense when you’re applying paste to a square surface area. The pressure will evenly push the paste outward in a circular fashion.
On a rectangular shape, like in this video, there won’t be enough paste to cover the cpu. So you have to apply a line
Pro tip: While you have the machine open, grab yourself the can of compressed air and clean out the cooling fan. If you're doing this for a customer, they'll appreciate you going the extra mile.
The best upgrade you can make for your MBP is to open the case up once every six months and use a canned air spray to get rid of the dust. Instantly running 10 degrees cooler. Changing the thermal paste didn't really do much, and the laptop failed to start up again the first time as I added too much of it. The thermal paste should be as thin as paper.
what paste did you use?
@@Nicole-ui5wvThermal grizzly.
I know this post is old, but do and SMC reset as well as a pram reset and your system should turn on and boot up fine, i had same issue after repasting and scree. Wouldn't even turn on, reset the system management controller and voila it worked great.
I did this with some liquid metal and was amazed to see my temps drop nearly 25 degrees under load. (I don't suggest this to most people as the liquid metal does react, albeit very slowly, but it does degrade the cooler)
From what I’ve seen online, spreading is necessary when replacing thermal paste on cpu/gpu without heat spreader (ihs), this applies to gpus and mobile cpus. The pea method works when using desktop cpus with ihs.
@Annon Moose sorry you're misinformed. Direct die applications need the thermal spread. If you have an ihs then you can use the pea method without too much of an issue.
Been doing computers for the past 15yrs and I can confirm you do not want to leave areas of the die exposed as you can make a proper Hotspot that is infact detrimental to performance at the very minimum. Worst case for example, you end up fring the igpu accidently. Ask me how I know.
Everyone compares thermal paste applications but it's all done on ihs'. Direct die applications are very different story since the whole die produces heat.
@@lewisanth4986 so you should dab a little near the corners then ?
@@kenjifox4264 you can either spread a thin layer and let the mounting pressure push the excess out or you can use an additional amount how you choose so you get complete coverage. Only difference will be the amount of wastage really.
As long as the thermal paste has low viscosity and easily speads under pressure you won't have any contact issues by using an excessive amount. It will just push out when being tightened and leave the correct amount to fill the gaps.
It's always better to have a little too much than not enough specifically in a direct die application!
Have fun with whatever task you are upto kenji! And always take your time
a bit late, but a before and after temp or performance comparison would have been awesome.
A week ago, I replaced the thermal paste on my early 2013 15-inch MacBook. Easy as pie! And the difference was startling!
Macs fan control app is life changing
Jup. Makes out of 97 Celsius 50-60. ^^
@@jensharbers6702 Yes that app is a mac saver!
Can give me the link for the app
muhammed yasir alakır crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control
I use TGPro Fan control. It is very good as well.
8:20 actually, when applying thermal paste directly to the die, you should spread it out manually, as any part not contacted will create a hotspot that will either kill the cpu or force throttling.
You know why i like this channel. It makes us appreciate what we have not to be the slave of newest tech.
Dude, why no new paste thermal test? Was it worse? Was it better? The same?
Why should we replace the paste if we do not have a repeattest showing better thermals?
10:05
Luke, I must say this did help reduce my CPU up to 20 degrees, and in Cinebench, my Macbook 15" 2.5 GHZ went from 1352 to 1440 a small improvement! Thanks again!
I guess you are using MacBook Pro 15’’’ mid-2015, if you rerun test again, after the thermal paste was applied for a week, you gonna find the score drops back. If you run the test right after applying new thermal paste you can have very good result, because it is still wet.
So, did you ever perform the test this guy talked about?
@@fairytale7778 not all paste dries out
This video is so good that TH-cam feels like I should watch it again a whole year later. Thanks TH-cam! 😃
Where is your profile pic from?
Thank you for this! I just did this to my MacBook Pro retina (the exact same as in this video) and it was really easy to follow, I choked on seven years worth of dust but hey it was worth it haha
I still have my 2013 Retina 15.7 in and I paid for the upgrade to 16GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache and I’m glad I did because it’s pristine today and I don’t need anything more than it does still today.
Spookymedic Aka Brandon who made this upgrade seriously?
@@andyzimmerer2284 you do it before you purchase the macbook
"Still got a whole tube of thermal paste I can use on other things!" He said, walking around the house looking for things he can use his thermal paste on. Picture frame on the wall... TV... Cat... 😂
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Well, you can surely repaste a PlayStation
I have an old MacBook Pro 2010, I almost removed out everything, and replace the thermal paste. And get everything back!!! Do not want to think this again. Luckily it works, cost my 5 hours! I can say you are lucky to do on this Mac.
