This is by far and easily the BEST video on liquid metal on any platform. Your video literally covers absolutely everything about liquid metal from FAQs, to application, removal, cleaning, and re-applying. To say this is an outstanding video would be an understatement. I love your channel. Please keep making more wonderful videos.
It takes 4 years to make a video & still need another 2 years, what a dedication. Really appreciate it. Btw, how many gram of LM are used to apply for laptop?
This is the best video have ever watched and thanks to it I decided to use liquid metal. Now my laptop runs 16 C degrees cooler than before with thermal paste. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for this video. I have had similar results using this on my long-term laptops, and I did the same thing. Allowed the LM to react with the copper, change it a few times within the first 3-6 months, and then let the LM ride in the laptop and remain liquid. This certainly cleared up any doubts I ever had about my process, and for whatever reason, before this video specifically, I had never been able to find a breakdown this detailed about it. LM is definitely the best way to keep thermals down, and my favorite to use by far. Thanks again!
Im bout 2 months into first lm application and this morning suddenly got throttling, just took it apart and turns out lm on cpu got dry and separater from it.
Bro i too used liquid metal but after 6-7 months I tried to repast LM but it won't spread on copper heatsink tried sanding too nothing helped, can you help Or any piece of advice?
@@xCheatah bro it's hard but at the end I applied it, you just have to go round and round till it start to spread, but 1st if you have applied and it formed a layer just sand off it with sand paper, then use cleaning pad that comes with liquid metal or any cotten cloth with just drop of water if you don't have pad . Then take a cotton bud from the medical store , then just rub it against the copper till it starts to create friction then liquid metal will start to spread Itself
I don't know how I haven't found your page yet. Anyone who takes this amount of time to make a video should be followed by everyone who comes across it. Excellent video and I look forward to the rest
Great video! Last month i repaste my nitro 5 2022 default paste with liquid metal using this guide. I use a tape named Kepton to isolate and did really nice job. My temp results was great, -20 - 25°c. Now, i just repasted again like you did, so far so good, my laptop is cold finally. Thank you!
This is amazing, I just did exactly what you did and its amazing. I have been having some trouble with my CPU temp using Kryonaut Extreme with 85C - 99C temperature but after watching your video, I got 70C temperature on my CPU with performance boost mode turned on to Aggressive. My GPU is now at 65C with overclock & undervolted compared to 70C with kryonaut extreme this is an amazing improvement with my laptop. Thank you so much.🎉
@@Markknightexeter If you know that you can do better, make a video of your own. Saying what he is doing is laughable and dodgy does nothing for people looking to learn. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
@@Markknightexeterat 100C you can shave off 25-30C. Even at 70-80C you can shave off 15-20C. On a modern Ryzen or recent Intel, you can obtain higher boost clocks. This is a great way to make middling coolers work better and get more value from a build. This guide is absolutely excellent, and the polishing is entirely unnecessary especially in low contact systems, you should not be removing mass from said systems. His additional comments on LM not being scary are warrented, as there is no chance of damage using Thermal Grizzly as it was designed for use on desktop IHS only, and additional use is DIY. To add even more, there are many conformal coatings that work great for SMTs like liquid electrical tape. Finally regarding deliding, using a tool is the safest way, and is very worth it to remove the decaying thermal paste on cpu dies that are over 10 years old now.
Now I know what i have done wrong. years ago I applied liquid metal to my gamer laptop just on both die. some weeks later it just get back to the same thermal issue. I was to scared of opening it again to see whats gone wrong, till I saw crazy guy doing the same for a RX 7900 xt, And the i knew that i should have put metal on the Heat sync as well. So I did it and my laptop just worked flawless again. Now I know the think about having to apply two times on copper based heat syncs. Good to know and thank you.
2:33 There was alloy diffusion between gallium (and other metals) and copper. In this way, there will be a better heat transfer between the liquid metal and the copper block. In my opinion, do not remove the gallium in copper! In my opinion, wipe the liquid metal on the processor and copper block with an alcohol swab without pressing too much. Then apply liquid metal over it again. In this way, you will get better results than the temperatures you have achieved before. I've tried, I know what I'm saying.
Just a heads up. First you say not to use an abrasive polish, and then start using the abrasive side of a sponge to clean the copper. While this may be fine for some sponges, there are others out there that are far more abrasive than polyester. Be careful what you're using.
All polishers are abrasive as well. But Flitz uses somewhere around 15 000 grit which is around the same for other polishing compounds (some can get up to 30 000 grit). I collect knives and use flitz to get a mirror finish on some knives and it does take material off, just very little at such a high grit that it wouldn't be noticeable or really change dimensions really at all.
I would agree, but anyone who is this much of tinkering, we already know this stuff, and compare the percentage of wool in our socks, as well as distill water so we get zero metal fluoride when we drink, and ALMOST every thing else. :)
You don’t need to do what he did anyways as long as your sticking with Liquid Metal as leaving that silver layer on the copper will better help the next application of Liquid Metal stay liquid and last longer which he explains at the end of the video. Idk why everyone is so concerned about removing the stain from your copper block.. if your plan is to use Liquid Metal and stay with Liquid Metal then it will never be an issue and you’ll never have a reason to try and clean the copper block so that it’s fully back to shinny copper anyways
This is a phenomenal video. I applied liquid metal to my Steam Deck in 2022 and I got comments from people saying that I applied too much and that it was going to lead to the death of my device - even though I followed every protocol that you did here. I just gifted that Deck to my baby brother while I got the OLED version, and best believe if it ever begins to overheat, then it too will be getting some LM added to it.
