CPU Thermal Paste Replacement & Overheating Repair

The Computer Hospital at 3512 Travis St in Midtown Houston repastes desktop CPUs, laptop CPUs and GPUs. Repasting starts at $99 for desktops and $149 for laptops, and is often done same day, depending on when the computer comes in. Call 713-4PC-HELP (713-472-4357).

Not always. A repaste makes sense when:

• Your CPU now runs 5–15°C hotter than it used to on the same work, or regularly climbs above 85–95°C.
• The fans run at full speed all the time because heat isn't getting from the chip to the heatsink.
• The cooler has been removed for any reason. Old paste should always be cleaned off and replaced, never reused.
• The paste is 3–5 years old (about 2 years for factory paste in a laptop) and you're already seeing heat problems.

You can usually leave it alone when idle temperatures sit around 30–50°C and load temperatures around 60–85°C, when a dust cleaning brought temperatures back to normal, or when the computer runs fine and the cooler has never been touched. Dust is behind most sudden heat spikes, so we clean the heatsink and check the fans before recommending a repaste.

The common signs are:

• High temperatures: idle temperatures above 50°C, or load and gaming temperatures that keep climbing past 85–95°C.
• Thermal throttling: stutters, dropped frames or lower clock speeds under heavy work, as the CPU slows itself down to cool off.
• Fans at full speed: the fans run loud all the time because dried-out paste isn't moving heat to the heatsink.
• Age: the paste is 2–3 years old (up to about 5 for high-end compounds) and temperatures are rising.
• What it looks like: once the cooler is off, paste that's dry, cracked, crusty or flaking needs replacing. Any time the cooler comes off, it gets fresh paste.

We check temperatures, fans and dust first, because a clogged heatsink causes the same symptoms.

There's no fixed schedule, so go by temperatures rather than the calendar. As a rough guide:

• Desktops: standard paste lasts about 3–5 years, and premium paste can last longer.
• Laptops and small-form-factor PCs: these run hotter and heat up and cool down more often, so about every 2–3 years.
• Factory paste in prebuilt computers and stock coolers is often lower grade and may need refreshing after about 2 years.

Repaste sooner if the CPU runs 5–15°C hotter than it used to on the same work after the dust has been cleaned out, or if the fans are ramping up constantly. Any time the cooler comes off, even for a quick check, the old paste should be cleaned off and replaced.

It depends on what the computer is doing. 90°C is normal:

• Under heavy work like video rendering, compiling or demanding games, which can push modern CPUs into the high 80s or low 90s.
• On high-performance chips like AMD Ryzen 7000 series and high-wattage Intel processors, which are designed to boost until they reach about 90–95°C.
• On thin gaming and work laptops, which often hit 90°C under load because their cooling is so compact.

90°C is a problem:

• At idle or during light use like browsing or video. That points to a cooling fault.
• When a desktop stays at 90°C or above throughout ordinary gaming, rather than spiking there briefly.
• When clock speeds drop. Most Intel chips start throttling around 100°C and AMD chips around 95°C.

The usual fixes are cleaning the dust out of the fans and heatsink, checking that the cooler is spinning and properly mounted, replacing dried-out thermal paste, and improving case airflow. We check all of these when we evaluate an overheating computer.

Only when the card has a real heat problem. A GPU repaste is worth it when:

• The card regularly reaches 90°C or more under load, or runs unusually hot at idle.
• The fans run loud while clock speeds or frame rates drop during games.
• The card is 3–5 or more years old, or was bought used or mined on, so the factory paste has likely dried out.

If the card is newer than 2–3 years and its temperatures are normal, a repaste won't make a noticeable difference. Opening a GPU cooler also carries more risk than a CPU repaste: it means disconnecting small fan and lighting cables and matching thermal pads of exact thicknesses. If that's done wrong, the card can run hotter than before. Opening the cooler can also void the manufacturer's warranty. We check the card's temperatures first and only open it when the numbers call for it.

Only if it's showing heat problems. On a card that age, a repaste is worth it when:

• Load temperatures are 5–10°C higher than they used to be under the same conditions.
• The card drops clock speeds during games or heavy work to keep itself from overheating.
• The fans run at full speed all the time.

At around five years, the factory paste is often dry, chalky or squeezed out from under the chip, and a fresh application usually brings load temperatures down by several degrees. If the card's temperatures are still in the normal range, leave it alone. The old thermal pads on the memory and power components often tear or crumble when the cooler comes off, so we replace them with pads of the exact same thickness. We test the card under load before and after the work so you can see the difference.

When the card shows heat problems, not on a calendar schedule. It's time when:

• The GPU core or hotspot runs 5–15°C hotter than it used to on the same work, or regularly reaches 80–85°C or more.
• The card throttles, with clock speeds or GPU usage dropping during games or heavy work.
• The fans stay at full speed even after the dust has been cleaned out.
• The card is 3–5 or more years old and running hot, so the factory paste has likely dried out.

If temperatures are normal, or the card is only 1–2 years old, leave it closed. A GPU teardown involves fragile fan cables and exact-thickness thermal pads, and a careless job can make temperatures worse or damage the card.

Thermal paste is a non-conductive compound that is safe and forgiving. Liquid metal is a gallium-based alloy that moves heat several times better, but it conducts electricity and attacks aluminum, so it must be applied carefully. Paste is the right choice for most computers; liquid metal is for high-performance machines and for laptops that came with it from the factory.

Yes. Some gaming laptops, such as many ASUS ROG models, ship with liquid metal under the CPU. Swapping it for regular paste usually makes the machine run hotter, so we replace it with fresh liquid metal and insulate the area around the chip.

It depends on the machine. We apply liquid metal on request when the cooler is copper or nickel-plated and there is room to insulate around the chip. We check compatibility first, because liquid metal on an aluminum heatsink will damage it. When liquid metal is not a good fit, we use a high-performance paste instead.

It will not add speed, but it stops the slowdowns caused by overheating. A computer that was throttling will run at its full rated speed again, and quieter.