Oh, and be very careful if you are using a metal based thermal compound not to use too much or it will squeeze out onto the motherboard when you reattach the heatsink and cause short circuiting problems. I'd avoid metal based thermal compounds altogether so that can never happen.
A screen protector is also a good idea on early Retina models. There was an issue with the anti-glare coating wearing off and leaving an impression of the keyboard on the screen.
I wish the previous owner of my MBP 2015 did that
@@JustARegularNerd I recently took the plunge and just cleaned off the anti-glare coating and I feel all the better for it
I have an early 2015 macbook pro and it wasn't covered under warranty. I had an issue where the screen wouldn't turn on and the keyboard wouldn't work (I now realize this is a super easy fix but apple was quoting me like $1000 for a new screen). When I took it into the Apple Shop, they looked at the keyboard marks on the screen and said this was an issue they fix for free. Got a whole new screen and paid next to nothing. Doubt they would or even could still do this as this was over 4 years ago but it may be worth looking into.
Funny you mention that. I was cleaning up my old MacBook Pro and I saw that… 💀 Rip display but it’s not noticeable when it’s turned on at least.
Apple somehow believes that thinner is better than efficient cooling of the CPU.
I agree with you.
@@Poire33 yes sir, and without a thermal camera and some testing, it may be worse? mac knows there stuff. but i am working on my down lap top now. we will see
They're largely about form over function.
*Jony Ive believes this. The problem really is that Ive for quite a few years had too much control over the design of their devices, use-ability or thermal performance be damned, and now that he's gone, they're already making choices for the better.
Not with the new 16” thicker and better thermals :)
Most people talk too speedy but your optimum I like that
8:50 The heatsink don't even covers the gpu, we can see the reflective part, wtf.
JR 007 yeah that’s really dumb. Oh wait, it’s apple
It's the PCH
@@Minicraftiano No.. it's not the PCH
Yeah I also was surprised by that, and the gap between GPU surface and heat tube is huge there, so thermal paste won't work there. I used thermal pad for that, but honestly without noticable effect anyway :D
Well this was a 2010-2012 model...
4:00 if you want to skip the waffle. Thermal paste dries with heat over time in every kind of electronic device - not sure that Apple specifically use "crappy" paste.
Yeah this is just clickbait. He also never showed a benchmark AFTER applying new thermal paste.
It was a terrible paste job from the factory too.
I use gelid GC extreme thermal paste, it's been in both my MacBook Pro non retina 2012 and windows desktop i7 2600k overclocked to 5.6 GHz for close to 6 years and hasn't dries out yet since this thermal paste is for overclocking.
Typically manufacturers choose thermal paste that LASTS a long time, because people aren't going to change it. So they prioritize long lifespan rather than peak thermal performance. They are not above saving a few cents here and there...hence why you sometimes see poor applications like the one in this video.
Done this, was so simple, being a techy. The original thermal paste in my mid2014 was well not much left, put on thermal paste over CPU and GPU now much cooler 10-15 degrees cooler. Really helped. I Also replaced my battery as well while i was at it.
1.25 playback speed, thank me later.
ffs this is so much better lol he needs to talk like this in general, kinda makes me not wanna watch, but this fixed it
I talk slowly because I want people to understand what I am saying, 60% of my audience are non-native English speakers, so I need to make sure I give them the best possible chance of understanding my content.
that makes sense, didn't think internationally lol I didn't mean any hate from my comment, still like your channel a lot
Thanks.
Thanks..😅1.5 was better!
Love this Lo-Fi background noise
I know i'm supposed to do that but i'm always afraid to open my laptops that way, especially since i've started using macbooks... I LOVE my 2015 Retina MacBook Pro and i'll end up doing it anyway, cause it's my daily driver and it runs too hot for my taste... Thanks for the video, it will be a tremendous help !
I just did this on my model and it's made a night and day difference and I don't think I'll be forced to upgrade for another few years.
@@vapidthot that's great cause I really don't like the new MacBook Pro. I'd like to stick to the retina for a while.
Don't listen to this guy, you shouldn't replace the thermal paste on your macbook.
Engineers know very well how to design the heatsink and what thermal paste is the best choice.
I've never heard of macbook breaking due to overheating, there were problems with some gpu models but it was a welding fault.
Nicola Serra Don’t spread ignorance. A properly cooled computer is known to last longer. Regardless of how good the engineering is, thermal paste needs to be replaced every couple years.