Awesome guide! Starting from 2023 with so many laptop makers using liquid metal on the CPU side, a new problem called Liquid Metal Shifting arises, as the name describes, some laptop makers have really big gaps between the die and the barrier, and some of the liquid metal shift into the gap, as a result you may see very high temp occurs on specific cores, currently the only fix is to lessen the gaps, or wait 30 min to cool down the laptop and have the liquid metal transform into solid-state, to prevent leakage caused by movement.
Pro tip : You should always have two coats of liquid electric tape/paste. You always want to cover the smallest nooks and crannies plus the overall surface to protect. Also, TG Shield is good but i recommend you use small paint brushes to apply it as the brush that's in the cover is short and slightly large.
Thanks! Very good explination & guide. I've been using Thermal Grizzly's LM for years, it's AMAZING, and my advide is always the same: Isolate SMDs (I use high-temp liquid electrical tape, but TG Shield is fine as well), spread evenly, and PROFIT! Thermal Grizzly's LM single handedly made the i7-7700K worth it back in the day. Delidding it and using LM took the temps down ~20 C, meaning higher, more stable overclocks. I've been using it ever since.
Brilliant video, I believed this to be so, but it's always nice to have confirmation. I electroplated my copper heatsinks with a nickel layer before using liquid metal just in case. Thank you for your work!
WARNING future users of liquid metal! At 4:50 when you say "I can say for sure that liquid metal will not do anything destructive with a silicon processor chip" is completely WRONG! If the liquid metal were to touch any solder joint on you on your motherboard or in the grooves underneath any AMD AM5 processor chip, it will de-solder itself from the chemical reaction. Liquid metals are conductive compared to thermal paste which isn't and are more user friendly, you are also only gaining 1-4C difference. To combat liquid metals from spilling onto the motherboard when installing, we typically use nail polish over and around any capacitors or any soldered surface. Liquid metals will eat through aluminum if you are new to pc mod/building, stick with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. Please pin this for future users.
I honestly am a huge Liquid Metal fan especially on laptops because of how hot they potentially get with prolonged workloads or gaming sessions. I decided to trust the engineers that designed the thermal compound and apply it properly and safely, and never had any issues, in fact, temps always run better with liquid metal. NOW I feel vindicated that an actual real life test proves that this works and does not corrode copper just like others were claiming. Thanks for this great experiment you shared with us.
This video fascinates me a lot cause this is the first time I’m hearing about Liquid Metal that helps with cooling down cpus by a lot in my eyes. I would love to try this but I’m afraid of prying my cpu open so maybe I can start with consoles like my ps4 and Xbox 360 first
The backing of the CPU die is coated with titanium which is one of the materials that can take gallinstan indefinitely. A while back they had heat exchangers filled with gallinstan for cooling xeon processors in mid range mission critical servers. The cooling blocks were made of copper with a small MHD pump that circulated the gallinstan through the cooling loop. You could blast the cooling block with an actual plubing torch and it would stay cold enough to actually condense water from the flame. The weak point was the driver that turned 5V to 0.1V at several amps to feed the MHD pump with. No big deal, just replacing the mosfet and adding a little extra metal to wick the heat away from it was enough.❤
quick note if you don't want to spend a lot of money on that thermal grizzly shield u can just buy a solder mask they are much cheaper and are literally what pcbs such as the one on the processor are covered with
Your brilliant man. You explained this very well. I'm really glad I found this, because I was really apprehensive prior to seeing this. I love people that challenge narratives. I'm very impressed with how you presented your argument with clear decisive evidence with a believable chain of custody. And I appreciate you bringing this argument to the people that needed to hear it most. Good on you brotha. You got a sub from me! Best of luck in your future ventures
I have never needed to put thermal paste on both sides of contact. You only apply it to the cpu itself, then lay the heatsink on it. The two sides will have flat contact anyway. You are litterally doubling up your liquid metal and probably making a mess... The third section of the video was very helpful, though. Interesting to know that it cant work with aluminum.
this is why you should not clean LM XD removing the CuGa2 layer only make the newly applied LM react with copper again. that alloy still has high enough thermal conductivity to not affect thermal performance in any case
I had a Asus Advantage edition with LM for almost 2 years before removing it and cleaning it in favor of a Kryosheet. The copper heatsink looked stained but the LM was still in liquid form. However, there was definitely too much of it, with at least 60% of the LM off from the chips themselves.
I last built a computer in May of 2018. I don't know if LM was available then, but somehow I heard about it while researching my new build. This video was one I watched about 2 weeks ago. I decided to go with LM on my new CPU. I didn't delid it, but I did get some TG Shield (DAMNED EXPENSIVE!!!! And it smells like nail polish as well as looking like it, spreading like it and being sold in a nail polish bottle!!!! I think buying NAIL POLISH would be CHEAPER and just as effective) to spread on the components around the motherboard near the CPU socket. I started the build this past Friday night and gave those components a couple of coats. I let it dry and began my first experience of spreading liquid metal (Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut) on both CPU heat spreader and cooler contact plate. It took some time to get the pressure right but I got it. I also applied a drop to the center of the cpu again before lowering the cooler into place. The drop instantly disappeared, flowing outward into the surrounding LM previously applied. I figured this gave me a nice layer of fluid heat conductor to spread out and minimize gaps. I screwed the cooler down and took a look at the processor edge on from every angle I could. I saw a mirror line between the spreader and the contact plate. I was tired so I went to bed at this point. When I got back to it about 6 hours later, I couldn't tell that there had been any amount of extra leakage from between the two surfaces, but I couldn't tell there hadn't. It had not dripped though. This thing is running fine. And it's one of the quietest computers I've ever heard. Thanks for the vid. It certainly helped. SUBSCRIBED!!!!!
