Ultimate Guide to Applying Liquid Metal to Your CPU, Laptop, GPU, and Game Console
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2024
- In this video guide, I'll show you how to apply liquid metal to your CPU, laptop, GPU, and game console using Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut safely and effectively, without making any mistakes that could damage your system.
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Liquid Metal Conductonaut: amzn.to/3O5luci
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Flitz polish paste: amzn.to/3LWI1IS
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Time code:
00:00 Intro guide
00:17 Is liquid metal safe for a CPU and a copper heatsink
00:34 Four-year experiences using liquid metal
01:12 Copper heatsink with liquid metal after 4 years
01:48 How liquid metal affects copper
02:33 How to remove liquid metal from copper heatsink
04:41 Cleaning liquid metal from the CPU
05:28 Thermal Paste vs Liquid Metal
05:43 Liquid metal with aluminum heatsink
06:13 Liquid metal is an electrical conductor
06:33 How to apply liquid metal
06:56 Preparing a laptop for liquid metal application
08:19 How to apply liquid metal to a laptop
09:53 Applying liquid metal to a CPU
10:55 Map of options for using liquid metal for a CPU
11:46 How to apply liquid metal to a CPU
12:48 Applying liquid metal to a graphics card or game console
13:35 How to apply liquid metal to a GPU or APU
14:16 Isolating SMD components
16:45 How often should change liquid metal
17:30 Liquid metal experiment
DESCRIPTION
In this ultimate guide, we will show you how to apply liquid metal to your CPU, laptop, GPU, and game console using Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut. Liquid metal is an excellent thermal interface material that offers superior heat transfer performance compared to traditional thermal paste. However, it requires careful application, and there are a few things you need to know before using it. We'll also cover the advantages and disadvantages of using liquid metal for CPU and laptop cooling, and how to clean liquid metal from your CPU and copper heatsink without causing any damage. In this video tutorial, we'll cover all the details, so you can apply liquid metal like a pro.
Video Content:
In this video, we'll cover the following topics:
- My four-year experience with liquid metal
- Is liquid metal safe for a CPU and a copper heatsink
- How to clean liquid metal from CPU
- How to remove liquid metal from copper heatsink
- What you should know before applying liquid metal
- What is liquid metal and how to use it
- How to apply liquid metal to different CPUs
- How to prepare your CPU, laptop, GPU, or game console for liquid metal application
- Applying liquid metal to a CPU
- Delidding CPU
- Applying liquid metal to a laptop
- Applying liquid metal to a graphics card or game console
- How to apply liquid metal to a GPU or APU
- How Often You Should Change Liquid Metal
- Tips and tricks for applying liquid metal like a pro
#liquidmetal #howfixit #thermalgrizzlyconductonaut #heattransfer #diy #techtutorial - Věda a technologie
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
You are an amazing guy, Excellent job here! couldn't thank you enough for such effort
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.
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.
I just found you and you're really good, the video quality, editing, and explanation are clear! It's really underrated... but keep going!
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. :)
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.
Very thorough and comprehensive guide. Props.
Full boss presentation....well done bros.....now I can apply with confidence thanks to u
Take a shot every time he says liquid metal
Dude, thanks a lot, you solved most my doubts about the liquid metal and delidding
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.
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 😑
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
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
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.
Often thought of other pastes or liquids, and found this videos, nice one🎉
Ultimate indeed - thank you for this video.
Really good and clear video, it has all the information i needed. Just to be sure, on the second application you cleaned the heatsink and die with or without isopropyl alcohol?
Rubbing alcohol is only necessary when the past is dried af.
I have some silicone conformal coating I was wanting to use for the LM application for my laptop? Is it okay if I apply the silicone coating to a wider area than you have in the video? What parts should I avoid?
Awesome job! Love the breakdown explaination of how to apply LM to a laptop. What do you suggest to keep the VRM's cooled?
VRM cooling, I think this is a topic for a another video, with detailed tests of various thermal products
@@howfixit It would be nice to see a test of thermal putty products such as: Upsiren UX Pro, Upsiren U6 Pro, EVGA putty, Laird 607, K5 Pro.
Great video, could you help me out please.
I just got an asus strix g16, it has Liquid Metal too, do you believe that and angled stand like the one from grovemade could affect long term?
Que excelente material, si señor! Ojalá lo hubiese visto el año apsado cuando hice lo mismo con mi G3 3590, un saludo y gracias por tan excelente contenido.