Your comment is the equivalent of telling people to never fill the coolant in their car because the engineers knew what they were doing when they built it.
How'd it go?
Thank you so much for this video. My temperatures has dropped quite a bit, and my MacBook doesn't sound like an airplane ready for taking off anymore!
Great video. I don't even own one, but kept watching just to see you finish the task. Very well delivered and easy to understand instruction.
Great video. This didn't even occur to me. My wife's macbook pro has been FAN-tastic for awhile anytime she does practically anything. I followed the vid and did the thermal paste (had some Arctic Silver left over from my desktop build) and it worked great. Thanks!
Thanks for this. It significantly increased my battery life and my fans don't run nearly as often.
Sometimes when there are "blank spots" on the top cover of a chip, where there's no thermal paste, you'll find that these are the spots where the thermal paste came off onto the heat sink. But that's not entirely the case in this video--the shiny area on the CPU cover that Luke points out, really doesn't have a corresponding patch of thermal paste on the heat sink, so this area really wasn't being thermally cooled as well as the areas where the paste is present. This shows why it's a bad idea to just place a small ball of thermal paste onto the center of a chip (or even to just partially spread it out, as Luke does here for some reason) and then expect that it will spread out to cover the entire surface of the chip's top cover when you screw the heat sink down into place--instead, you should always spread thermal paste across the whole top, shiny raised cover of a chip to get the best heat transfer from the chip to the heat sink. The clamping force of the heat sinks in many (most?) laptops isn't enough to always thoroughly spread out thermal paste that's been applied as just a ball or a patch that only partially covers the chip's top cover, so you should always use a small spatula to spread out the paste as a thin coating, across the entire surface of the chip's top cover--it doesn't need to be thick at all, since the main purpose of thermal paste is to fill in tiny scratches and other irregularities on the heat sink to maximize thermal transfer from the chip to the heat sink.
Luke Isopropyl alcohol works excellently removing thermal paste - I use cotton swabs as well Love your videos as I'm new to Apple products
to remove the thermal paste use isopropyl alcohol (rally cheap available everywhere) on a soft lint free cloth. That removes every trace and does not react with the components.
Solid advice. But you would want to get a better thermal paste, mx-4 minimum.
Artic MX2 bad?
I don’t have a Mac (iPad Pro is great) but I LOVE your videos!
Hi Luke,
Just did the thermal paste upgrade since my (Macbook Pro 15 mid 2014 2.2 ghz - integrated graphics) was running really, really hot when literally browsing and watching videos...
It seems to be a lot better now, but what app do you recommend to see if it's actually helped?
Many thanks
Intel Power Gadget
instead of taking your laptop apart if youre not comfortable. You can always install smcfancontrol and have your fans always spinning. downside to that is well your fans are always on but upside is. your laptop runs at 40-50 degrees
I just got a 15” 2015. I’m going to do this
Smart. Same here.
me2
Did it work well? Just came across the video and I’m considering it.
Yeah did it work
The Trammell no his computer blew up
Thank you im going to do this on the weekend!
What’s the benchmark score and heat after doing this?? You didn’t re run the bench marks mate.
Yup, no change seen probably, also yes he mentioned only 10 degree F difference.
@@VijayKanta Pretty sure it was either a 10c difference or he's just a real bad tech guy; I'd go with the latter
Without benchmarks there's no point in doing this, I'm betting you'd see no real world difference.
Did it. Amazingly simple. Cheap and fullfilling. Thnx Luke👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I will do it tomorrow. My MacBook Pro is 6 years old. I hope not find a crocodile in it. Hey Luke, you forgot to run Cinebench afterwards to compare the performance and overheating. Thanks for the video.
Thank you! Very helpful. Just did this on my Mid 2012 15” Retina MacBook Pro.
5:52 was that the stock thermal paste? Seriously? Anyway that heatsink does not cover the gpu core, incredible...
Wow I didn’t realise so many professional laptop tech’s watch this channel!!!😱
Use a high alcohol % isopropyl alcohol to help clean the old thermal paste! Also don’t spread the thermal paste around, this could introduce air pockets which would bring the heat transfer rate down, the heat sink will spread it for you as you put it back on!
not true Explain why Luke's mac in the video above had shiny spots on the die from the factory? Surely it should have spread out from the heat sink, right? Also, explain why most pastes come with a spreader? See: MX4, Arctic Silver, Thermalright, etc.
Hey Luke would you recommend changing the thermal paste on a Late 2013 13” MacBook Air?