Beware - less - is better, the surface to which you've applied it, should be as 'flat' as possible (no surface tension, 'buble' , bulge or anything) that +/-90% guarantees that you did not over-applied it too much. Other than that over-using TG Shield (or any isolation glue/polish) is also great step.
Gently dropping the lm to the mounted cpu Is a good way to spritz half a liter onto the motherboard by accident. Protip put it to a piece of plastic first and pick it up with the qtip
Thanx for that, because I was NOT sure how much paste to apply. I'm also not too sure how TIGHT the heat sink should be, but when I installed a CPU about 5 yrs ago another YT video instructed not too tight, and when I checked it now, the cover was very loose and the thermal paste was not even hard. No wonder my CPU was reaching 94 degrees C. ?!? Now I have to replace an overheated GPU to the tune of almost $400.00. BTW, I am using a 2010 5,1 Mac Pro.
Thermal paste not being hard is a very good thing. Hardened paste partially lose its thermal conductivity, so it just wouldnt be as good as it was, but nothing terrible will happen. But loose heatsink is worst, so just screw it as tight as it goes.
Thank you fantastic. Am thinking of an ITX build and was concerned with temp management. This at least gives me more options to keep temps low in a cramped case.
it's amazing stuff ! my overclocked 5800x which is notorious for excess heat runs at 70-75c with 100% load and i only have a 120mm aio. you would usually need 360mm rad to get those temps with just thermal paste
Noob question, if the Liquid Metal remains liquid, is there any risk of it dropping off from the application site, and damaging other components in the motherboard? Asking this with a laptop in mind, as it usually spins in every direction with the daily use (e.g transport).
Not really. You should, just in case, insulate nearby components as demonstrated in the video. For example, I applied couple of layers of nail polish on my laptop to them instead of the termal grizzly product. But in general liquid metal is super cohesive and once it sticks to a surface it will not move around very much no mater what you do with your laptop. I have it for 5+ years on my laptop, which is positioned vertically most of the time (in my bag), and nothing bad happened so far.
You are incredible! Thank you for clearing up all the confusion I've read over the years. I really want to try deliding my 9900k, but really scared to try it. Could you make a more in depth video explaining how to delid a cpu as well as how to replace the ihs with the pure copper one? I'm sure there's a video out there that explains everything but your style is really great.
Just dont do it. ITs not worth it. For gaming 5600x is better choice and much cheaper and you dont need to cool it. Best option is to sell Cpu and Mobo because it still have pretty good price for used comnponents and buy something newer for same money. I was 9900k fan for a long time but i realized how stupid i was and i moved from that platform and trust me its best thing i have ever done!
pretty sure 9900k is soldered so you wont see really any improvement delidding it, if you want better performance i would think about lapping the IHS instead
A 12700k doesn’t need Liquid Metal … that’s why you likely have good temps and performance. I have the exact same cpu and considered Liquid Metal too but after doing research decided it was completely unnecessary.
çok açıklayıcı ve yararlı bilgiler.keşke bilgisayar üreticleri sıvı metali üretim aşamasında kullansa bu sayede daha serin sitemler elde edebiliriz.tabi üreticler bunu istemiyor olabilir ne kadar çok ısı o kadar çabuk bozulma kendi kazançlarını baltalamak istemezler
Es el mejor video que he visto en años! Gracias. Podría hacer un video con el metal líquido en un MacBook Pro 13? O indicarme ya que hay una pequeña parte del procesador que queda fuera del disipador. Gracias igualmente de ante mano
inspiring; meaning my Thermal Grizzly - Conductonaut - 5 Gram - Liquid Metal Compound Thermal Paste just showed up at my front door today. Here goes... Thanks!
a solvent such as isopropyl will never be able to remove the monolayer of grease (lipids) present on the surface you are trying to clean. If you do want to remove it for better performance you will need to use some type of degreaser. A solvent will never work and there will always be at least a mono-layer thin level of grease on there. In the real world don't know how much this will help to remove it, but in applications such as adhesives like painting it makes a gigantic difference.
To everyone who finds this video. I upgraded from 4070 to 4080 super, but staying with 7700x for a while. After 4080S my avg heavy load CPU temp jumped from 50-60 (no undervolt) to 85 when I start the game, benchmark etc and hitting 70-75 avg with all cores 20 undervolt. (3dmark, Witcher 3 ultra RT, Cyberpunk ultra RT, BO6, Bodycam) Just applied conductonaut extreme and within 30 minutes of stress test it JUST jumped to 60C on 17th loop of 3dmark. (before it was jumping 65-75 on avg). So sensors show 51C average on CPU die and 44 idle, GPU 57 and 41 idle. However I still don't understand why it jumps to max everytime I open game, benchmark or even launch steam. Well, I can say I am pleased and surprised. However still clenching my buttchicks in a worry "if I spill something or if it's leak out". Why? Because it wasn't spreading at all. It was the blobs that couldn't be spread at all. I managed to "pull" a metal around to cover 80% of the die surface. But it still was like 0.5-1mm thick, so should be spread evenly after AIO being attached. (I hope...). Let's see for now for 1 week, month and a year if I won't change the CPU.