Honestly a question on what you put on the vram, is that pads?
this guy is a hero. Nice informative video... thanks for this man :)
Hi - Thank you for the great video - I subliked :)
Have you ever tried reheating the liquid metal "residue" removed after the 2 month liquid metal-copper reaction finished or the residue removed after 4 years of liquid metal service to see how it behaves? I'm curious whether the liquid metal becomes less dry and more fluid after application of heat.
Could that be the explanation for why, even after 4 years of service, the liquid metal that's never been changed still outperforms any thermal paste out there, regardless of whether or not the liquid metal has been reapplied after 2 months? If the answer to this question is "Yes, the liquid metal does return to a fluid state every time the heat is applied" it means that we don't really need to reapply liquid metal 4 to 8 weeks after first application.
Also, have you performed any temperature measurements immediately after liquid metal application and over the 2 month span to see if the temperatures rise after 2 months?
Interesting video. Wich set of brush you guys recommend to clean my pc, motherboard, gpu, etc? Some antistatic brush i think.
Hi dude nice video and info, One LM for how many cpu i can add to finish this LM ! I have 2 desktop and 2 laptop
After such polishing... can I still use this heatsink for the liquid metal? The layer should be super thin, won't this be a problem?
So helpful !!
Nice job
Thanks a lot for this video it helped me a whole lot
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?
Bro your brain is so big! Thx for sharing ❤
this video so good itll boost pretty much our confidence to go liquid metal. goodluck pasting bois!
Hello, I'm planning to use the liquid metal for my laptop cooling, but first I need to get the liquid electrical tape to isolate the SMD, but how many layers should I apply to isolate them? I'm a bit concern that over applying with many layers will let them easily overheat and cook itself... Thanks!
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.
I will need like a ton of cotton swaps for applying LM. Is there a link I can buy more cotton swaps? Thank you for the video. I was hoping to see a ps5 but the process looks very straight forward.
This is great guidance. Many thanks
Thank you for doing this for the community. Ultimate? Yeah, absolutely. It was cool to hear about the science behind it too.
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
amazing video, I have a question, how do you remove TG shield?
Hey, I have a question, are those thermal pads (grey, pink, blue) on the heat dissipators the original ones or did you add them yourself? If so, do you have any recommendations on which should we use for each component or where? Or which brand? Thank you!!
Thermal pad thickness is important. That information will be with the seller.
@@dhmo__thank you for replying but you didn't really answer the questions
@@gusmaurymain You must measure the thickness of the existing thermal pad and attach it to the same thickness.
You ROCK!!! Thank you very helpful video!!
Job well done. Great Video!
I have a similar laptop, do you know how to make let you undervolt or overclock it?
Hi have you done a video for the Alienware x17 R2? Rtx 3080 i9? Thanks so much for this
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.
Excellent guide. About your laptop have you checked how temperature have changed after reapplying liquid metal after 4 years?
first time using liquid metal on a laptop, didnt know i need to redo everything on 1 month, do i need to reapply liquid metal on 1 month or can i only apply the first time and that's it, also i forgot its normal that after liquid metal has been applied different heat zones appear? per example bottom of my laptop was the normal heat zone that was higher when thermal paste was used, now its not after the liquid metal the new heat zone is on top of the keyboard
Hey great stuff, thanks!🎉
Do you recommend using LM in those interpose kits?
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
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.
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?
Thank you very much for the information.
very informative sir !!!
Really good video. Thanks
Hi and compliment for your fantastic videos... i have a answer: how can i remove the TG Shield or insulating adhesive?
Wouldn't those SMD components get overheated isolated like that? Or is it just the silicon thingy that got super hot?
Is it okay if I direct die cool it without getting a copper ihs?
Thanks, great job!
What other product exists to protect the components if Thermal Grizzly TG-Shield does not exist in my country?
if im reapplying, do i need to fully remove/polish the stain or can i reapply LM directly?
Also, it seems that there is no wall in that laptop to stop LM from dripping down to the sides and to the other components (beyond the SMD capacitors)? how was that possible? is it a non-issue at that point?
HEy! Thanks for this wonderful video! My ROG Scar 15 2021 Had LM on the CPU and Thermal paste for the GPU. Is it fine to use LM on the GPU as it doesn't have any coating around it. And since day 1 temps were around 93 to 95C + with fans on max speed. Any solution for the temps?
hayır gpu da termal macun değişimi yapın . olmazsa bu videosdaki yaparsınız
Where can I get those plastic stickers to remove scraps? Great video ty.