After you have it for couple of years like 2 or 3
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@@ashmeetghotra1776 thanks lol already did it
@@IsmaelSalajee did you notice any difference?
Hi, i have to replace those rubber gaskets, showed at 5:00, Where can i get those?
Was going to upgrade my SSD soon since my late 2013 runs fantastic still. Might give this a try since it does seem to run a bit hot now.
I'ver never heard my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro fan turn on, doesn't get too hot and works perfect.
You can use rubbing alcohol to remove the old thermal paste
Hey Luke, love your channel and like all your vids. I have the MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
I will do the repasting, any other upgrades you recommend? It sucks the ram is built in, I am considering 1tb ssd upgrade. But there is nothing else I can do to future proof this model right? Cheers mate, nick
Mate, can you pretty please do this upgrade on a 2018 MacBook Pro?
The reason I made the video was to demonstrate how easy it is on these particular MacBook pros. The 2016- present require logic board removal to access the heatsink
Ltt
I don't think it does. The heatsink faces out so you can remove it just like on the 2015 models.
The heatsink faces out, but the bracket and screws that hold it in place are on the underside of the logic board
always fully spread the paste on a cpu that had no lid like this one. do not leave any empty spots before putting the heatsink back on. all the way to the edges!
Do this to every laptop or computer, checking for dust is important too.
I wonder if a graphite sheet could work on the MacBook Pro Retina?
Very interesting! Do you know if this would be "doable" on a 2019 MacBook Air? Mine gets quite hot, even just watching a TH-cam.
My MBP 2011 spoilt due to heat. I simply change to an iMac (refurbished one as I am still waiting for Apple Silicon)
Great tip. My 2012 retina gets blazing hot just thinking about playing videos while doing anything else
That heatsink only covers the bigger cpu. What about that small one that you put the paste also. You gonna leave the paste as is?
After so many years, I still can't believe that for this model, Apple engineers was like: Dang it, let's just cover part of the GPU die by the tube and it will be OK.
Leo Ren It’s actually the PCH which doesn’t need any cooling, Intel integrated it on to the CPU package to save space on the “U” processors, on the 15” MacBooks it isn’t integrated and is fine sitting with no cooling...
Luke, I have a question: Do you have to let the thermal compound set or cure for a period of time before turning the laptop back on?
No
I hear this 'cheap thermal paste' stuff all the time but why is it ALL manufacturers would skimp on the cost of this when it causes so many foreseeable problems, it would be easier to go cheap on some other spec.
Because by the time the thermal paste causes problems you're out of warranty. Planned obsolescence.
Typically manufacturers choose thermal paste that LASTS a long time, because people aren't going to change it. So they prioritize long lifespan rather than peak thermal performance.
great video i learned a ton from this.
I have a computer My question is what is the best Curved monitors in the 30 inch plus range to pair with this type of mac for the best display. I had a Samsung 32-inch Curved Full HD Monitor in White. It was really bad, it had glare issues and the display was extra large on the monitor. I tried adjusting the ( display setting on the mac computer and the samsung monitor.But to no avail) , and it made my eyes hurt.
Always spread the thermal paste evenly all over the die! It's important in this case because it's direct die cooling.
and the cooler does not have that high clamping force , as dont most of apple coolers , and people forget that spreading the paste is needed when clamping force is low , its not a pc with a thick lid
Thanks Luke didn't realise it was so easy would have done it a long time back, has certainly helped not only running cooler but also cools down quicker after running something a little stressful. I used Arctic MX-4 on MacBook Pro early 2015 3.1GHz i7. Cliff : currently running CPU 54C deg now ambient is 32C. As pointed out the GPU section doesn't really have much of a heatsink room for an aftermarket one maybe.
did you paste both the CPU and PCH ?
How about squirting your thermal paste on piece of plastic or other surface, then use a toothpick to dab small amounts on the CPU surface. That way, you control the amount and placement instead of getting a large amount where you don't want it. Great video, I will have to do this to my early 2015 13" MacBook Pro. Could you post a link to the site to order the thermal paste?
Arctic silver and mx4 or liquid metal if you wanna go extreme
Cant belive that heatsink size, if u notice it didnt even cover/touch the igpu ...like wow, on the other side great video dude!
The second chip is the Package Controller Hub, not the graphics chip.
Yeah, I don’t see the point of applying thermal paste to the igpu if the het sink doesn’t touch it. There was already paste on there when he removed the heat sink, tho.
It would be really cool if you made a video on all the upgrades you can do for the retina Macs. I am looking to keep my retina for a long time because of the lack of io on the new Macs.