This was really helpful and made up my mind. Definitely gonna switch to liquid metal. Also didn't even know there was such thing as aftermarket IHS plates. Probably gonna do that on my 7700x
I remember reading a few years ago about something similar. After that, I knew that it was totally safe to use liquid metal on copper because the damage would be so little, despite the claims, if you can even call that damage.
I think it's sufficient now for you to make another review after 1 year. I'm dying to know how it went after 1 year. Just a suggestion :D Very great works btw
Great info, not sure why I stopped using LM, I think it was because of the4 fear of it eating my new expensive cooler. Now I know its not really the case.
During the delid of a CPU, for example, the 13900K, once liquid metal has been applied, when you put the IHS back, do you leave it “free” or do you glue it back with high-temperature silicone?
Hi, i have 2 question.. 1. Is there any particular effect on the board that being apply liquid electrical tape on long run?.. 2. How to remove dry liquid electrical tape other than peel it carefully..
What is the risck of liquid metal ( CPU IHS X AIO Copper Water Cooler ), flow and drop on the gpu? In normal desktop setup where the CPU stay Horizontal and not Vertical like notebook.
does one want to remove the stain in the copper after the LM has been absorbed?? or is that something you kind of want to keep as a cure, for next LM appliance , stays longer.
You recommended using non-abrasive polishing paste (wish, BTW, is abrasive, but mildly so) but used the rough green side of the sponge, which is impregnated with rough mineral abrasive media (it is basically a Scotch-Brite scouring pad glue to a yellow polyurethane foam). If you want to clean the copper and maintain its polish, don't use the green side. The paste by itself applied with any cotton rag will do it.
This is by far and easily the BEST video on liquid metal on any platform. Your video literally covers absolutely everything about liquid metal from FAQs, to application, removal, cleaning, and re-applying.
To say this is an outstanding video would be an understatement. I love your channel. Please keep making more wonderful videos.
After all these test, what is your favorite Thermal Paste for CPU's ? (not GPUs)
It takes 4 years to make a video & still need another 2 years, what a dedication. Really appreciate it. Btw, how many gram of LM are used to apply for laptop?
A pinhead-sized drop for a laptop CPU and heat sink.
I think it's less than one gram.
@@howfixithi, have you teardown an Acer vx5? Do you know where to disable the sleep sensor or button when you close the lid by any chance?
@@rrvillareal2011 you can disable it in the system
@@rrvillareal2011 I know where it if you use window
@@howfixit I had to subscribe to find out how the liquid metal stood the test of time.
This is the best video have ever watched and thanks to it I decided to use liquid metal. Now my laptop runs 16 C degrees cooler than before with thermal paste. Thanks a lot!
16 C is insane heat drop
@@ahmadafory2333and probably it was throttling
After all these test, what is your favorite Thermal Paste for CPU's ? (not GPUs)
Thanks for this video. I have had similar results using this on my long-term laptops, and I did the same thing. Allowed the LM to react with the copper, change it a few times within the first 3-6 months, and then let the LM ride in the laptop and remain liquid. This certainly cleared up any doubts I ever had about my process, and for whatever reason, before this video specifically, I had never been able to find a breakdown this detailed about it. LM is definitely the best way to keep thermals down, and my favorite to use by far. Thanks again!
Im bout 2 months into first lm application and this morning suddenly got throttling, just took it apart and turns out lm on cpu got dry and separater from it.
Bro i too used liquid metal but after 6-7 months I tried to repast LM but it won't spread on copper heatsink tried sanding too nothing helped, can you help Or any piece of advice?
@@anandraj4-r7i which one did you use?
@@xCheatah bro it's hard but at the end I applied it, you just have to go round and round till it start to spread, but 1st if you have applied and it formed a layer just sand off it with sand paper, then use cleaning pad that comes with liquid metal or any cotten cloth with just drop of water if you don't have pad . Then take a cotton bud from the medical store , then just rub it against the copper till it starts to create friction then liquid metal will start to spread Itself
@@anandraj4-r7i awesome, thanks!
I don't know how I haven't found your page yet. Anyone who takes this amount of time to make a video should be followed by everyone who comes across it. Excellent video and I look forward to the rest
Great video! Last month i repaste my nitro 5 2022 default paste with liquid metal using this guide. I use a tape named Kepton to isolate and did really nice job. My temp results was great, -20 - 25°c. Now, i just repasted again like you did, so far so good, my laptop is cold finally.
Thank you!
Bro how did you repaste? My copper heatsink doesn't want LM, I mean it won't spread even after sanding the surface
This is amazing, I just did exactly what you did and its amazing. I have been having some trouble with my CPU temp using Kryonaut Extreme with 85C - 99C temperature but after watching your video, I got 70C temperature on my CPU with performance boost mode turned on to Aggressive. My GPU is now at 65C with overclock & undervolted compared to 70C with kryonaut extreme
this is an amazing improvement with my laptop. Thank you so much.🎉
Is it worth the risk ?
incredibly well done, thanks for being patient, repeating and showing various use cases, especially the polishing bit. very nice work!
