Thermal Pad Upgrades
It's not just about the CPU. Your graphics memory (VRAM) and power delivery modules (VRMs) get incredibly hot too. Factory thermal pads are often cheap and leak oil. We upgrade them to high-performance pads for rock-solid stability.
The "Oily" Problem
If you open a 2-year-old gaming laptop, you'll often find an oily residue around the chips. This is " silicone bleed" from cheap stock thermal pads breaking down.
When pads degrade, they lose contact with the heatsink. This leads to massive VRAM temperatures (often 105°C+), causing artifacts on your screen or game crashes, even if the main GPU core temp reports fine.
At Leeds Computer & Laptop Repairs, we stock a full range of Gelid and Thermal Grizzly pads in all thicknesses. We measure precisely with calipers to ensure perfect contact pressure—too thick bends the heatsink, too thin makes no contact.
Where Do Pads Go?
1. VRAM (Video Memory)
The black chips surrounding your GPU core. These run extremely hot on RTX 30/40 series cards. Cooling them properly prevents "artifacting" (weird green/purple squares on screen).
2. VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules)
The row of small squares that supply power to the CPU. If these overheat, the motherboard cuts power to save itself, causing your CPU speed to drop to 0.8GHz (massive lag).
3. M.2 NVMe SSDs
Fast SSDs also get hot. We can add pads to transfer SSD heat to the laptop's metal bottom case (acting as a giant heatsink) to keep your drive speeds high.
K5 Pro Viscous Paste
Some laptops (like Acer Nitro) use a "thermal putty" instead of pads. We stock K5 Pro.
- Gap Filling: Putty is great for uneven surfaces where pads might not sit flat.
- Long Life: Unlike pads which dry out, quality putty stays viscous and conductive for years.
Why Measure Thickness?
Precision is key.
- Too Thick: Lifts the heatsink off the CPU core = Instant Overheating.
- Too Thin: No contact with VRAM = Burnt Memory.
- Just Right: We use 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0mm pads.
Thermal Pad FAQs
Details on the details.
Is this included in a standard clean?
No. Standard cleaning reuses existing pads if they are intact. Full Pad Replacement is a premium service because the materials (Gelid pads) are expensive and measuring/cutting takes significant time.
How do I know if I need pads?
If your GPU Core temp is good (e.g. 70°C) but your "Hot Spot" or "Memory Junction" temp is hitting 105°C+, you definitely need new pads.
Do you use copper shims?
Generally no. While copper is better than pads, it is conductive. If a shim slips, it shorts the board. High-end pads are much safer and offer 95% of the performance.