Well apple now has a 16“ and 14“ pro with the IO you want!
Luke, do you have a link to the Macbook Pro screwdriver kit and also the paste?
I just reapply a fresh Arctic Thermal paste just an hour ago and now I smell similar to a burning soldering iron. Not sure if this is normale due to new thermal paste?
I really don't know wether I should paste the PCH chip or not ? I see Luke pasted both the CPU and the PCH but in other parts I read that doing that will put the PCH in contact with the heat pipe and increase its temperature. Also , when I opened the Mac for the first time, it didn't have any paste on the PCH.
You shouldn’t, atleast as far as I read on the interwebz
I don't even have a Macbook, yet I'm watching all of your videos
Lol same😂 but I plan on getting one
Great video! I just replaced the factory 1tb ssd on my Mid 2015 Mackbook Pro with a SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 2TB . It works great so far, but was wondering if I should add a thermal pad to the SSD.... please advise
Good video, but I thought you said you don't want to see any reflection in the CPU and you didn't seem to check if there was any exposed CPU. I saw some of the CPU mirror when you put the heat sync back on. Just a thought.
Why you havent cleaned the cpu and heatsing with IPA alcohol? 7:52
Should have thought to do that on my 2015 MacBook Pro. It sounds like it's about to take off at times and runs way too hot.
Hi Luke I have the 15” 2014 model and I have lost my internal sound but it works off mini display port and blueteeth. Do you know how to fix that ?
This helps, but unfortunately there are no decent ventilation around fan anyway, so overheating still be there, just not as severe as before. Drilling few holes around fan from the bottom of the Macbook Pro will decrease CPU temperature by ~15C easily. :D
I don't understand, why did he not spread out the thermal paste evenly across the whole CPU surface with the spudger? Isn't uneven thermal paste distribution part of what he didn't want in the first place?
Luke - I am a non-techie but I want to do this on my 13" 2014 MB Pro Retina (Model: A1502) while I upgrade the SSD. Three questions: (1) which tool kit do you recommend that I get from ifixit? (2) I am thinking about upgrading the SSD using either a Samsung 970 Evo or Samsung 980 Pro coupled with a Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD adapter Card; which of these two Samsung SSD's would you recommend that I go with? (3) I have 8gb Ram; can I upgrade the RAM as well? Level of difficulty? Thanks very much in advance!
The problem with apple is that they also OVERUSE their thermal paste. too much thermal paste will also cause heat to insulate around the chip.
Overusing thermal paste does not make any significant difference, as was poven in many tests, check out Jayz2cents or Linustechtips
best Apple laptop gen. Period. There's even a guy on YT which managed to upgrade the CPU on it
A friend gave me one you show with two fans as it does not turn on but I saw one time trying all keys combinations that it showed colorfull screen asking for password but I was not able to pass from there as it seems the one she gave me is uncorrect. Then it only starts the fans when pressing power key and they stay on until I press power key again or until battery drains. Can you suggest a solution to this problem? Thanks!
I have a 2015 macbook pro and I haven't had much of an issue with heat
This was really helpful Thank you✨
I never knew MacBook pros were upgradable
Sitting here watching this video stuttered on a 2012 MBP retina due to throttling issues because of this exact thermal issue. Kernal Task at 300%
How Meta.
I have this 13” with 16gb of RAM and 256 ssd. Thinking of finding a 2015 - 15” with a bigger ssd and dedicated graphic card. Any thoughts on this? Would it be worth it? I just email, social media, pay bills, type and manage documents, and do household stuff. No video/photo stuff, no games, nor any audio/music stuff. But I love the bigger screen and the bit of ‘futureproofing’. Or should I set my sights on the next new MBP for down the road? Thx
What is the size needed for the phillips screwdriver? I can't make it..
Surprising that the GPU gets hardly no contact with copper plate to wick away heat. I presumed the lil die next to cpu is a GPU, i'd make a custom block so both chips have adequate coverage.
Yes mate
I wonder if you know a better cooler
It's the PCH
I have late 2013 that I wanna resurrect. What upgrades should I do to make it faster in 2021? How many more years will it run after the upgrade?
What's a bad temperature? How to test temperature so I can tell I need to do this upgrade?
All good save for your use of ceramic based thermal paste.. My preference is arctic silver or something similar.
Where the cinebench benchmark after thermal paste replacement? You can't say switch thermal paste without show off the difference in video. Please, can you insert the results after?
Go to 10:06 and feel dumb. Complains and doesn’t even watch the whole thing. Good job.