This is actually laughable, don't use the stuff for a few extra degrees, and a lot of the things he did were actually dodgy
@@Markknightexeter If you know that you can do better, make a video of your own. Saying what he is doing is laughable and dodgy does nothing for people looking to learn. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
@@Markknightexeterat 100C you can shave off 25-30C. Even at 70-80C you can shave off 15-20C. On a modern Ryzen or recent Intel, you can obtain higher boost clocks. This is a great way to make middling coolers work better and get more value from a build.
This guide is absolutely excellent, and the polishing is entirely unnecessary especially in low contact systems, you should not be removing mass from said systems.
His additional comments on LM not being scary are warrented, as there is no chance of damage using Thermal Grizzly as it was designed for use on desktop IHS only, and additional use is DIY.
To add even more, there are many conformal coatings that work great for SMTs like liquid electrical tape.
Finally regarding deliding, using a tool is the safest way, and is very worth it to remove the decaying thermal paste on cpu dies that are over 10 years old now.
Now I know what i have done wrong. years ago I applied liquid metal to my gamer laptop just on both die. some weeks later it just get back to the same thermal issue. I was to scared of opening it again to see whats gone wrong, till I saw crazy guy doing the same for a RX 7900 xt, And the i knew that i should have put metal on the Heat sync as well.
So I did it and my laptop just worked flawless again. Now I know the think about having to apply two times on copper based heat syncs. Good to know and thank you.
2:33 There was alloy diffusion between gallium (and other metals) and copper. In this way, there will be a better heat transfer between the liquid metal and the copper block. In my opinion, do not remove the gallium in copper!
In my opinion, wipe the liquid metal on the processor and copper block with an alcohol swab without pressing too much. Then apply liquid metal over it again. In this way, you will get better results than the temperatures you have achieved before. I've tried, I know what I'm saying.
Very true, but this is precisely what he says later😂
@@Sumire9287 He doesn't say anything after that, but you know.
@@hamzaterzi8801 I mean he says in the proper application that you shouldn't remove the fusion, only reapply the liquid metal
@@Sumire9287 You mustn't touch the copper block. Engineers are making the heatsink with mm calculations.
Around 16 minute mark he says it, not in the part he is cleaning.
Just a heads up. First you say not to use an abrasive polish, and then start using the abrasive side of a sponge to clean the copper.
While this may be fine for some sponges, there are others out there that are far more abrasive than polyester. Be careful what you're using.
All polishers are abrasive as well. But Flitz uses somewhere around 15 000 grit which is around the same for other polishing compounds (some can get up to 30 000 grit). I collect knives and use flitz to get a mirror finish on some knives and it does take material off, just very little at such a high grit that it wouldn't be noticeable or really change dimensions really at all.
@@Kman31ca yeah but a scourer 🤣🤦♂️
I would agree, but anyone who is this much of tinkering, we already know this stuff, and compare the percentage of wool in our socks, as well as distill water so we get zero metal fluoride when we drink, and ALMOST every thing else. :)
After all these test, what is your favorite Thermal Paste for CPU's ? (not GPUs)
You don’t need to do what he did anyways as long as your sticking with Liquid Metal as leaving that silver layer on the copper will better help the next application of Liquid Metal stay liquid and last longer which he explains at the end of the video. Idk why everyone is so concerned about removing the stain from your copper block.. if your plan is to use Liquid Metal and stay with Liquid Metal then it will never be an issue and you’ll never have a reason to try and clean the copper block so that it’s fully back to shinny copper anyways
This is a phenomenal video. I applied liquid metal to my Steam Deck in 2022 and I got comments from people saying that I applied too much and that it was going to lead to the death of my device - even though I followed every protocol that you did here.
I just gifted that Deck to my baby brother while I got the OLED version, and best believe if it ever begins to overheat, then it too will be getting some LM added to it.
I never thought of applying it to the steam deck. I would love to see a video about it.
Awesome guide! Starting from 2023 with so many laptop makers using liquid metal on the CPU side, a new problem called Liquid Metal Shifting arises, as the name describes, some laptop makers have really big gaps between the die and the barrier, and some of the liquid metal shift into the gap, as a result you may see very high temp occurs on specific cores, currently the only fix is to lessen the gaps, or wait 30 min to cool down the laptop and have the liquid metal transform into solid-state, to prevent leakage caused by movement.
Just because the liquid metal seems "dry" doesn't mean it stays dry while under a heat load. It will turn back into a liquid.
You are an amazing guy, Excellent job here! couldn't thank you enough for such effort
This video is amazingly comprehensive, thanks!
The way that Nvidia chip shines after polishing it was super satisfying.
This dedication is unsurpassed in any channel I've seen.
Most people would just make 100 videos out of all this knowledge. Thank you for making it compact
Pro tip : You should always have two coats of liquid electric tape/paste. You always want to cover the smallest nooks and crannies plus the overall surface to protect. Also, TG Shield is good but i recommend you use small paint brushes to apply it as the brush that's in the cover is short and slightly large.
Thanks! Very good explination & guide. I've been using Thermal Grizzly's LM for years, it's AMAZING, and my advide is always the same: Isolate SMDs (I use high-temp liquid electrical tape, but TG Shield is fine as well), spread evenly, and PROFIT!
Thermal Grizzly's LM single handedly made the i7-7700K worth it back in the day. Delidding it and using LM took the temps down ~20 C, meaning higher, more stable overclocks. I've been using it ever since.
Same here. Delidded my i6600K and applied Liquid Metal and got about a 15-20 *F degrees drop in temps. Well worth it. Still using that same i6600K
Did you repaste?
@@Netizen56 yes. Liquid Metal.