Hey I was just wondering on m.2 SSD or RAM chips can I put liquid metal on those and then put a thermal pad on top of it and then put a copper or aluminum heat sink on top. Could you please give me an answer on that if possible or would you do a video about that thank you or if I do one at home I'll let you know what the results are
6:28 What type of resin is this that was used to protect the electrical contacts?
brother i subscribed because you are so dedicated
ui pay my tribute
Would this be applicable for laptops with copper heatsinks that have vapor chambers?
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
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.
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 ❤
awesome video!!!! I have the same G7 laptop you used!!!
Thorough, informative, professional and well informed. This should be the platinum standard for all tech tutorials.
How about using copper sticker sheets instead? Will it do the job?
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.
Bought a thermal grizzly conductunut liquid metal by thinking it was a regular paste (i was in a hurry), now waiting for my new ryzen 5700x3d to arrive today, but after watching a couple of videos i am afraid to apply liquid metal due to the fact that i can shourtcuircuit the mb. Is there any way to use the liquid metal safely since my pc is taying in a vertical position, its not in horizontal position as the most laptops or consoles. I am using ARCTIC FREEZER 240 AIO which is having a copper cpu radiator. Thanks in advance!
Soo the liquid metal will not react and corrod any of the insulating methods like nail polish or liquid electrical tape? And what about run off
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.❤
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😂
@@alexbraundelacruz9690 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
@@alexbraundelacruz9690 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.
It seems like home plating the copper would be a solution here, could be done with a brush plating method. Pretty easy really, just needs a super clean surface.
Thanks a lot man
amazing video! thanks
Can the liquid metal drip on the motherboard while travelling with a laptop, lets say in a car or by plane?
Can you tell me what kind of tape to protect the CPU and GPU?
I have a question I wanna use the liquid metal but Im very active with my laptop like throwing it away going everywhere with it and so on as a conclusion does it make it dangerous for me to apply liquid metal to my laptop as its being moved around to much
Great video!
What is the original IHS for CPUs made of? I have both a i9-12900KF and a i9-13900KF, and I thought their respective IHS were both like a nickel plated copper.
do i need to reapply in case of a nickel plated radiator base?
I have a PS4 pro I'm thinking about using liquid metal often do I have to change it and does it keep it really cool because the fan on my PS4 pro sounds like a jet engine
it won't change no shit, don't waste your money unless you really can afford it
uv mask can protect part of cpu when it have a delid?
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.
Thanks my man, i literally just subscribed since i had no choice.
hello, thank you for the details review on how to use the liquid metal properly. however, i was wondering is the polishing part important (to remove the grey stain on the copper heatsink or can i just re-apply after cleaning simply with alcohol ? thanks
it isn't. he was trying to prove that it does not destroy copper heatsinks
@@kiyoponnn okay, thank you for your reply
fyi DO NOT use polish, any kind of polish is an insulator and will trap heat, Jayztwocents went over that in his lapping video
@@3D-DOMOso, what shall we use to clean it??
@@hooda24ma just use the little scraper and isopropyl alcohol or nail polish remover, the latter will probably work slightly better but the acetone in nail polish remover pretty harsh, so I'd recommend not getting on the PCB itself. but those will clean it as much as you need to reapply new liquid metal. It will still be stained but the stain will not affect the temps at all, its honestly not even really a stain per se, it's more of an alloy, the liquid metal bonds with the copper, it doesn't affect the temps at all so there's no reason you need to attempt to get the "stain" off when you'll never even see it. Youd be Better served with either of those options than using a polish, which actually does have the ability to insulate and there for could hurt temps.
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.
There is a nice explanation about liquid metal and how it works!, thanks for explain this to us!
May i ask so to isolate smd components on the cpu of laptop you need TG Shield ? so basically all conformal coating should work right ?
Yes, you can use any conformal coating for electronic components
very detailed video.
I have a job in my workshop for thermal phaste replacement. Soon i remove the heatsinc i notice we have liquid metal on the processor. The smd components isolated with a silicon layer what is also looks isolated the liquid metal from the rest of the laptop. I worry if i just replace the liquid metal i will make the liquid metal comes out from the cpu area. Can you recommand a silicon paste what i can replace the oldone please?