Thank you for doing this for the community. Ultimate? Yeah, absolutely. It was cool to hear about the science behind it too.
Brilliant video, I believed this to be so, but it's always nice to have confirmation. I electroplated my copper heatsinks with a nickel layer before using liquid metal just in case. Thank you for your work!
WARNING future users of liquid metal! At 4:50 when you say "I can say for sure that liquid metal will not do anything destructive with a silicon processor chip" is completely WRONG! If the liquid metal were to touch any solder joint on you on your motherboard or in the grooves underneath any AMD AM5 processor chip, it will de-solder itself from the chemical reaction. Liquid metals are conductive compared to thermal paste which isn't and are more user friendly, you are also only gaining 1-4C difference. To combat liquid metals from spilling onto the motherboard when installing, we typically use nail polish over and around any capacitors or any soldered surface. Liquid metals will eat through aluminum if you are new to pc mod/building, stick with Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. Please pin this for future users.
I honestly am a huge Liquid Metal fan especially on laptops because of how hot they potentially get with prolonged workloads or gaming sessions. I decided to trust the engineers that designed the thermal compound and apply it properly and safely, and never had any issues, in fact, temps always run better with liquid metal.
NOW I feel vindicated that an actual real life test proves that this works and does not corrode copper just like others were claiming. Thanks for this great experiment you shared with us.
there is thermal greese much better than lm, and u still use lq lol
Sadly my friend, nothing beats liquid metal (Yet). I'm sure something will be made that is better, until then liquid metal all the way.@@thanhguom
@@thanhguomno there isn't.
@@TheCnf yeah go use liquid metal and broke your mainboard while i have a thermal paste which is 7c better than conductonaut and totally safe, hehe
@@thanhguom Which thermal paste is that, 7c better than conductonaut? I also have to repaste my laptop, can u please share the name?
This video fascinates me a lot cause this is the first time I’m hearing about Liquid Metal that helps with cooling down cpus by a lot in my eyes. I would love to try this but I’m afraid of prying my cpu open so maybe I can start with consoles like my ps4 and Xbox 360 first
The backing of the CPU die is coated with titanium which is one of the materials that can take gallinstan indefinitely. A while back they had heat exchangers filled with gallinstan for cooling xeon processors in mid range mission critical servers. The cooling blocks were made of copper with a small MHD pump that circulated the gallinstan through the cooling loop. You could blast the cooling block with an actual plubing torch and it would stay cold enough to actually condense water from the flame. The weak point was the driver that turned 5V to 0.1V at several amps to feed the MHD pump with. No big deal, just replacing the mosfet and adding a little extra metal to wick the heat away from it was enough.❤
Great video. I will sick with thermal paste.
quick note if you don't want to spend a lot of money on that thermal grizzly shield u can just buy a solder mask they are much cheaper and are literally what pcbs such as the one on the processor are covered with
Take a shot every time he says liquid metal
Your brilliant man. You explained this very well. I'm really glad I found this, because I was really apprehensive prior to seeing this. I love people that challenge narratives. I'm very impressed with how you presented your argument with clear decisive evidence with a believable chain of custody. And I appreciate you bringing this argument to the people that needed to hear it most. Good on you brotha. You got a sub from me! Best of luck in your future ventures
2025 i will be back to this video and watch your last progress. See ya guys in 2 years
I have never needed to put thermal paste on both sides of contact. You only apply it to the cpu itself, then lay the heatsink on it.
The two sides will have flat contact anyway. You are litterally doubling up your liquid metal and probably making a mess...
The third section of the video was very helpful, though.
Interesting to know that it cant work with aluminum.
Yeah that seemed odd to me as well, I will just put liquid metal on my gpu die and that's it...
Thanks for the video. I am also planning to apply liquid metal in my pc. This tutorial was very helpful.
this is why you should not clean LM XD
removing the CuGa2 layer only make the newly applied LM react with copper again. that alloy still has high enough thermal conductivity to not affect thermal performance in any case
Source?
I had a Asus Advantage edition with LM for almost 2 years before removing it and cleaning it in favor of a Kryosheet.
The copper heatsink looked stained but the LM was still in liquid form. However, there was definitely too much of it, with at least 60% of the LM off from the chips themselves.
I last built a computer in May of 2018. I don't know if LM was available then, but somehow I heard about it while researching my new build. This video was one I watched about 2 weeks ago. I decided to go with LM on my new CPU. I didn't delid it, but I did get some TG Shield (DAMNED EXPENSIVE!!!! And it smells like nail polish as well as looking like it, spreading like it and being sold in a nail polish bottle!!!! I think buying NAIL POLISH would be CHEAPER and just as effective) to spread on the components around the motherboard near the CPU socket. I started the build this past Friday night and gave those components a couple of coats. I let it dry and began my first experience of spreading liquid metal (Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut) on both CPU heat spreader and cooler contact plate. It took some time to get the pressure right but I got it. I also applied a drop to the center of the cpu again before lowering the cooler into place. The drop instantly disappeared, flowing outward into the surrounding LM previously applied. I figured this gave me a nice layer of fluid heat conductor to spread out and minimize gaps. I screwed the cooler down and took a look at the processor edge on from every angle I could. I saw a mirror line between the spreader and the contact plate. I was tired so I went to bed at this point. When I got back to it about 6 hours later, I couldn't tell that there had been any amount of extra leakage from between the two surfaces, but I couldn't tell there hadn't. It had not dripped though. This thing is running fine. And it's one of the quietest computers I've ever heard. Thanks for the vid. It certainly helped. SUBSCRIBED!!!!!
Beware - less - is better, the surface to which you've applied it, should be as 'flat' as possible (no surface tension, 'buble' , bulge or anything) that +/-90% guarantees that you did not over-applied it too much. Other than that over-using TG Shield (or any isolation glue/polish) is also great step.
1 year to go, I'm excitedly waiting for the results!
Subbed. Never knew of liquid metal before this. Nice clear and compact content
Fantastic info on liquid metal and cant wait to upgrade my new i9 with it using all your helpful info and clarification
Maybe then you'll be able to keep your load temps under 95c 😑
Gently dropping the lm to the mounted cpu Is a good way to spritz half a liter onto the motherboard by accident.
Protip put it to a piece of plastic first and pick it up with the qtip
Great video, thanks a ton for the detailed tutorial. Looking forward to the 2yr update!
Full boss presentation....well done bros.....now I can apply with confidence thanks to u
Very thorough and comprehensive guide. Props.
Thanx for that, because I was NOT sure how much paste to apply. I'm also not too sure how TIGHT the heat sink should be, but when I installed a CPU about 5 yrs ago another YT video instructed not too tight, and when I checked it now, the cover was very loose and the thermal paste was not even hard. No wonder my CPU was reaching 94 degrees C. ?!? Now I have to replace an overheated GPU to the tune of almost $400.00. BTW, I am using a 2010 5,1 Mac Pro.
Thermal paste not being hard is a very good thing. Hardened paste partially lose its thermal conductivity, so it just wouldnt be as good as it was, but nothing terrible will happen. But loose heatsink is worst, so just screw it as tight as it goes.
Thank you fantastic. Am thinking of an ITX build and was concerned with temp management. This at least gives me more options to keep temps low in a cramped case.
Thanks a lot. This video encourages people to try it, fail and take their equipment to a repairshop. Good for business :)
it's amazing stuff ! my overclocked 5800x which is notorious for excess heat runs at 70-75c with 100% load and i only have a 120mm aio. you would usually need 360mm rad to get those temps with just thermal paste
Noob question, if the Liquid Metal remains liquid, is there any risk of it dropping off from the application site, and damaging other components in the motherboard? Asking this with a laptop in mind, as it usually spins in every direction with the daily use (e.g transport).
Not really. You should, just in case, insulate nearby components as demonstrated in the video. For example, I applied couple of layers of nail polish on my laptop to them instead of the termal grizzly product. But in general liquid metal is super cohesive and once it sticks to a surface it will not move around very much no mater what you do with your laptop. I have it for 5+ years on my laptop, which is positioned vertically most of the time (in my bag), and nothing bad happened so far.
Thanks for the info! Cheers!
Très bonne question, je pense que beaucoup se la pose.
Ultimate guide to applying liquid metal: Just don't!
Use a phase change pat instead, and don't destroy your CPU or GPU!
You are incredible! Thank you for clearing up all the confusion I've read over the years. I really want to try deliding my 9900k, but really scared to try it. Could you make a more in depth video explaining how to delid a cpu as well as how to replace the ihs with the pure copper one? I'm sure there's a video out there that explains everything but your style is really great.
Just dont do it. ITs not worth it. For gaming 5600x is better choice and much cheaper and you dont need to cool it. Best option is to sell Cpu and Mobo because it still have pretty good price for used comnponents and buy something newer for same money. I was 9900k fan for a long time but i realized how stupid i was and i moved from that platform and trust me its best thing i have ever done!
pretty sure 9900k is soldered so you wont see really any improvement delidding it, if you want better performance i would think about lapping the IHS instead
Step 1: never apply liquid metal
Step 2: enjoy your working hardware
Eventually I will plan on doing this to my 12700k but I’m happy with the performance/temps now. Thanks for the information.
A 12700k doesn’t need Liquid Metal … that’s why you likely have good temps and performance. I have the exact same cpu and considered Liquid Metal too but after doing research decided it was completely unnecessary.
this video so good itll boost pretty much our confidence to go liquid metal. goodluck pasting bois!
Excellent presentation. All we need to know is here! Thanks.
çok açıklayıcı ve yararlı bilgiler.keşke bilgisayar üreticleri sıvı metali üretim aşamasında kullansa bu sayede daha serin sitemler elde edebiliriz.tabi üreticler bunu istemiyor olabilir ne kadar çok ısı o kadar çabuk bozulma kendi kazançlarını baltalamak istemezler
Es el mejor video que he visto en años! Gracias. Podría hacer un video con el metal líquido en un MacBook Pro 13? O indicarme ya que hay una pequeña parte del procesador que queda fuera del disipador. Gracias igualmente de ante mano
Thanks for the video.
What could you say about so-called "liquid thermopads"?
this guy is a hero. Nice informative video... thanks for this man :)
I didnt see the link in the description for delidding a cpu
inspiring; meaning my Thermal Grizzly - Conductonaut - 5 Gram - Liquid Metal Compound Thermal Paste just showed up at my front door today. Here goes... Thanks!
1. be careful to use "non abrasive paste" for polishing
2. go ahead and use an abrasive scotch brite
Right! I was SMH.
That means you can even use abrasive Scotch Brite for polishing liquid metal stain. Good to know.
Because most pastes are abrasive and most people will use whatever they have in their homes, such as scotch brite sponges
Thorough, informative, professional and well informed. This should be the platinum standard for all tech tutorials.
Damn I don't know who is behind this YT channel but they sure are skilled. This is such an impressive guide. Thank you @How-FixIT ❤
a solvent such as isopropyl will never be able to remove the monolayer of grease (lipids) present on the surface you are trying to clean. If you do want to remove it for better performance you will need to use some type of degreaser. A solvent will never work and there will always be at least a mono-layer thin level of grease on there. In the real world don't know how much this will help to remove it, but in applications such as adhesives like painting it makes a gigantic difference.
How about using copper sticker sheets instead? Will it do the job?
To everyone who finds this video.
I upgraded from 4070 to 4080 super, but staying with 7700x for a while.
After 4080S my avg heavy load CPU temp jumped from 50-60 (no undervolt) to 85 when I start the game, benchmark etc and hitting 70-75 avg with all cores 20 undervolt. (3dmark, Witcher 3 ultra RT, Cyberpunk ultra RT, BO6, Bodycam)
Just applied conductonaut extreme and within 30 minutes of stress test it JUST jumped to 60C on 17th loop of 3dmark. (before it was jumping 65-75 on avg).
So sensors show 51C average on CPU die and 44 idle, GPU 57 and 41 idle. However I still don't understand why it jumps to max everytime I open game, benchmark or even launch steam.
Well, I can say I am pleased and surprised.
However still clenching my buttchicks in a worry "if I spill something or if it's leak out".
Why? Because it wasn't spreading at all. It was the blobs that couldn't be spread at all. I managed to "pull" a metal around to cover 80% of the die surface. But it still was like 0.5-1mm thick, so should be spread evenly after AIO being attached. (I hope...).
Let's see for now for 1 week, month and a year if I won't change the CPU.
Dude, thanks a lot, you solved most my doubts about the liquid metal and delidding
This was really helpful and made up my mind. Definitely gonna switch to liquid metal. Also didn't even know there was such thing as aftermarket IHS plates. Probably gonna do that on my 7700x
Interesting video. Wich set of brush you guys recommend to clean my pc, motherboard, gpu, etc? Some antistatic brush i think.
What is the reason for applying the liquid metal to the copper heatsink? It says check the description but I can't find anything.
I remember reading a few years ago about something similar. After that, I knew that it was totally safe to use liquid metal on copper because the damage would be so little, despite the claims, if you can even call that damage.
Hi and compliment for your fantastic videos... i have a answer: how can i remove the TG Shield or insulating adhesive?
Do I need a protective layer on the motherboard if I am just doing CPU spreader to copper plate AIO? Or can I just be cautious of how much I use?
What a fantastic video, thanks heaps from NZ.
What do you think about the Thermal Grizzly Intel Heatspreader V1 ? is it worth ?
subscribed bro,,,, everything in one video is like muahh
I think it's sufficient now for you to make another review after 1 year. I'm dying to know how it went after 1 year. Just a suggestion :D Very great works btw
Great info, not sure why I stopped using LM, I think it was because of the4 fear of it eating my new expensive cooler. Now I know its not really the case.
During the delid of a CPU, for example, the 13900K, once liquid metal has been applied, when you put the IHS back, do you leave it “free” or do you glue it back with high-temperature silicone?
Why did you use a non abrasive polish, and then polish the copper with the abrasive side of the sponge?
how can you make everything so organized and simple to follow?
Do we need 2 grams in order to reapply the liquid metal?
The video is great , ty brother for this information .
You should do one on conductonaut extreme and PTM7950
The second application has to be done exact same way as first? Like all cleaning and removing the first application?
Excellent guide. About your laptop have you checked how temperature have changed after reapplying liquid metal after 4 years?
Hi, i have 2 question..
1. Is there any particular effect on the board that being apply liquid electrical tape on long run?..
2. How to remove dry liquid electrical tape other than peel it carefully..
Are those liquid insulating materials needs to be replaced aswell? And if yes, what's the best way to clean them?
What is the risck of liquid metal ( CPU IHS X AIO Copper Water Cooler ), flow and drop on the gpu? In normal desktop setup where the CPU stay Horizontal and not Vertical like notebook.
Wouldn't those SMD components get overheated isolated like that? Or is it just the silicon thingy that got super hot?
I appreciate the time and effort put into this video great informations I've learned a lot!
the 4 years we appreciate it, so don't have to use liquid metal ourselves ❤
Often thought of other pastes or liquids, and found this videos, nice one🎉
does one want to remove the stain in the copper after the LM has been absorbed?? or is that something you kind of want to keep as a cure, for next LM appliance , stays longer.
Can you please try the best thermal paste on the PS5, instead of the default liquid metal. thanks.
You recommended using non-abrasive polishing paste (wish, BTW, is abrasive, but mildly so) but used the rough green side of the sponge, which is impregnated with rough mineral abrasive media (it is basically a Scotch-Brite scouring pad glue to a yellow polyurethane foam). If you want to clean the copper and maintain its polish, don't use the green side. The paste by itself applied with any cotton rag will do it.
Holy shit, this is amazing work, subbed just for the dedication to the video.
The chip surface was mirror smooth. But now there are scratches after I removed the liquid metal.😢 what should I do? And can I reapply?
@@N_N23296 he said apply some strength when applying and I felt the metal scratching and disregarded while think he said apply some strength 😂
Hey man thanks for covering the issue. I'm curious about your thoughts on applying liquid metal to ram chips. Do you think it will corrode them?